Press Release
Hanover, 9-11 April, 2025, Herrenhausen Palace
Berlin/Hanover, 26 March 2025 – The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) warmly invites you, in cooperation with the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the Volkswagen Foundation and in partnership with the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH), to the International Urban Health Summit 2025.The summit will take place from 9-11 April 2025, at Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover and will focus on the future of urban health.
With over 4.4 billion people living in cities and a projected urban population of 6.7 billion by 2050—accounting for 70 percent of the global population—the health challenges posed by urbanization are significant. The International Urban Health Summit, as part of the Herrenhausen Conference Series, brings together international researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and civil society from various disciplines to discuss key challenges and solutions for improving urban health, always in the context of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), representing a groundbreaking opportunity to address the critical challenges of urban health in the 21st century.
With experts joining from over 30 countries, from Japan and Sri Lanka, to Cameroon, South Africa and Colombia and Jamaica, the Summit will focus on urbanization trends and its challenges, with a close look at the role of academies in this area. As Peggy Hamburg, co-President of IAP says “Urban health is an issue that brings together different disciplines, from the medical professions to urban planning and architecture, the social sciences, and even the arts. Honourific academies, which make up the membership of IAP, can and should play a major role in fostering a holistic approach to this field”.
The conference program includes six thematic areas:
- Urban Planning & Governance
- Built Environment & Urban Health
- Natural Environment, Climate Change & Urban Health
- Public Engagement & Urban Decision Making
- AI & Urban Health
- Education & Urban Health
Jo Ivey Boufford, Director of the Doctor of Public Health Program at New York University, a founding board member of ISUH and a key member of the IUHS planning team, stresses the importance of such an event. “The majority of the world's population live in cities, yet attention to urban health has not been a priority for the public health or medical communities”, she says. “As cities continue to grow along with the increasing evidence base for the importance of social as well as clinical determinants of health, this Summit is very timely and will hopefully help raise awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of urban health”.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Christoph Markschies, President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW), underlines the key role of the Academy: “We are proud that the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities is supporting this significant dialogue in collaboration with the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the Volkswagen Foundation. Let us work together towards a healthy, equitable, and sustainable urban future!” he emphasizes.
“Science plays a crucial role in creating sustainable conditions for a healthy urban lifestyle, thus supporting political action. This summit, taking place for the first time in Germany, provides a platform to collaboratively develop creative solutions that not only promote health but also strengthen democratic interaction and the social participation of all city residents,” says Prof. Dr. Detlev Ganten, initiator of the International Urban Health Summit.
Approximately 80 international speakers and more than 200 participants will discuss various aspects of urban health and suitable measures for implementation in Hanover.
Detailed information on registration and the complete program can be found at the following link: https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/en/events/international-urban-health-summit
We will have a press point set up for interviews on site.
Press contacts:
Dr. Annette Welling
Urban Health Project
annette.welling@bbaw.de
0179/9088473
Sheila Perosa
IAP
sperosa@twas.org
#IUHS2025Hanover