Cabinet Secretariat Receives Representatives of Semarang Healthy City Forum to Discuss Healthy Cities Summit
Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Human Development and Culture receives audience of Semarang Healthy City Forum, on Thursday. (04/11/2021) (Photo by: Cabinet Secretariat PR Office/Rahmat)
Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Human Development and Culture Yuli Harsono received representatives of Office of Health Service and Healthy City Forum from Semarang, on Thursday, at the Cabinet Secretariat office, Jakarta.
The meeting discussed preparations for the Healthy Cities Summit slated to be held on 27 until 30 March 2022 in the City of Semarang.
“We hope President Jokowi will be able to attend the opening ceremony of the event,” said Head of People’s Health Division, Semarang Office of Health Service, Endah Emayanti.
In response to the proposal, Yuli Harsono said that according to its task and function, Cabinet Secretariat will give the proposal consideration.
“Cabinet Secretariat will give consideration and added urgency to the event. However, it is up to the President to make the decision whether to attend or not. If the President is able to attend, then it will surely encourage Indonesian regencies and cities to be healthy ones,” Yuli said.
Yuli considered that the event that will be participated by 514 Indonesian regencies/cities is a very beneficial activity.
“This can be a forum where the regencies and cities can learn and exchange ideas, and it can be a development forum for applying the concepts of Healthy Regencies/Cities based on its respective potentials and problems,” he said.
For the record, Healthy Cities Summit is a biennial event which was firstly initiated in 2012 in the City of Makassar, South Sulawesi. In 2014, it was held in the City of Denpasar (Bali), and then later in 2016 in the City of Padang (West Sumatra), and in 2018 in the City of Tangerang (Banten). In 2020, the meeting was not held due to COVID-19 pandemic situation.
In addition, Yuli mentioned that it is a strategic forum especially for regencies/cities that have not applied the concepts of Healthy Regencies/Cities, so they can apply it in their own regions.
“Regencies/Cities that have not yet applied the concepts of Healthy Regencies/Cities should be inspired and motivated to integrate the concepts in all aspects of planning, budgeting, as well as physical and non-physical development, so they can vastly improve the people’s health and wellbeing,” he said.
The organization of Healthy Regencies/Cities is based on Joint Regulation of Minister of Home Affairs Number 34/2005 and Minister of Health Number 1138/MENKES/PB/VIII/2005 on Guidelines for the Organization of Healthy Regencies/Cities.
According to the Regulation, Healthy Regencies/Cities is meant to be regencies/cities that are clean, comfortable, safe, and healthy for the residents, a condition which is created by applying some arrangements and integrated activities established by the people and the regional government.
The concepts of healthy cities were initially introduced by World Health Organization in the mid-1980s. At that time, the concepts were perceived as a comprehensive approach to create a healthier city environment.
At the moment, the concepts have been applied by many countries globally, including Indonesia. The concepts of healthy cities aim to overcome problems caused by urbanization, among others, population density and disorder; sanitation and water supply problems; transportation and mobilization problems; pollution problems due to industrialization and transportation; energy production and domestic waste; as well as unemployment and criminality.
Also accompanying Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Human Development and Culture was Assistant Deputy for Religious Affairs, Health, Youth, and Sport Teguh Supriyadi. (FID/UN) (AW/MUR)
