One Health For Cities Network

The city of Kuopio implements the One Health for Cities project (ONCE), which receives funding from the EU’s Urbact IV (2021–2027) Action Planning Network funding program. The project will be implemented from 1 June 2023 to 31 December 2025.

The One Health approach describes the closely interconnected relationship of wellbeing and health of people, animals, and environment. Implementation of the One Health approach contributes to the achievements of sustainable development goals by promoting the wellbeing of the population and ecosystems.

In the project, a network of European cities will be formed. The network will work together to determine the best practices, tools and methods that can be implemented in the cities participating in the project. The means are cooperation between cities, learning and developing together, city visits, small-scale experiments in cities, and events together with regional stakeholders.

There are nine cities involved in the project: Lyon (France), Kuopio and Lahti (Finland), Suceava (Romania), Strasbourg (France), Loule (Portugal), Benissa (Spain), Elefsina (Greece) and München (Germany).

The project supports Kuopio’s vision to become the capital of good life. Project contributes to the implementation of the Healthy and communal Kuopio as well as Climate- and resource-wise Kuopio -strategic programs. In Kuopio’s strategy international cooperation is one of the goals. The One Health for Cities -project creates significant new connections between the partner cities. The city of Kuopio is a member city of the World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Cities network and as a member Kuopio is committed to promoting the implementation of the One Health model in the city. Thus, the project is also concrete cooperation between the cities of the WHO Healthy Cities network.

The project is coordinated by the city of Lyon, France. In Kuopio, a multidisciplinary local working group is responsible for the implementation of the project. In Kuopio, Kati Vähäsarja, head of civic services, and Tanja Tilles-Tirkkonen, coordinator of wellbeing promotion, are responsible for the project.

Read more: One Health 4 Cities | urbact.eu