Health Group: 21st Century Intelligent Cities, June 5, 2019 at the Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C.

 

At the heart of the well-known 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300), adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Essential to sustainable development is, for example, ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being at all ages (Goal 3: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/), one hand, and on the other hand there is a real need to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (Goal 11: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/), cities being considered hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development etc.

 

On June 14, 2018, a McKinsey Global Institute’s report – “Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future” – highlighted the role of an intelligence layer added by cities in order to take advantage of the full range of smart solutions available today (https://medium.com/mckinsey-global-institute/what-makes-a-city-smart). Before that, in March 2018, a study conducted by Juniper Research for Intel reminded us what is a smart city (https://newsroom.intel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/03/smart-cities-whats-in-it-for-citizens.pdf): “an urban ecosystem that places emphasis on the use of digital technology, shared knowledge and cohesive processes to underpin citizen benefits in vectors such as mobility, public safety, health and productivity.”

 

Within this context, it is our great pleasure to inform you that a special Health Group event will take place on June 5, 2019 at the Cosmos Club (the private social club, incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1878 by men distinguished in science, literature and the arts): A panel of three international experts will focus on the intersection between health, development, the environment and human and financial resource allocations as they relate to policy decisions and urban and metropolitan planning.

 

Gerry Eijkmans, Unit Chief of the Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health

Program of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, will address issues of healthy and smart cities for universal health.

Timothy Grant Evans, Director of Health Nutrition and Populations at the World Bank, will discuss driving demand and delivery for urban health.

Pedro B. Ortiz, a Senior fellow with the New York University Marron Institute, consults for many multi-nationals, the European Union and the United Nations. His topic is urban collective intelligence: an integrated model.

Former DC Mayor, Anthony Williams (’12) will be discussant.

Eliot Sorel (’98), founder and chair of the Health Group will moderate.