The Minister of Health Opened the Healthy Cities Conference during the Spanish Presidency of the European Union

Last Updated on 18 de July de 2026 by S22 Digital

On 27 and 28 September, S22 Digital organised a new event within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union. Specifically, the event “Healthy Cities: Improving health, equity and sustainability from the local level in the EU“, in the city of Valencia. It featured the presence and address at the opening of the Minister of Health, José Manuel Miñones.

Healthy Cities: Improving health, equity and sustainability from the local level in the EU

The main objective of this event was to share and highlight successful experiences in health promotion at the local level in the European Union. The event featured the participation of representatives of institutions and city councils at both European and Spanish levels, with the aim of highlighting concrete examples of good practices and encouraging their implementation and dissemination in other cities. The event was broadcast in person and live via the Vimeo platform, which was accessible from the Ministry of Health website. During the event, three support interpreters provided real-time translations. These interpreters played a crucial role in ensuring that the presentations and discussions were available in both Spanish and English. Their work allowed a wider audience to access the event’s content. Thus, in virtual format, they were able to access the double streaming that was carried out in Spanish and English by the S22 Digital technical team. In the in-person format, attendees had access to a simultaneous translation receiver, all at the same time. The corporate event was spread over two days: 27 and 28 September. The first day focused on introducing the audience to the city of Valencia and especially the Botanical Garden, where they enjoyed the city and nature with a guided tour.

Programme of Healthy Cities: Improving health, equity and sustainability from the local level in the EU

On 27 September, we began with the presentation by Javier Segura, expert of the Scientific Committee of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network. He was followed by other relevant figures, as follows:

• María José Catalá Verdet, Mayor of Valencia and Member of the Governing Board of the FEMP.
• Ángeles Solanes Corella, Vice-Rector for Lifelong Learning, Teaching Transformation and Employment at the Universitat de València.
• Marciano Gómez Gómez, Regional Minister of Health of the Comunitat Valenciana.
• José Manuel Miñones Conde, Minister of Health of Spain.
• Kira Fortune, WHO Regional Coordinator of the European Healthy Cities Network.

After these speeches, a round table was held, moderated by Carme Borrell, Manager of the Public Health Agency of Barcelona City Council. Together with her, other prominent figures discussed health promotion and equity at the local level:

• Maite Pozo, Coordinator of the Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
• Lorena Orduna Pons, Mayor of Huesca.
• Elin Andersdotter Fabre, Coordinator of Her Cities, UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme).
• Jesús López Alonso, Councillor for the Environment of Logroño City Council.
• Ana Casla Puig, Lead of the mental health promotion programme, Madrid City Council, and Noemí Ávila Valdés, Associate Professor, Complutense University of Madrid.

Afterwards, another round table was held, moderated by Javier Segura, Expert of the Scientific Committee of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network. The following representative figures took part:

• Ana Gil Luciano, Head of the Health Promotion and Equity Area, Ministry of Health.
• Gema Rodríguez, Head of the Sustainable Development Area, Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.
• Miriam Weber, WHO European Healthy Cities Network Coordinator for Utrecht, Netherlands.
• Vigdis Holm, Coordinator of the Norwegian Healthy Cities Network.
• Rosana Peiró Pérez, Deputy Directorate-General for Prevention and Health Promotion, Directorate-General for Public Health, Regional Ministry of Health, Generalitat Valenciana, Spain.

A third round table was then held, moderated by Ana de los Ángeles Marín Andreu, Director of the Mobility Strategy Office, General Secretariat for Transport and Mobility, Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda of Spain. The following authoritative figures took part:

• Eva Mastny, Department of Active Mobility and Mobility Management of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Republic of Austria.
• “Estepona for the climate” — José María García Urbano, Mayor of Estepona

This meeting aimed to share knowledge and experiences in health promotion at the community level, equality, environmental preservation and healthy urban planning within the European framework. In particular, the experts and speakers provided a comprehensive perspective on the obstacles and possibilities for improving quality of life in urban areas, underlining the importance of collaboration between local authorities and the population to achieve a healthier and more sustainable urban environment. In any case, we remind you that if you want to organise a corporate event in the city of Valencia or anywhere else in Spain, S22 Digital is a reference. S22 Digital will help you as much as you need, creating a website or a registration system for your congress, conference or event, handling the streaming and/or recording, guaranteeing simultaneous translation of the event, designing your signage, providing video walls or LED screens, and generating the social media strategy.