On 19 June 2017, WHO’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) welcomed Paris, France, as its 500th member.
The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo and her deputy Dominique Versini – responsible for early childhood, the protection of children and the fight against exclusion and the elderly – formalised their commitment to become an age-friendly city during a presentation of the plan “2017-2021 Seniors in Paris”.
Paris, the new age-friendly city
During the ceremony at the Hotel de Ville, Alana Officer, Senior Health Advisor, Department of Ageing and Life Course at WHO said, “We are delighted to welcome Paris to our network. Together, we can build age-inclusive communities by breaking down barriers to participation, fostering solidarity, and creating ideal places for people to grow older.”
WHO began building the GNAFCC in 2010 to encourage the rethinking of environments so that they welcome everyone – especially older people. The Network has grown rapidly to include 500 cities and communities in 37 countries covering over 155 million people.
In 2016, the World Health Assembly and the G7 highlighted the importance of developing age-friendly communities. The recent WHO report ‘Ten Years in Public Health (2007-2017)’ highlights the Network as one of the successes of this period.
Published by the Editorial Staff on