WHO South-East Asia, Healthy Cities Awards to ten cities

On 28 March 2025, the World Health Organization honoured ten cities from six countries in the South-East Asia Region with the Healthy City Awards. The awards, presented by WHO Regional Director, Ms Saima Wazed, during a virtual ceremony, recognise cities that have made significant progress in improving urban health and well-being through inclusive planning, local leadership and innovation. The regional winners included Addu (Maldives), Badulla (Sri Lanka), Bangkok (Thailand), Bansuan (Thailand), Dhulikhel (Nepal), Klong Chaun (Thailand), Makassar (Indonesia), Pune (India), Sadao (Thailand) and Wajo (Indonesia). Each was recognised for its unique strategies, such as youth empowerment, care for the elderly, environmental sustainability and public health initiatives, and the awards were given to inspire cities to strengthen urban governance and address health challenges through a whole-of-society approach. WHO emphasized that the selected cities have demonstrated measurable improvements in health determinants, including social, economic, environmental and governance factors. The aim of the initiative is to encourage more cities to adopt innovative health policies to ensure sustainable urban development and better living conditions for residents.