41st Ordinary Assembly Meeting of Turkish Healthy Cities Association was held in Bursa on June 4. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay was elected as the new president. The Secretary General of the Association Dr. Ahmet Recep Tekcan and the host Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Bozbey made opening speeches, and the members of THCA council and commission were also elected at the ordinary assembly meeting.
In his opening speech, the Secretary General of Turkish Healthy Cities Association, Dr. Ahmet Recep Tekcan, said: “Turkish Healthy Cities Association was founded with the initiative of 10 founding municipalities under the leadership of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, has reached 139 members recently and has become one of the most important thematic networks in Turkey. Turkish Healthy Cities Association continues to grow stronger with the support of our local administrators who put health on the agenda in all policies and share healthy city projects with each other.
The aim of our Association is to improve the health of our cities. Member municipalities are encouraged to carry out studies called city health profiles, and are asked to observe the improvements and deterioration of the city health indicators data obtained over the years. It is recommended that we integrate these assessments into our strategic plans, which you prepare every five years, and see the results of their implementation.
In addition to the Healthy Cities Best Practices Project Competition held every year, trainings, workshops and scientific events on urban health are organized under the guidance of Advisory Board Members from different disciplines who voluntarily support the Association.”
Speaking as the host of the meeting, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey reminded that Turkish Healthy Cities Association is the representative in Turkey of the healthy cities movement initiated by the World Health Organization more than 30 years ago. Mayor Mustafa Bozbey stated that there is a link between the city and health, and said that environmental problems resulting from industrialization have started to pose a threat to all segments of the society, old and young, rich and poor. For this reason, laws have started to be enacted to improve the health conditions in cities, and the laws also pave the way for decisions on urban planning and the development of urban planning. Mayor Bozbey reminded that they have to consider the impact of every decision on human health and shape their decisions within this framework. Mayor Bozbey said, “The healthy cities movement focuses on the main themes of health and health inequality in all policies and focuses on mobilizing all stakeholders of central and local governments, especially local governments. We, the decision-makers of local governments who are committed to this movement and who prioritize the health of their cities and residents above all else, are coming together under the roof of “Turkish Healthy Cities Association” in this privileged movement. Turkish Healthy Cities Association which has recently reached 139 member municipalities, has become one of the strongest association of our country with the support and contributions of our local administrators. I would like to thank all our mayors and council members who contributed to our Union in previous periods. I wish our 41st Ordinary Assembly meeting to be auspicious and I wish Dr. Cemil Tugay, who was elected as the President of the Union, success in the new term.”
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and THCA President Dr. Cemil Tugay wished the new term to be beneficial for Turkey and the Association. Cemil Tugay said that the climate crisis threatens all of humanity and that there should be local action plans against the climate crisis, “As a requirement of this honorable duty entrusted to me, for the next two years, I will invite people to take action on the climate crisis, to put forward action plans and to be in solidarity. We will establish working groups on some increasingly common health problems. The climate crisis threatens individual health, public health and our living conditions the most. It will also find a place in the work of our association. I would like to thank all our members who deemed me worthy of this task.”
THCA Council Members: Mayor of Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality Fırat Görgel, Mayor of Burdur Municipality Ali Orkun Ercengiz, Mayor of Osmangazi Municipality Erkan Aydın, Mayor of Selçuklu Municipality Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, Mayor of Yıldırım Municipality Oktay Yılmaz, Mayor of Bahçelievler Municipality Hakan Bahadır, Mayor of Tepebaşı Municipality Ahmet Ataç and Mayor of Beykoz Municipality Alaattin Köseler were elected.
The deputy Presidents of THCA: 1st Deputy Mayor Inegöl Municipality Mayor Alper Taban, 2nd Deputy Mayor Nilüfer Municipality Mayor Şadi Özdemir,
THCA Permanent Clerk Members: Karşıyaka Municipality Council Member Nilüfer Bakoğlu Aşık, Akçadağ Municipality Council Member Yasin Demir,
THCA Substitute Clerk Members: Menteşe Municipality Council Member Seda Uslu, Göreme Municipality Council Member Lütfiye Duman,
Plan and Budget Commission Members: Karatay Municipality Mayor Hasan Kılca, Tire Municipality Mayor Hayati Okuroğlu, Akyurt Municipality Mayor Hilal Ayık, Fındıklı Municipaliy Mayor Ercüment Şahin Çervatoğlu and Yenişehir Municipality Council Member Hülya Günel,
They took part in the new administration of Turkish Healthy Cities Association.
In the meeting, Izmir Tire and Izmir Torbalı municipalities were accepted as new members, and the decision on the separation of 7 member municipalities was also accepted.