Over half of the world’s population is now urban. This
compels a focus on the living conditions, challenges
and opportunities in urban health. Urban health was the
theme of World Health Day, April 7, 2010; aptly captured
in the slogan “urban health matters”.
In view of the rapid increase in urbanization in
the South-East Asia Region, attention to the health and
well-being of vulnerable urban populations is called for.
In this context the World Health Organization Regional
Office for South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO) organized
the Regional Consultation on Health of the Urban Poor
with representatives from Member States of the Region
to deliberate on the health status and determinants
of health of the urban poor, discuss barriers to health
improvement, share the lessons learnt from urban
health interventions in Member States and agree on
potential solutions for the Region.