Assessing costs and financing to improve urban health

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

Agenda 21 recommends that most of its programme activities should be performed by the cities themselves using local resources. For the implementation of healthy cities and other similar programmes, the local cost of activities would be of the order of US$ 200 million annually. International contributions to support accelerated development are estimated at about US$ 20 million per annum until the year 2000. The strengthening of international institutions to provide collaborative networks, development of assessment methods for planning purposes, design of new technologies and managerial support would require international financing of about US$ 2 million annually.