General background
Networks are an outcome of social participation, shared values and trust. It is common to build international activities on networking based on needs of partners. The needs might vary, but networks offer a platform to achieve something that nobody is able to achieve on their own. WHO Healthy Cities have a common interest to put health into the agenda of the decision making of the city. Networking is a possibility to share the ideas and lessons learnt – a platform for exchange of experiences.

Context of the Association
The role of the Association is to increase the awareness of the decision makers to health at the local level. The Association has contacts with local, national and international institutions with expertise on health and wellbeing supporting Healthy Cities networks. To promote the health of the cities, WHO and association have agreed to work with local institutions and organisations to share the best practices and expertise. E.g. member organisations of the Association (City of Turku, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku School of Economics and Social Insurance Institution of Finland) provide expertise to support the Healthy Cities’ goals in the region. They have competence on various research fields. The Association has organised in previous years several projects and activities together with them.  

The operational area of the association is the whole Baltic Sea Region. Important partners of the Association are the cities in WHO Healthy Cities network and National Healthy Cities networks. Furthermore, networks like Union of Baltic Cities, especially Environmental and Sustainable Development Secretariat, Commission on Sports, Commission on Health and Social Affirs, Baltic Sea Region University Network and partners at the Baltic Sea House in Turku are important partners. Through and with these networks the ideology of Healthy Cities is distributed.  

Goal
The overall objective of the networking projects is to strengthen the role of health promotion and Healthy Cities by using the expertise of the Association in the collaboration with the cities, various networks and projects. The specific objectives are:
- to raise the awareness of local decision makers on health, sustainable development and wellbeing,
- to support Healthy City coordinators (empowerment) to strengthen the sustainability and permanence of the Healthy Cities,
- to involve new people from different sectors of the cities to the activities of the Association.