The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially added Cork to its list of ‘Healthy Cities'.

The announcement sees Cork join the other Irish cities - Belfast, Galway and Waterford - that are already on the list. The WHO programme is an attempt to put health higher on the agendas of local governments, aiming to get them to prioritise health issues. Only cities that are ‘conscious of health and strive to improve it' make it into the WHO Healthy Cities Network.

Pat Healy, regional director of operations for the HSE South, said: ‘The HSE welcomes the designation of Cork as a World Health Organisation Healthy City and we are delighted to be an integral part of the development of the city as a healthy place to live and work. We fully support the Healthy Cities concept as the most effective way to promote health for the citizens of Cork city.'

Cllr Terry Shannon, Lord Mayor of Cork, said: ‘The Healthy City initiative will bring all the key stakeholders together to look at ways in which to make Cork a healthier place to live, be it through better urban design or the promotion of healthy lifestyles within the city. It will guide the development of a plan to make Cork a more healthy place in which live, work and play.'

Copenhagen in Denmark and Nantes in France were also classified as healthy cities at the same time as Cork.