Healthy citizens are vital to national prosperity. To enhance public health, policies are formed through international cooperation and interchange. In 2012 the HPA joined the 65th annual WHA Assembly, giving lectures and shared Taiwan’s experience on topics such as prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, early and adolescent pregnancy, nutrition, and health problems, and social deciding factors to share Taiwan’s experience. We also requested WHO to add an item of establishing multiple win financial mechanism in the prevention and control of noncommunicable disease global strategies and actions. We shared the multiple benefits of tax in cigarettes.

Policy Implementation and Results


1. Fertility and Growth
The HPA takes an active role in international cooperation and interchange. It works with units such as the US CDC, Georgetown University, and Princeton University. The HAP also contributes to visits and training through Taiwan government and private organizations. Such hospitality was on display in 2011 when it welcomed Vietnam’s General for Population and Family Planning, Ministry of Health, as part of the Taiwan-Vietnam Population, Family Planning, and Childcare Cooperation project. When hosting and participating in important international conferences, the HPA serves as Taiwan's voice. It shares Taiwan's health promotion experiences with various nations around the world, hosts international guests, holds international experience exchanges, and showcases Taiwan's accomplishments in health promotion. Key achievements include:
1. Fertility and Growth
In response to the low fertility, increasing life expectancy and the consequence of change in population composition, we participated in the 2012 Annual Meeting of American Population Association on May 3rd-5th, 2012. A poster presentation using analytical results from the Taiwan’s Birth Cohort Study was done. We also take advantage of the meeting to exchange idea with attendees from collaborative institutes. From May 25th to 27th, we sponsored and co-organized the 24th Reseau Esperance de Vie en Sante (REVES) annual meeting. The theme of the meeting was "Inequalities in health by socio-economic status: Is it a universal fact?" A total of 35 papers on health expectancy related topics were presented by domestic and international participants for exchanging opinions, sharing experience, and learning from each other.
In order to promote baby friendly hospitals, on June 5th, subsidization experts participated in the Seventh meeting of BFHI coordinators.” We learned effective measures in Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) promoted by developed countries, and shared our own experience. In addition from September 30th to October 1st, we visited the European headquarters for congenital defects, Wells prenatal screening center, and congenital defect information registration center, to learn the monitoring system promotion experience, system operation, and information system technology and operational standards sent by each center, for the reference of future establishment of congenital defect monitoring system for Taiwan.

2. Tobacco Hazards Prevention
(1) Eastern Asia country tobacco hazards prevention work plan: We subsidized TIMA to conduct multiple international work plans, upgrade international visibility, help with the legislation of Cambodia promoting tobacco hazard prevention and control, establish smoke-free work environment. We also worked together with Ulaanbaatar health office at the capital of Mongolia to promote smoke free work environment and plan of upgrading tobacco hazard awareness.
(2) We entrusted Juridical Person United Medical Foundation and UICC to establish tobacco hazard prevention and control GLOBALink’s traditional Chinese platform. It provided tobacco hazard prevention and control workers in Taiwan and in the world to read Chinese. One aspect is that we can conveniently receive the newest channel of tobacco hazard information, and in the meantime we can regularly post the messages of domestic tobacco hazard related progresses and events to the GLOBALink English website, to share with the international society.
(3) On April 11th, 2012, we conducted the Pre-Conference on Tobacco Free Health Care Services hosting the ENSH GOLD Forum 2012 at the Taipei International Conference Center. Approximately 320 people from 29 countries participated. The meeting included 6 global tobacco-free hospitals who received the awards. 5 of them came from Taiwan, and we became the country which achieved the most ENSH GOLD Forum Membership. In addition, there were 4 experts and 6 ENSH GOLD Forum Membership sharing their experiences, comprehensive seminars and plenary discussions from Austria, Scotland, Spain, and Germany. There were also 40 domestic tobacco-free hospitals who exhibited their achievement posters. At this time, in this meeting, the tobacco hazards control and prevention and medical healthcare policies were able to connect with the world. It made a significant contribution regarding pushing domestic preventive medicine and hospital health promotion results to the international stage.
(4) Director Chiou Wen-Da of Ministry of Health and Welfare went to Brussels, Belgium to visit DG SANCO institution and General Director Paula Testori Coggio, to discuss the plans of cooperation and sign the authorization of Taiwan to use the 37 tobacco health warning images developed by the EU. It was the first official agreement of Taiwan and EU in the health related field.
(5) We conducted the implementation of medical staff participation in the tobacco hazards prevention and control seminar. In the meeting, we invited Japan’s WHO tobacco hazards prevention and control Dr. Yumiko Mochizuki- Kobayashi and urologist from Chile, Dr. Mario Fernandez to share their status tobacco cessation service promotion, and our scholars and experts who actually participated in tobacco cessation services to share their service experiences. They also focus on the tobacco cessation principles of FCTC to provide their opinions. They hoped to encourage medical staff to be more actively involved with the provision of tobacco cessation services, exhibit professional spirit, and encourage more smokers to quit smoking, in order to protect more smokers and non-smokers, and thus promote the health of people. A total of 276 people participated.
(6) In order to collected international comparative data and to increase Taiwan’s capacity on adolescent health behavior survey and data analysis, the HPA has collaborated with US CDC on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) since 2004 and the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) since 2012. Technical support were provided by the US CDC on development of survey protocol, sampling, weighting, preliminary data analysis, completing of survey report and publication of journal papers.

3. Healthy Cities, Safe Communities and Schools
In 2012, AFHC conducted the 5th annual healthy city membership meeting and international seminar in Brisbane, Australia. Mayor Shu Ming-Tsai of Hsinchu City and Mayor Lee Chao Chin and colleagues participated. 13 oral theses were published, and 44 posters were exhibited. Tainan City healthy city promotional association, Miaoli City healthy city promotional association, Pingtung City healthy city promotional association, and Hsinchu City promotional association garnered the AFHC healthy city innovative development award.
In addition, HPA conducted 10th Anniversary of Taiwan Promotion of Safe Community Open Ceremony and achievement press conference. WHO CCCSP guests conducted the award ceremony on November 24th. On the 25th , we conducted the 2012 Taiwan Safe Community Development Seminar. We invited WHO CCCSP Prof. Leif SvanstrOm to conduct special topic speeches. In addition, on November 27th, we conducted the “2012 health promotion school international certification expert meeting” to discuss this year’s health promotion school international certification results and Taiwan’s promotion of health promotion school policies, and in 2013, the achievements of IUHPE were announced.

4. Health Promoting Hospitals and Environmental Sustainability Development
(1) From February 20th to 23rd, 2012, Director-General Chiou Shu-Ti was invited to speak in the WHO-HPH Winter School in Bangkok, Thailand. During the seminar, she shared Taiwan’s experience on implementing health promoting hospitals. Director General Chiou also invited attendees and participating healthcare institutions to come to Taiwan to participate in the 20th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services.
(2) On September 11th, 2012, Director-General Chiou Shu-Ti was invited to participate in the annual meeting of Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), representing the WHO International HPH Network and the Taiwan HPH Network, and shared with the state health officials the promotion of international HPH initiatives, as well as the achievements of Taiwan’s community and clinical health promotion activities under the tutelage of health departments and healthcare institutions.
(3) From April 11th to 13th, HPA and WHO Collaborating Centre for Health promotion in Hospitals and Health Care cohosted the 20th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services. This is the first time the event is being held outside of Europe. A total of 1,357 people from 45 countries registered and participated in the conference. Director-General Chiou Shu-Ti was elected as the new Chair of the WHO International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals & Health Services. She also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the International HPH Network and the ENSH-Global Network for Tobacco Free Healthcare Services.
(4) On April 12th 2012, HPA organized a Symposium on HPH and Environment during the 20th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services. Topics discussed during the symposium included scientific, political and business dimensions of environment-friendly healthcare. Domestic and international experts and scholars during the symposium conducted experience exchange. In addition, the 4th Meeting of the Task Force on HPH and Environment was held after the symposium.
(5) On April 11th, 2012, the Task Force on HPH and Environment and HCWH organized the Pre-Conference on HPH and Environment and the Southeastern Asian Launching Ceremony of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network. Hospital representatives from 13 countries all over the world (21 hospitals from Taiwan) participated in the declaration ceremony, reminding healthcare institutions to value environmental sustainability, and promote environmental health in communities.
(6) Director-General Shu-Ti Chiou was invited speak at the closing plenary of the CleanMed 2012 Europe, taking place on September 28th, 2012, in Malmo, Sweden. Dr. Chiou attended the conference as Chair of the WHO International HPH Network and Director-General of HPA. During the plenary, she spoke on the “The Experience of Taiwan’s Hospitals in Reducing Their Ecological Footprint”, sharing the experience and achievements of Task Force on HPH and Environment in encouraging healthcare services to implement energy conservation and sustainability development.



5. Healthy Aging
From August 28th to 29th, 2012, we conducted 2012 APEC, Asia-Pacific Conference on Age-friendly Cities and Age-friendly Economy. The seminar was the first seminar that discussed age-friendly city topics under the APEC structures. We invited experts from America, England, Canada, Japan, Ireland and from European aging platform to share age-friendly promotional practices, and conduct exchange with all circles domestically.
On April 11th, 2012, during the 20th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services, the Working Group on HPH and Age-Friendly Health Care was proposed and passed by the General Assembly. HPA’s Director-General Shu-Ti Chiou lead the working group to develop an internationally applicable age-friendly healthcare framework, media promotion age-friendly healthcare, and capacity building of age-friendly healthcare professionals.


6. Obesity Prevention and Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases
From July 10th to 11th, 2012, we conducted the 2012 Europe-Taiwan Health Dialogue. We invited European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) founder, Dr. GuntherLeiner and newly selected Prof. Helmut Brand and 11 guests came to Taiwan to discuss, exchange, and interact with 200 domestic elites in the industrial, government, and academic circles. We also further discussed the topic of obesity prevention. On September 27th, 2012, The Economist Group conducted the Feeding the World: Asia’s prospect of plenty. In the meeting, we discussed themes such as, trade, agriculture, health, and nutrition. Director-General Shu-Ti Chiou was invited to be a speaker at Health & nutrition discussion: Asia‘s double burden. She emphasized the burden caused by malnutrition and over-nutrition to Asian countries. From October 3rd to 6th, 2012, the 15th annual European Health Forum was conducted in Gastein City, Austria. Director-General Chiou Shu-Ti spoke on the topic of Whole society development against obesity: strategy or fantasy? She shared Taiwan’s promotion on cancer prevention and obesity prevention.


7. Cancer prevention
From April 26th to 29th, 2012, HPA appointed officials to participate in the 6th annual meeting of Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention, APOCP in Malaysia. The theme was “clinical epidemiology and practical interventions-the future of cancer control in the Asian Pacific Region”.
From September 13th to 14th, we conducted the “2012 Cross-strait Conference on Cancer Prevention and Control”. We invited experts from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, public and private sectors, and civil groups to conduct policy and practical experience exchange and sharing. The themes include international and cross-strait cancer prevention, cancer epidemiology and database, the evidence of cancer screenings, the development of cancer screening system, civil propose and action. Approximately 300 people participated.


8. Participation in the European Health Forum Gastein
European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) was the most important health policy seminar of EU, and was one of the most important health leading meetings as well. From October 3rd to 6th, 2012, HPA conducted parallel seminar at the 15th annual EHFG in Austria. The theme was Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs. Director-General Shu-Ti Chiou spoke on the topics of “Whole Society Development Against Obesity: Strategy or Fantasy?” and “Health system response to NCDs: (some) Organizational and Financial Innovations in Taiwan.” She discussed with experts and scholars around the world about the legislation, tax system, and industrial role of the risk factors of non-communicable diseases. We also put our heads together in order to deal with challenges faced by the health system.


9. Hosting International Visitors
(1) On May 2nd, 2012, seven guests including Director and former director of US Health Department and professors of Duke University visited HPA. We introduced our operations including healthy aging, woman and child health, healthy community building, obesity prevention, cancer prevention, tobacco hazard prevention and control, preventive healthcare services, health promotion, and non-communicable monitoring. We also interacted with American health officials.
(2) On May 23rd, 2012 Professor Chen Tze-Lang from the Educational Media Department of Duke University led graduate students from Asia University and Duke University to visit Taiwan. We not only introduced the HPA operations to them but also exchanged experience with young students.
(3) On July 13th, 2012, we welcomed European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) founder and chairman Dr. GuntherLeiner, newly selected chairman Professor Helmut Brand, and 9 other guests visited health promotion hospitals, age-friendly cities, and mobile medical services.
(4) On July 30th, 2012, American Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Mr. Matthew Howsare and company visited HPA. An introduction on the HPA operations and injury prevention, control, and monitoring were given to the CPSP visitors and idea were exchanged.
(5) From August 12th to 19th, Vietnam’s Director of Inspection Department, General Office for Population and Family Planning, Ministry of Health, Le Viet Huong led a mission group of senior and mid-ranking officials for a field visit to Taiwan. To extend a 17-year bilateral cooperation on population, family planning and child health care. (6) On August 17th, 2012 US FDA National Toxicology Research Center Deputy Director Dr. Magaret Ann Miller visited HPA. We not only introduced our operations to her but also engaged in discussion and exchange regarding tobacco hazard prevention and control and birth care.
(7) On September 14th, Dr. Dimity Doman of Australia Hearing Impaired Child Center visited HPA. We conducted experience interaction regarding newborn hearing screening promotion.
(8) On November 13th, 2012, a total of 3 guests visited HPA including medical technical staff Mr. Alex Gibson GoliGondwe from Malawi, Africa. We introduced and exchanged in respect of our operations, national cancer registration system, and chronic disease statistics.
(9) As part of the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s (MOFA) effort in rally support for Taiwan to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), HPA received 18 visitors from top-circulating international media from 17 nations, including media workers from the environment related fields. Owing to Director General Chiou’s participation in the UNFCCC COP 17 side events and speech during the press conference, MOFA arranged for the visitors to visit HPA and learn about Taiwan’s effort in promoting environment-friendly hospitals. Dr. Chiou also answered questions regarding health promotion and environment-friendly healthcare from the media visitors. (10) On December 11th, 2012, we conducted the “Age-friendly City Agreement Camp and Achievement Seminar”. We invited Friends of International Federation on Ageing Chairman Dr. Hozumi to share Japan’s promotional experience, and discuss the practical problems and two-way interactions of age-friendly cities.
(11) On December 24th, 2012, Mainland China Birth Planning Association Women and Children Health Inspection Group visited HPA, in order to understand Taiwan’s achievements of women and children health and promotion of population policies.