Medellín, Colombia, 1 December 2015 (PAHO/WHO) — Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), received the key to the city of Medellin from Mayor Anibal Gaviria today during a special ceremony in the mayor's office.
Etienne was in Colombia for the Third Urban Health Summit of the Americas, on Dec. 1 to 3, organized by the Mayor's Office, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and PAHO/WHO.
director-medellin's mayorGaviria said that he and his city considered Etienne "a guest of honor" and that the key was "a symbol of friendship and recognition" of Etienne's ongoing work in support of healthier cities.
Etienne thanked Gaviria and said she considered Medellín a model for the kind of healthy cities that PAHO/WHO is promoting in the Americas.
"If we do not focus on the most vulnerable, we will not achieve sustainable development, as you have done," said Etienne, adding, "Medellín's transformation is a best practice that we want to share with other countries."
Medellín, capital of the Department of Antioquia, is Colombia's second-most important city in economic terms and is a major financial, industrial and cultural center. Known as the "city of eternal spring," it is home to some 2.5 million people.
