Department of Public Health Sciences
Division of Social Medicine

Safe Community Monthly News
Issue 27

October 2009
In this issue

Dear Colleagues,

New Safe Community designation

1

New Brochure from WHO CC CSP
Report from Australia

12Report from Japan

2

Report from Colombia

3

Report from Huamu, China

3

Forthcoming Conferences

4

We are proud to introduce you another new Safe Community.
We have reports from Japan, Australia, Colombia and China.
Safe Communities movement is now its full pace!
All the designated Safe Communities are advised to submit their annual re‐ports.
News and reports of this issue are appended below. Same issue is also avail‐able at our WHO Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion
website: http://www.phs.ki.se/csp/who_newsletters_en.htm
With warm regards
Leif Svanström, Responsible Editor
Koustuv Dalal, Editor

New Safe Community- Towada City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan
On August 28th, 2009, Towada City was designated as a Safe Community, the 159th member of the international network andthe second in Japan. The agreement was signed by Prof Joon Pil Cho, Director of the Asian Certifying Center for Safe
Community in Korea, Mr. Hisashi Oyamada, Mayor of Towada City, Mr. Shingo Mimura, Governor of Aomori Prefecture,
Dr. Yoshihide Sorimachi, a coordinator of the Asian Certifying Center and Prof Leif Svanstrom from WHO CC CSP. Prof
Shumei Wang from Fudan University in China kindly introduced the global program of Safe Community in the ceremony.
Because the ceremony was held during the 3rd Annual Conference of Japanese Society of Safety Promotion and theInternational Workshop on CSP in Asian Context, many participants to the conference from elsewhere in Japan and someguests from overseas as well as peoples involved in CSP in Towada
congratulated the designation of Towada as a Safe Community.
The priority areas of Safe Community Towada are suicide prevention,
prevention of accidental suffocation by inhalation, fall prevention among theelderly, and traffic safety. Community safety promotion in Towada was initiatedby public health experts/ practitioners together with Towada citizens in 2005,
which was followed by the mayor’s political support later. Prof Cho has pointed
out a possibility that CSP in Towada shall be a model of CSP with both bottom‐
up and top‐down approaches in Asian region in the future.
Mr. Hisashi Oyamada, Mayor of Towada and Prof Joon Pil Cho
Reporter: Yoshihide Sorimachi, Japan

New Brocheure
Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention, Research, Education and Policy Development
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences,
Division of Social Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden 2009.
Pamplet pdf available at:
http://www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/pamflet/safety_promotion_2009.pdf

Australian Injury Prevention Conference kicks goals for Safer Communities
The 9th Australian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion conference www.injuryprevention2009.com held in Melbourne in
July 2009 lived up to the excellent reputation that this series of conferences has developed in the Asia‐Pacific region. Unfortu‐
nately Melbourne’s reputation as a swine flu hot spot (something that is far from the minds of the local people) deterred someoverseas delegates from attending.
Led by Monash University Accident Research Centre, with the support of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and key
government agencies from Victoria, the conference featured international and local keynote speakers from a variety of profes‐
sions with a variety of takes on injury prevention. A highlight of the conference was the opening plenary session, which fea‐
tured the launch in Australia of the World Health Organization and UNICEF World Report on Child Injury Prevention by Her
Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia (Australia’s Head of State). The editorof the report, Dr Margie Peden spoke on behalf of the WHO, and Margaret Sheehan spoke on behalf of UNICEF. http://
www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/Publications/full_report_child_injury_engl.pdf
The conference reflected the tripartite nature of the Australian Injury
Prevention Network (the leading professional association for injury pre‐vention in Australia), with stimulating presentations from researchers,
practitioners and policymakers.
The Victorian Coroner, Her Honour Judge Jennifer Coate, reviewed re‐cent advances in the Victorian coronial service and the legislation thatgoverns it, paying tribute to the role of former State Coroner Graeme
Johnstone, whose pioneering role in turning the coronial service into astrong force for injury prevention is underlined by the fact that he pre‐sented a paper at the Second World Conference on Injury Prevention in
Atlanta in 1993. World leading innovations such as the national coronial
information system – designed to help the lessons learned be translated
into injury prevention practice – are now spreading nationally andinternationally. Community safety promotion was well represented Michael Bourne Australian Safe Communities Foundation, Sarah McKer‐
racher Injury Control Western Australia; Jan Shield VSCN Secretary, Barbara
in many of the conference presentations, as well as through the Vic‐ Minuzzo The Royal Children’s Hospital, Safety Centre Melbourne; Marc
torian Safe Communities Network display booth showcasing how
Florio Metropolitan Fire Brigade/Community Safety Month Secretary;
Meegan Brotherton and Dr Dale Hanson Australian Safe Communities Foun‐the network supports professionals and volunteers working fordation and Mark Hennessy from Hennessy Services
safer communities in Victoria.
The Victorian Safe Communities Network coordinated a productive Community Safety Month planning meeting with other
Australian and New Zealand colleagues to identify opportunities for sharing Community Safety Month branding and re‐sources. The Network is keen to see Community Safety Month, which is celebrated in October each year, spread internation‐
ally as a call to action for organisations from different sectors to collaborate on community safety initiatives important to theirlocal communities. Coordination of the month is carried out by a statewide advisory committee chaired by Victoria Police, but
the real energy for making things happen on the ground during the month comes from local safety committees and coalitions
across the whole State of Victoria and beyond.
Reporter: Barbara Minuzzo, Australia

3rd Annual Conference of Japanese Society of Safety Promotion (JSSP) &International Workshop on CSP in Asian Context, Towada, JapanThe 3rd annual conference of JSSP was held in Towada City on August 28th‐29th 2009, of which chairperson was Dr. Yoshihide
Sorimachi, Director of Kamitosan Public Health Center, in Towada, vice president of JSSP. Its theme was “ For Everybody’s
Hope for Daily Safety ‐ Accident, Violence, and Suicide Prevention with Active Participation by Citizens and Inter‐Sectoral
Collaboration”. The main symposium “ Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Work with Inter‐Sectoral Collaboration” was heldon August 28th. Prof Yutaka Motohashi, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Akita University, Associate Prof Chiaki Kawanishi,
Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University of Medicine, Mr. Hisayoshi Kato, Counsellor, Division of Suicide
Countermeasures, Cabinet Office of the National Government, Mr. Yasuyuki Shimizu, President of NPO” Lifelink”, and Ms.
Atsuko Shindo, district nurse, Tohoku Town, Aomori Prefecture presented various comprehensive suicide countermeasures,
respectively. Mr. Hiroshi Ishizuki and Dr. Yoshihide Sorimachi coordinated discussion between them mainly from the view
point of community safety promotion as chairpersons.
On August 29th, the International Workshop on Community Safety Promotion in Asian Context was hosted by Towada City inconjunction with the annual conference of JSSP. Prof Lu Pai, Director, Taiwanese Community Safety Promotion Center
introduced “Gradually Expanded Safe Community Movement ‐‐Taiwanese Experience”. Dr. In‐guk Kim, Director,
Community Health Center, Songpa District, Seoul, Korea presented “Songpa Project‐ for Child Safety”. The Japanesepresenters, Mr. Toru Hitomi, Director, Department of Planning and Coordination, Kameoka City, Mr. Takao Kuramochi,
Deputy Director, Collaborative Safety Department, Atsugi City, and Ms. Hisako Nagase, Deputy Director, Health Promotion

Division, Towada City presented CSP in their communities, respectively. Prof Joon Pil Cho, Director of the Asian Certifying
Center for Safe Community in Korea and Prof Takashi Eto, Tokyo University, President of JSSP coordinated discussion as
chairpersons. During these 2 days more than 200 people, not only researchers but also practitioners shared their knowledge
and experiences on safety promotion both nationally and internationally.
Reporter: Yoshihide Sorimachi, Japan

18th International Conference on Safe Communities, Cali, Colombia
An overwhelming number of 611 participants (America: 54, Europe: 18, Asia: 29 & Colombia 504) including security, injury
and violence prevention experts, gathered to participate in the Safe Communities annual meeting, held for the first time in acountry of the Americas. The conference theme was “Safety Policies as an axis for development”. Below we are presenting
some news clipings from the conference.

rtifiedly two ce
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The leader of this global
initiative,
Professor
Leif
Svanström
from the Divisionof Social
Medicineat theKaroliskaInstitute of
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theMayors fr
om Latin
Americancities to ta
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As a result of the arrival of this global
initiative to Colombia, cities like Cali,
Bogotá and Medellin were motivated to
begin the certification process as Safe
Communities. This was announced by
Mr. Jorge Iván Ospina, Mayor of Cali inthe closing act of the Conference, before
handing over the flag of the movement to
the Vice‐Mayor of Suwon, Dr. Yeh Chang‐Keun, hosts of the 19th SC Conference

The CISALVA Institute from Universidad del Valle, a World Health Organization
Collaborating Center and Safe Community Certifying Center for Latin America, wasthe coordinator of this event which count with the support of a strong Local
Organizing Committee composed by the Cali Mayor representatives, University
members, Industrial associations and distinguished authorities from Cali, and also theparticipation of the International Organizing Committee and a Scientific Committee incharge of evaluating the abstracts and the final program of the event.
The Chamber of Commerce of Cali directed all the logistics at the conference site where the event was held, the “Centro deeventos Valle del Pacifico”.
Reporter: Julian Santaella Tenorio, CISALVA, Cali, Colombia.

Training on Safe Communities, Huamu Safe Community
On September 15, 2009, the practical training class of constructing safety communities in Shanghai was held in Huamu
community for the purpose of exchanging and popularizing practical experiences so as to further promote safe community
construction in Shanghai. Over 100 representatives and leaders with specific duties from those sub‐districts, towns, andconstruction offices all of which have not yet been named as safe community at the city level, attended the class. Mr. Li Derun,
chairman of Shanghai Municipal Association of Work Safety, Mr. Jiang Weizhong, deputy director of Huamu Sub‐district, and
Mr. Guo Chen, director of Huamu Safety Community Construction Office, were all present at the class, and Mr.Jiang
Weizhong also delivered a speech.
Mr. Li Derun made a mobilization speech. He said, there are several communities having already started up the construction
work of safe community all around the city. Each of these construction units should gradually promote the understanding of
notions and thoughts about safety community, reallocate resources and master the methods of how to construct safe
community. Mr. Jiang Weizhong, gave an elaborate introduction to the construction work of Huamu Safe Community. He
explained in detail of the measures and experiences of Huamu Sub‐district in constructing international safe community inthree parts, including ʺwhat is safety communityʺ, ʺthe differences between the construction of safety community and that ofhealthy cityʺ and ʺthe primary approaches to safe community constructionʺ. Mr.Guo Chen, director of Huamu Safe
Community Construction Office, made a speech titled ʺthe baseline investigation about the injury data and introduction tomonitoring methodsʺ.
Reporter: Huamu Safe Community

Forthcoming Safety and Injury Conferences2009 5th Asian Regional Conference on Safe Communities (ARCSC)
Safety, Health, Harmony
18‐20 October 2009
Beijing, China
China Occupational Safety & Health Association (COSHA) http://www.cosha.org.cn
Contact persons: Ms Wu Yanhua and Mr Liu Yan, E‐mail: 2009ascc@cosha.org.cn
 Kwai Tsing Traffic Safety Promotion Seminar ‐ from Primary and Secondary Prevention
30 October 2009 , Hong Kong SAR, China
For information: www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/Conferences/traffic_promotion_seminar_2009.pdf
LEUNG Ming leungm1@ha.org.hk
 European Child Home Safety Conference
2‐3 November, 2009, Stratford‐Upon‐Avon, UK
E‐mail: JCave@rospa.com
RoSPA, Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Birmingham, B5 7ST, UK
 Vi gjør Norge tryggere
17– 18 November 2009 , Voksenåsen, OSLO, Norway
First Announcement
E‐mail: Eva Jakobson Vaagland . eva.vaagland@skafor.org, WWW.SKAFOR.ORG

2010
 RoSPAʹs 75th Road Safety Congress 22‐24 February, 2010 Stratford‐upon‐Avon, UK www.rospa.com/road E‐
mail:events@rospa.com Abstract deadline: 19 September 2009
 19th International Safe Communities Conference Sustainability of Safe Community Programs23‐ 26 March, 2010
Suwon, Korea
First Announcement www.2010safecom.com/pdf/1st_Announcement.pdf
http://www.2010safecom.org/web_mail/web_mail.html
www.2010safecom.org
Abstract deadline: 31 October 2009 . For information: jpcho@ajou.ac.kr
 The Second European Regional Safe Community Conference Incorporating the 7th Nordic Conference on Safe
Communities How to develop Safe Communities in Europe using the Nordic experiences, re‐establishing a European Network of Safe
Communities. 19‐20 May, 2010 Reykjavik, Iceland First Announcement (short version; long version) www.publichealth.is/SC‐
2010Iceland Contact: Rósa Thorsteinsdóttir E‐mail: rosa@publichealth.is Tel: +354 5800900 / +354 8400906 Fax: +354 5800901´
Public Health Institute of Iceland, Laugavegur 116, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
 2nd South Eastern Europe Safe Community Conference September, 2010 Croatia Contact: Tanja Pekez Palisko E‐mail:tashamed@gmail.com
 10th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion 21‐24 September, 2010 London, UK
The first formal announcement for Safety 2010 will be issued in January 2009
Call for abstracts: closing date will be Friday 15 January 2010, 17:00 hrs
http://www.safety2010.org.uk
Early bird rate before 30 April 2009 £450.00
Contact: Karen Hughes
Email: k.e.hughes@ljmu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 151 231 8723
Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Kingsway House, 5th Floor, Hatton Garden, Liverpool L3 2AJ, UK .
Tel: +44 (0) 151 231 4510 | Fax: +44 (0) 151 231 4515

WHO Collaborating Centre for Community Safety Promotion
Karolinska Institutet
Department of Public Health Sciences
Division of Social Medicine
Norrbacka 2nd Floor, SE‐171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
Communication: Koustuv Dalal, PhD. Editor (Email: koustuv.dalal@ki.se )