Policy Accelerator

What is the Policy Accelerator?

Embedded within the Partnership for Healthy Cities, the Policy Accelerator supports cities in drafting policies and establishing the political strategies needed to develop and enact local health policies that prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries.

Why do public health policies matter?
Recent policy achievements

Why do public health policies matter?

Recent policy achievements

In 2023-24 alone, a number of participating cities have passed new policies to prevent NCDs and injuries, including:

In Buenos Aires, Argentina and Mexico City, Mexico new policies aim to reduce motorcyclist fatalities and serious injuries on city streets. In Buenos Aires, new measures include an improved motorcycle licensing process with a more rigorous driving exam. While in Mexico City, the city amended its transit regulation by increasing penalties for riders engaging in certain risky behaviors—such as speeding or not wearing a helmet—including the threat of having their motorcycles impounded.

Fortaleza, Brazil has mandated routine air quality monitoring, along with the installation of low-cost sensors and public reporting of the data collected, with a special focus on school zones in the first year of the policy’s implementation.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia introduced a new decree which fully implements national school food policy guidelines within the city and bans the sale of sugary drinks and unhealthy foods in schools, creating healthier learning spaces for students. The city was the first urban center in Cambodia to adopt the measures locally.

Quezon City, Philippines became the first urban center within Southeast Asia to pass a calorie labelling ordinance that requires restaurant chains and other food establishments to include nutritional information, including calories, on their menus. The move will help residents make informed decisions about the food their eating.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic approved an ordinance to protect pedestrians and slow traffic. Speed limits for all motorized vehicles will align with global standards by dropping from 60 km/hour to 50 km/hour. The top speed allowed on the Malecón, or waterfront, will be 30 km/hour.

The Policy Accelerator provides training and support that puts health leaders in the driver’s seat as they work on actual problems they are facing. The Accelerator places best-in-class tools, methods and expertise at the fingertips of participants that they can leverage for future challenges.

For more information, contact cities4health@vitalstrategies.org.

In the Policy Accelerator, we've learned the importance of using data and evidence to support our policy… It's very important to know the context, the problem and the exact magnitude we face.

Luis Flavio Lazos Murrieta (pictured below, left) Head of Mobility Regulation, Mexico City Mobility Department

Representatives from Mexico City joined 13 other cities enrolled in the Policy Accelerator for a three-day workshop in November 2023.

Explore

Read stories and updates from cities in the Policy Accelerator.

**By teaching our children why water beats soda, we all benefit**

**How great public health ideas become law**

Technical details

Cities access intensive technical assistance on policy development and advocacy through curriculum-based engagement and collaborative learning and exchange. The Policy Accelerator guides city officials through the following steps in the policy process:

Fixable problem and sufficient evidence

Legal authority

Appropriate solution

Political pathway

Persuasive messaging

Action planning

What is a "policy"?

For the purposes of this program:

“Policy” is defined as a law, regulation, procedure, administrative action, incentive or mandatory practice of governments and other institutions. Policy is distinct from programmatic or communications activities. Ideally, the policy should operate at-scale, applying to the entire affected population or across a large area of the metropolitan region.
For certain policy goals, city legislative authority may be limited, so cities must work within the limits of their authority. For example: The policy may establish local enabling rules to support the implementation and/or enforcement of a national law or regulation.

Equity considerations:

The Policy Accelerator encourages city officials to prioritize health equity when designing and implementing policies. The entire policy development process and the final result should be responsive to the needs of the entire community, including people with relatively little political power.