In 2018, when the idea of establishing a global learning centre for health – what would become the WHO Academy – was under discussion between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of France, they didn't have to look far for its new home. Since the Middle Ages, Lyon has been a European capital for human, animal and environmental health. Doctors from across Europe came to study in Lyon, and it was the first centre of medical literature on the continent in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The city is even the home of the first veterinary school in Europe, opening in Lyon in 1761.
In more recent times, Marcel Mérieux, a former assistant to Pasteur, opened one of the city's first pharmaceutical research institutes in 1897, the beginnings of what would become the Lyon-Gerland Biodistrict. The city brings together over 2000 global public institutions, research centres and businesses focused on life sciences and health employing nearly 80 000 people, including the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and a WHO office dedicated to health emergencies.
"The City of Lyon has demonstrated exceptional leadership in public health, making it an ideal partner for the WHO Academy," explains Dr David Atchoarena, Executive Director of the WHO Academy. "The local ecosystem provides a myriad of opportunities for collaboration and maximizing the impact of the WHO Academy's initiatives. Together with the City of Lyon we are committed to advancing global health through innovative approaches that address the complex challenges of our time."
Meeting these challenges depends on a well-prepared, highly skilled global health and care workforce. The aim of the WHO Academy is to become a global hub for lifelong learning and to provide health and care workers, and decision-makers, in France and around the world, with access to the knowledge and competencies they need to meet current and future needs. The Academy has developed a comprehensive portfolio of courses across most health topics addressed by WHO and has three flagship programmes: Biomanufacturing, Healthy Cities and One Health.
Leveraging the local ecosystem for innovative health solutions
The partnership between the WHO Academy and the City of Lyon has already yielded numerous collaborative activities since the launch of the Academy in December 2024. The Academy is an observer to the Contrat Local de Santé 2022-2027, led by the City of Lyon and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Health Agency, to reduce health inequalities, improve access to care, promote prevention and integrate the One Health approach to health services in the region. In addition, the Academy acted as an observer to AGORA 2030, a participatory initiative accelerating climate action through collaboration among various city stakeholders.
In April 2025, the Academy participated in the month-long 'Explore your Health' festival, most significantly by hosting a roundtable discussion on 'Urban Planning through the One Health Lens' at the WHO Academy campus, featuring experts in health, urbanism and research to discuss sustainable city development.
Lyon is a committed member of the WHO French Healthy Cities Network, and the city's municipal strategy aligns with the principles of the Academy's Healthy Cities flagship: equity, participation, multisectoral governance and sustainability. Most recently the WHO Academy and the City of Lyon co-organized a two-day study visit and knowledge exchange for more than 50 mayors from the Korea Healthy Cities Partnership.
In May, the Séminaire des directeurs meeting held at the Academy campus raised awareness among the 80 City of Lyon directors of public services about the importance of integrating a One Health approach into their work.
"The City of Lyon is committed to addressing the key determinants of health, such as nutrition, housing, environmental health, access to care and physical activity for the citizens of Lyon, but also for people around the world," said Céline de Laurens, Lyon Deputy Mayor for Health, Prevention, and Environmental Health. "Being able to share our experiences, and hear from others like those in Korea, is critical to creating better health for all. This is why having the WHO Academy in Lyon is so important – it brings global experience to our doorstep and also amplifies our own lessons to the world."
Global cooperation supporting local solutions
The collaboration between WHO and the City of Lyon is set to expand with several initiatives recently implemented or planned in the coming months. The city will begin contributing local case studies and examples of city-led innovation in health, environmental sustainability and social equity to the Healthy Cities and One Health flagship programmes. Plus, the Academy will soon start developing learning content for municipal leaders around the world, to be hosted on its online learning platform , based on Lyon's experience in health-enabling urban planning, food systems and climate-responsive public health strategies.
"With the establishment of the WHO Academy campus, the City of Lyon is poised to further its contributions to public health, fostering innovation and collaboration to address global health challenges," noted Dr Atchoarena. "We couldn't have asked for a better partner for the Academy, and working with the City of Lyon allows us to share a model for other global cities to follow."
