From July 6 to 11, the city of Geneva (Switzerland) will host the Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle. The six-day international event, with the sub-title "An Exploration of Lifestyle in Primary and Spiritual Care", offers twenty tracts and seminars, over 250 presentations by 140 international specialists. Participants will receive latest scientific facts demonstrating how lifestyle choices impact primary medical and spiritual care to reduce medical costs, improve healthcare, and improve the quality of life. On the program are evidence-based information, working models, and target strategies to meet the pressing needs of the community for improved health and spiritual care.

The World Health Organization’s Office of Partnerships will host the first day (July 6) at WHO Headquarters in Geneva and the second through the sixth day (July 7-11) will be held at the Uni-Mail Building of the University of Geneva.

Conference keynote addresses will be presented by Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, Deputy Director-General WHO/OMS (The importance of partnership with the faith-based organization in the delivery of primary healthcare) and Dr. Manoj Kurian, Programme Executive, Health and Healing Programme, World Council of Churches (WCC) on July 6; Jan Paulsen, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (How does a faith-based organization wish to be seen to show the need to progress beyond rhetoric to reality?) on July 7; Alex Ross, Director of Partnerships, World Health Organization (Harnessing the Power of Partnerships In primary healthcare); and DeWitt Williams, Director, Department of Health Ministries, North American Division of Adventist Church (Developing Health Ministry Leadership for the Local Church) on July 10.

Key sponsors of the Conference are the WHO Office of Partnership, the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA), the Institute for the Prevention of Addictions (IPA), the School of Public Health of Loma Linda University (California/USA), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Adventist Health Systems (AHS), Waldfriede Hospital (Berlin/Germany), the Clinique La Lignière (Gland/Switzerland) and the Health Ministries Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, who is also the coordinator for the international event.

The Seventh-day Adventist Christians are worldwide known for being leaders in health and developers of community health care. "It is a huge privilege for the Adventist Church to be part of the pilot group investigating working relationships of faith-based organizations (FBO) with the World Health Organization," said Dr. Peter Landless, associate Health Ministries director for the Adventist world church.

Adventist Health Ministries operates in more countries than any other religious denomination. Landless said the partnership with WHO will provide further opportunity to spread the Adventist health message among more communities.

The conference website: http://www.healthlifestyleconf.com