SRINAGAR: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reaccredited Madinah, Islam’s second-holiest city, as a “Healthy City,” solidifying its reputation as one of the world’s healthiest urban centres. The official certificate was presented to Prince Salman bin Sultan, governor of the Madinah region, during a ceremony held on July 31, 2025.
Madinah earned the distinction after successfully meeting 80 health-related standards set by the WHO, which span nine domains including public participation, local development, inter-sectoral collaboration, access to community information, water and sanitation, food safety, health promotion, emergency readiness, and education. The city’s efforts align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals for sustainable urban development and quality of life.
This marks the second time Madinah has received the WHO Healthy City title, the first being in 2019, making it one of the largest cities in the Middle East and the world with a population over one million to earn this accreditation. The achievement was made possible by collaboration among 22 government, community, and volunteer agencies, with initiatives including the Madinah Region Strategy Project and the “Humanizing Cities” programme.
According to the WHO, a healthy city is “one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to support each other in performing all the functions of life and developing to their maximum potential”.
