Event highlights
WHO/Europe launched “Let’s Get Moving!” campaign on World Bicycle Day
On 3 June 2025, World Bicycle Day, WHO/Europe launched the campaign “Let’s Get Moving! 100 Reasons to Walk and Cycle More” as part of the Bonn Dialogue on Environment and Health.
Nearly 200 participants from across the WHO European Region tuned in to celebrate the power of walking and cycling, driven by a vibrant mix of speakers – from health ministries and city governments to academia, advocacy groups and urban mobility experts, and advocates for inclusive walking and cycling. The campaign highlights the many benefits of walking and cycling: healthier people, greener and safer cities and stronger communities.
The session opened with a welcome message and a motivating campaign video, setting the tone for a dynamic round of introductions. Each speaker shared a personal reflection on why they enjoy walking or cycling – emphasizing the emotional and everyday relevance of active mobility. The dialogue then expanded into a lively discussion on policies, practices and solutions to make walking and cycling more accessible, inclusive and safe for all.
A call to join the #LetsGetMoving challenge
Throughout the event, participants were invited to join the #LetsGetMoving challenge by posting their own short videos – contributing to a growing wave of voices advocating for active mobility. The newly released campaign materials, including a brochure with 100 evidence-based reasons to walk and cycle, downloadable social media tiles and a multilingual video, are all available on the campaign webpage.
Turning evidence into action
In closing, participants were warmly encouraged to spread the word and keep the momentum going throughout the 6-week campaign. As emphasized by the WHO team, walking and cycling are more than just modes of transport – they are powerful tools to improve health, reduce emissions and reclaim urban space for people. The challenge now is to turn evidence into action – and that’s exactly what this campaign sets out to do. Let’s get moving!
The campaign supports the implementation of the 2023 Budapest Declaration and its “Roadmap for healthier people, a thriving planet and a sustainable future 2023–2030”, which calls on Member States to accelerate the transition towards healthier, more resilient and sustainable societies. It also contributes to advancing the commitments of the 2021 “Vienna Declaration: Building Forward Better by Transforming to New, Clean, Safe, Healthy and Inclusive Mobility and Transport”, including actions under the Pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion and the forthcoming Master Plan on Walking.
Event notice
On 3 June 2025, World Bicycle Day, WHO/Europe will launch the campaign “Let’s Get Moving! 100 Reasons to Walk and Cycle More” under the framework of the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP).
Insufficient physical activity remains a leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases and premature mortality. In the WHO European Region, physical inactivity is linked to approximately 1 million deaths each year, with nearly 25% of adults failing to meet WHO’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity throughout the week.
WHO promotes safe walking and cycling for their significant health, environmental and societal benefits. Active mobility helps prevent major noncommunicable diseases, enhances mental well-being, reduces environmental noise, as wells as emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, eases traffic congestion, makes more public space available for use by the community, and fosters safer, greener and more liveable and attractive urban environments.
The 1-hour launch event will feature speakers from academia, city authorities, national governments and civil society, who will share insights into the benefits of walking and cycling from their diverse perspectives.
The event is open to anyone working on transport, health, environment and urban planning for national, regional or local governments, as well as researchers, professionals and the general public.
The “Let’s Get Moving!” campaign
By showcasing 100 reasons to make walking and cycling part of daily life, the “Let’s Get Moving!” campaign aims to inspire individuals, communities and decision-makers to support and promote active mobility initiatives and encourage broad engagement and action across the Region. The campaign targets health, transport, environment and urban planning professionals, policy-makers, civil society actors and the general public. It combines the latest scientific evidence with personal experiences from across the European Region, illustrating the transformative potential of active mobility.
By making walking and cycling safer and more accessible for all, we can create lasting positive impacts on public health, our communities and the environment, for current and future generations.
Bonn Dialogues on Environment and Health
The Bonn Dialogues are a series of high-level online events within the framework of the European Environment and Health Process (EHP), aimed at fostering discussions on selected themes and topics among policy-makers across the European Region. They provide the European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) and all interested parties with evidence and reflection points on well-known and emerging environment and health issues to accelerate the implementation of the Budapest commitments.
The Bonn Dialogues are organized and promoted by the EHP Secretariat, located at the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany, within the framework of the EHTF’s Programme of Work.