Université Paris Cité commits to Planetary Health

Bold ambitions driven by optimism characterise Université Paris Cité’s new initiatives, supported by its president Édouard Kaminski. In 2024, Kaminski announced the university’s new focus for the next five years, summed up by its motto: “Planetary health: healthy people, in healthy societies, on a healthy planet.

Planetary Health, a new motto

Kaminski states, “This signature reflects our mission to be a social impact university, engaged to tackle the challenges facing the planet. It further underlines our interdisciplinary expertise, as a research intensive university, in Health, Sciences and Humanities. As stated in the first article of the Charter of the Environment in the preamble to the French Constitution: “Everyone has the right to live in a balanced environment and respectful of health”.” 

Crossing Disciplines, Common Theme

The Planetary Health motto embodies a crosscutting theme and a shared framework for the university’s three faculties (Health, Sciences, Humanities and Social sciences), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) and Institut Pasteur.

The concept of Planetary Health encompasses the challenges of the Anthropocene, at the confluence of the natural and experimental sciences, and the human and social sciences. It also covers global health through its entire dimension, including psychology and sports to overcome the health challenges of modern societies such as obesity, sedentism and ageing. In line with the national spotlight on sports in the run-up to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Université Paris Cité honoured its student athletes by organising a photo exhibition of 40 of its best athletes at its main office in Paris.

Fostering Innovation and Interdisciplinarity in Education and Research

Université Paris Cité was built on a teaching and research ecosystem rooted in interdisciplinarity to achieve positive societal impact. “Université Paris Cité is open to the world,” says Édouard Kaminski, he adds, “Universities must shed light on the challenges facing our societies, such as the climate crisis and the impact of rapid technological developments. I am confident in Université Paris Cité’s ability to enlighten the world of tomorrow by strengthening the link between science and society,” says Kaminski.