European governments adopt comprehensive plan to reduce environmental risks to health by 2020

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE
 
Press release
Copenhagen and Parma, 12 March 2010
 
 
Governments from northern, western, central, southern and eastern Europe
signed a declaration today pledging to reduce the adverse health impact
of environmental threats in the next decade. The text was endorsed by 53
Member States attending the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment
and Health in Parma, Italy on 10-12 March 2010.
 
Through the Declaration and Commitment to Act, participating governments
agreed to implement national programmes to provide equal opportunities
to each child by 2020 by ensuring access to safe water and sanitation,
opportunities for physical activity and a healthy diet, improved air
quality and an environment free of toxic chemicals.
 
Governments vowed to tackle the adverse health impact of climate change
and to reduce social and gender inequalities in exposure to risk. They
also pledged to place health at the centre of socioeconomic development
through increased investment in new technologies and green jobs.
 
"We need a radically new vision for European health policy to address
the biggest health challenges of our Region. This Conference has opened
an exciting new chapter in the way European governments work on
environment and health - helping to push these closely inter-related
issues higher up the political agenda," says Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO
Regional Director for Europe.
 
Climate change and health - a priority for action
In this first major gathering of health and environment ministers since
the Copenhagen conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change last December, European governments pledged to integrate
health issues into climate change mitigation and adaptation measures,
policies and strategies in all sectors.
 
Evidence is growing that climate change is contributing to an increase
in the frequency of natural disasters, such as heat-waves, floods and
droughts. Since 1990, the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) has
recorded more than 1200 natural events in the WHO European Region,
affecting over 48 million people and causing more than 112 000 deaths,
at an estimated loss of more than US$ 241 billion.
 
Future work will be based on a new European regional framework for
action, entitled Protecting health in an environment challenged by
climate change. The document provides a comprehensive roadmap laying out
steps and priorities for coordinated international and national action.
 
Delegates also underlined that the health sector, one of the most
energy-intensive sectors in all countries, should lead moves to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in the public sector by rationalizing energy
use. They also agreed to strengthen early-warning surveillance and
preparedness systems for extreme weather events and disease outbreaks.
 
The way forward - support from key delegates
"A significant proportion of Europeans suffers from health problems
linked to environmental conditions. Vulnerable groups, such as children,
pregnant women and socially disadvantaged people are particularly
affected. Policy-makers have the responsibility to address this problem.
The European Commission will play its part by continuing to focus
attention across European Union policies on environmental impacts on
health," says John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer
Policy.
 
"Integration of environment and health issues into the policies of other
sectors, like transport, energy, industry or agriculture, and related
investments would in turn reduce impacts and save the costs of inaction.
Environment and health objectives can also serve as an engine to boost
innovation and competitiveness: the main challenge now is to address
environment and health concerns through socioeconomic policies. The
Parma Declaration is an important step to join efforts at local,
national and international level in this direction," says Ms Stefania
Prestigiacomo, Italian Minister for the Environment, Land and Sea.
 
"The Conference outcomes entrust the health sector with a stronger
responsibility. Not only can many of the environmental effects be
controlled through well-known health-system interventions, such as
primary prevention or health care; but the health sector can take a
leading role with other sectors in advocating for a reduction in risk
exposure," notes Professor Ferruccio Fazio, Italian Minister of Health.
 
The future of the European environment and health process
In September 2010, Member States will gather in Moscow for the sixtieth
session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, WHO's highest
decision-making body at the regional level, to endorse the outcomes of
this Conference through a resolution.

During 2010 and beyond, the European environment and health process will
be revitalized through a series of new arrangements.
The governments gathered in Parma agreed to strengthen political
coordination between regular ministerial conferences, and will now
involve ministers directly in steering the Process - to ensure that
cross-sectoral issues are given the highest possible political profile.
 
Ministers from the 53 European Member States will meet again at the
Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in 2016.
 
Notes to editors
1. The Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health:
"Protecting children's health in a changing environment" was organized
by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and hosted by Italy's Ministry of
Health and Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea. The European
Environment and Health Committee - which brings together national
governments, the European Commission, and intergovernmental and
nongovernmental organizations - has been the steering committee.
 
2. The Conference was a carbon-neutral event, using environmentally
sound materials and products only. Participants were given free tickets
for electric public buses and access to bicycles, and organizers
supported the local economy by buying locally sourced food. All
Conference waste was recycled and the Municipality of Parma offset all
other carbon costs.
 
3. The Conference was the fifth such event held in the WHO European
Region as part of the European environment and health process, which
began over 20 years ago. The first four conferences were hosted by the
governments of Germany (in 1989), Finland (in 1994), the United Kingdom
(in 1999) and Hungary (in 2004).
 
4. The regional framework for action Protecting health in an environment
challenged by climate change was welcomed in the Declaration's
Commitment to Act. This document was developed by the European Task
Force on Climate Change and Health, chaired by Serbia and the United
Kingdom. Participation in the Task Force was open to all Member States
and agencies in the European Region and the WHO Regional Office for
Europe acted as the secretariat.
 
5. For further information on the Conference, including all Conference
documents and the Declaration, please see the Conference web site
(http://www.euro.who.int/parma2010).
 
Link:
EM-DAT The International Disaster Database. Centre for Research on the
Epidemiology of Disasters http://www.emdat.be
 
 
PRESS INFORMATION:
Ms Cristiana Salvi
Technical Officer, Partnership and Communication
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Via Francesco Crispi 10, I-00187 Rome, Italy
Tel.: +39 06 4877543, mobile: +39 348 0192305
Fax: +39 06 4877599. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Ms Francesca Racioppi
Acting Head, Rome Office
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Via Francesco Crispi, 10, I-00187 Rome, Italy
Tel.: +39 064877545. Fax +39 064877599
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it