Protecting children’s health in a changing environment: report of the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
This document assesses the progress made since the environment and health process began 20 years ago. It discusses how to move the environment and health process forward in Europe, and sums up some intents with the Parma Declaration, which included a commitments to not only preventing environmental risks and diseases but also tackling emerging issues such as climate change and droughts, particularly their effect on children. It calls for international stakeholders, including international financial institutions, and the European Commission to offer further scientific, political, technical and financial assistance to help establish effective mechanisms and strengthen capacities to reduce exposures to environmental hazards and the resulting health impacts in the Region.
It overall document reports on a conference which focused on three main priority areas: (i) the progress and impact of the environment and health process and where further action is needed; (ii) socio-economic, gender, age and other inequalities in environment and health, and the measures that can be taken to address them; and (iii) the effects of climate change. As part of the global political developments and health issues in the area of climate change adaptation, it calls for instituting programmes to identify long-term health needs, particularly in the context of disaster risk reduction as part of the actions needed in the health sector.