HEAL joins task force meeting ahead of Sixth WHO Ministerial Conference

HEAL participated in the European Environment and Health Task Force meeting in Copenhagen, where negotiations continued on the draft Ministerial Declaration and Annexes for the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, to be held in Ostrava, Czech Republic 13 – 15 June.

The European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) is a leading international body for the implementation and monitoring of the WHO European Environment and Health Process, to which the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) is an official stakeholder. EHTF members have been meeting regularly in the period leading up to the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in 2017. HEAL has been a dedicated member of the task force for multiple years.

Photo caption: UN City in Copenhagen. Photo credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark 

Throughout the negotiations, HEAL highlighted the importance of keeping the focus on vulnerable groups and children in particular, and address social inequalities. HEAL recommends strengthening the priority on ‘Promoting chemical safety’ to link it to what we are trying to achieve and support for the SDG 3.9 2030 goal, that is “to reduce the number of death and illnesses from hazardous chemicals, including Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)”, as well as improving both indoor and outdoor air pollution, in line with WHO recommended levels.

Find out more:

• Please find our report on the European Environment and Health Task Force meeting in Vienna (November 2016) online on our website.

• Find out more about the European Environment and Health Task Force here.