On the road towards the seventh WHO Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, HEAL recently hosted the European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) in its Brussels office. The EHTF leads the implementation and monitoring of the WHO European Environment and Health Process (EHP) which ensures environmental and health issues are high on the political agenda, and supports the preparation of the Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Health. 

The Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health (7MCEH), convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, will take place this July in Budapest. It is a major event defining future environment and health priorities and commitments in the WHO European Region. HEAL has been participating in the WHO Europe Environment and Health process since the founding of the organisation 20 years ago:

‘Since we started, the science on the extent and health damage from pollution, whether it’s from air, chemicals, pesticides pollution or from climate change, continues to build up and alert us to the devastating toll on our health and planet, underscoring why we need to act more urgently, holistically and set the bar much higher.’

HEAL’s Executive Director Génon Jensen 

The 13th European Health and Environment Meeting took place in HEAL’s Brussels office to discuss the draft Ministerial declaration and roadmap in April 2023

The two-day EHTF meeting brought together over 100 participants across different member states and stakeholders (in person and online).  Francesca Racioppi, Head of the WHO European Center on Environment and Health (ECEH)  highlighted the important role of civil society in this process, and HEAL’s contribution, at a moment of unprecedented political momentum on environment and health. 

Participants discussed the draft Ministerial Declaration and Roadmap for the Budapest Ministerial Conference, which sets out how countries can tackle the triple crisis of climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss, land degradation and their impacts on health through commitments to urgently address them, as well as the draft programme for the Ministerial Conference. The conference programme will include contributions from health and environment ministers from across the EU and European region, as well as contributions from youth, international organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders. Parallel events, exhibition booths and posters will also feature as part of the conference.  

HEAL and our members and partners will be participating in the conference to bring forward the voice of the European health sector, including through side events and exhibitions.