Europäische Sonderarbeitsgruppe Umwelt und Gesundheit (EHTF)

The EHTF is the leading international body for implementation and monitoring of the EHP, meeting annually in the period leading up to the Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Health.

The EHTF members are leading officials from all Member States in the WHO European Region, nominated at national level as focal points for the EHP, and representatives of WHO and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations (IGOs/NGOs) recognized as EHP stakeholders.

Mandate

The mandate of the EHTF is to:

• provide a forum for exchange of technical experience and knowledge through discussion and sharing of good practice;
• regularly review scientific evidence with the support of WHO, UNECE, UNEP and other relevant institutions in order to encourage Member States to update, modify or strengthen existing policies, as appropriate;
• facilitate collaboration among relevant sectors, partners and stakeholders, including IGOs, NGOs, trade unions, the business community, young people, technical agencies and international financial institutions;
• promote specific initiatives on emerging issues;
• report annually on the progress and achievements of the EHP to the WHO Regional Committee for Europe and to the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy.
• establish ad hoc working groups and other bodies, as necessary, on a temporary basis to address specific needs and issues;
• collaborate closely with the EHTF Bureau.

Working groups

The EHTF established 2 working groups and a network.

The Working Group on Health in Climate Change (HIC), facilitates dialogue among Member States in the WHO European Region and other stakeholders, as well as communication and implementation of commitments to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. The HIC consists of nominated representatives of Member States and partners, and is responsible for the implementation of the European Regional Framework for Action on climate change and health, adopted at the Fifth Ministerial Conference in 2010.

The Working Group on Collaboration of Local and Subnational Authorities (CoLSA) advances the implementation of the commitments made at the Sixth Ministerial Conference in 2017 at the subnational level by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience, promoting the development of partnerships and enhancing policy coherence and synergy.

The EHP Communications Network facilitates contacts between the EHP Secretariat and communication experts in Member States. The Network aims to raise overall awareness and ownership of the EHP, conveys its value to environment and health governance, and stimulates collective action to implement the ministerial commitments as a whole-of-government approach.