Monitoring the implementation of Parma conference commitments: methodological and organizational issues (2011)

The WHO European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH) is coordinating the development of tools for efficient monitoring of Parma Declaration commitments adopted at the 5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health (2010). At this meeting, representatives and technical experts from 36 Member States and four international organizations reviewed newly proposed indicators and agreed on data acquisition methods. Existing data will be used to the maximum extent possible. However, there is a need to coordinate new data collection efforts in order to close data gaps and ensure comparability of international data. Meeting participants have endorsed a new survey to characterize exposure to environmental hazards in schools, and supported pilot testing and implementation plans. Participants also supported plans for the further development of a standardized biomonitoring-based survey to assess early life exposure to environmental pollutants. Finally, the meeting produced recommendations for the consideration by the European Environment and Health Task Force.