More on environment and health performance reviews (EHPRs)

EHPRs identify the most important environment and health problems, evaluate the public health impact of environmental exposures and review the policy and institutional framework, taking into account the institutional set-up, the policy setting and legal framework, the degree and structural functioning of intersectoral collaboration and the available tools for action in the country.

Seven steps

At the request of the country’s health ministry, two WHO technical experts carry out the EHPR through semistructured interviews with national technical representatives and policy-makers. The review is built through the following steps:

1. consultation with environment and health focal point/project counterpart within the Member State prior to review;
2. application of standardized methodology for the review, developed at onset;
3. collection and analysis of relevant policies, information, evidence and data; organization of the WHO field trip by the national counterpart;
4. WHO technical experts’ field trip to the country to interview pre-selected representatives of different sectors and institutions;
5. compilation of draft report summarizing the information collected during the field visit;
6. finalization of report with recommendations for action, submitted back to counterpart, head of country office, interviewees;
7. national workshop in which final conclusions are presented to policy-makers.