Health and strategic environmental assessment

This report summarizes the general discussion and conclusions of an international consultation meeting. The overall aim of the consultation was to seek further advice from strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and health experts and discuss challenges and opportunities for the further involvement of the health sector in SEA and strategic planning processes.

Performing impact assessments is increasingly important for the development of sustainable projects and policies. Substantial progress has been made on how to meaningfully include health in SEA and other forms of impact assessment. However, in the light of the evolving policy context in Europe, further promotion is required of the consideration of health effects and support with all sectors of civil society, including the health sector.

In line with this, the Budapest Declaration on Environment and Health (2004) calls for taking “significant health effects into account in the assessment of strategic proposals”, and WHO/Europe assists its Member States and their ministries of health to engage into the SEA process.