European countries to meet in April to review progress on environment and health

On 28–30 April 2015 in Haifa, Israel, countries in the WHO European Region will evaluate the status of environment and health in the WHO European Region at the mid-term review of the European environment and health process.

High-level representatives of countries and international, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the process will look at the progress made towards the goals on environment and health set at the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, held in Parma, Italy in 2010. In the Parma Declaration on Environment and Health, all countries committed to the first-ever time-bound goals on environment and health, including: providing safe water and sanitation, healthy and safe settings for physical activity, and environments free of tobacco smoke and toxic chemicals; and eliminating asbestos-related diseases.

Participants in the mid-term review will also share progress and plans in areas such as indoor and outdoor air quality, climate change and noise. The outcomes of the review are expected to inform the discussions of the 65th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe and the Twenty-first Session of the Committee on Environmental Policy of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in 2015, as well as the agenda of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health planned for 2017.