Transport and health communities share experience on cycling plans
WHO
Representatives from ministries and international organizations, with practitioners of sustainable mobility in tourism, met in Belgrade, Serbia, on 1–2 March 2017 to address mobility challenges across Europe.
National transport health and environment action plans (NTHEAPs)
Countries including France and Switzerland shared their experiences of creating NTHEAPs. These comprehensive intersectoral plans are key tools and mechanisms for developing sustainable and healthy transport at the national level. They contribute to a number of international commitments, including Health 2020, the Parma and the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) declarations. Workshop participants discussed the benefits and challenges of intersectoral work. They agreed that implementing integrated action plans is crucial for reducing the transport sector’s health and environmental impacts.
The WHO Secretariat presented a step-by-step manual for policy-makers and planners on developing NTHEAPs. Based on the discussions, Serbia is deciding whether to develop a fully fledged NTHEAP or to add a chapter to its existing policy documents
TransDanube.Pearls – Network for Sustainable Mobility along the Danube project and the pan-European master plan for cycling promotion
At a second workshop, participants examined good mobility practices across Europe and reviewed a number of approaches to cycling promotion, including a national cycling strategy, cycling promotion campaigns and combining cycling with public transport. The workshop also discussed opportunities resulting from the TransDanube.Pearls project and the pan-European master plan for cycling promotion.
Upcoming Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
The workshops were geared towards preparation of the pan-European master plan for cycling promotion. Cycling promotion relates directly to the priority theme of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, “transport and health”. The Conference, to be held on 13–15 June 2017 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, will bring together health and environment ministers and high-level representatives of Member States in the WHO European Region, partner organizations, academia and civil society. Member States are expected to adopt a ministerial declaration, an implementation plan for their commitments and a reformed governance mechanism for the European Environment and Health Process.
Background
THE PEP is a joint initiative of WHO/Europe and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which streamlines and consolidates their activities on transport, environment and health, and establishes a unique intergovernmental body in which these three sectors are equally represented.
By providing a European policy framework, T
