Our children have a right to a healthy environment – right from the start
Review of children’s health and environment events Vienna, June 12-15, 2007
15.08.2007 |Jasmine Osorio
The Inter-ministerial Review of the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) convened for Member States to take stock of progress achieved since the last Ministerial Meeting in Budapest (2004), and to explore how best to move forward for the Rome Ministerial Conference in 2009. Along with presenting their progress, Member States clearly confirmed their commitment and support for the CEHAPE process.
The NGO delegation, led by ECO Forum/WECF and HEAL, gained great visibility for activities and projects that enhance children’s environmental health within the scope of the four Regional Priority Goals (Water & Sanitation, Accidents & Physical Activity, Air Quality, and Chemicals). This was done through the presentation of the first ever “CEHAPE Best Practice Awards,” and later in a lively “newscast” report back (“RPG News: Beyond Budapest”) where challenges from the field were highlighted, and recommendations in advance of the Rome meeting were presented.
Sascha Gabizon, WECF Executive Director, and Genon Jensen, HEAL Executive Director, present Best Practice awards in Vienna for projects in the field of children’s environmental health.
Best Practice Awards Booklet
NGO Report Back (RPG 1, RPG 2, RPG 3, Newscasters Script)
WECF’s Evaluation and Recommendations of the IMR
Short evaluation of the IMR (in German)
NGO Preparatory Conference "Taking Stock of Progress since the Budapest 4th Ministerial Conference on Environmental and Health" 11-12 June
The aim of the event was to bring together between 30-50 NGOs with a good regional and issue balance in order to highlight and report on good practice and progress made by the non-governmental sector in reducing environmental risks to children’s health, as well as to agree on recommendations to give governments at the IMR on strengthening and further implementing the Budapest Declaration
The conference was coordinated by Eco-forum via WECF-Women in Europe for a Common Future, HEAL- the Health & Environment Alliance, and ISDE Austria-the Austrian Doctors for the Environment. The first day of the conference was part of the program for the scientific INCHES conference and was attended by those participants, including representatives from governments, industry and scientists.
Contents of the NGO Preparatory Conference included :
- Introductory session giving an overview of the environment and health process
- Parallel sessions on the four Regional Priority Goals, including presentations of NGO projects and panel discussions led by key experts
- Keynote speech and presentation by Prof. Philippe Grandjean
RPG News: Beyond Budapest, the lively newscast presented during the InterMinisterial Meeting in Vienna
INCHES 4th Annual Conference- “Reducing the Risk for Our Children”: 10-12 June
The 4th Annual INCHES Conference held in Vienna (international network on children’s health, environment and safety) intended to:
- provide insight in the activities in the field of science and policy interface;
- define the relationship between environmental contaminants and children's health in the world; _to identify opportunities to minimise childhood exposure to environmental contaminants;
- build a multi-sectoral platform of knowledge at an international level;
- develop a greater awareness among health professionals about children's health and the environment;
- initiate policy review and future directions in research in the field of children's environmental health;
