Training and capacity building workshop on environment and health policy

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Training and capacity building workshop on
environment and health policy

• Sofia, Bulgaria, 1-2 December, 2005

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Training and capacity building workshop on
environment and health policy

• The health of each individual depends on many
  factors such as
• heredity
• socio-economic factors
• personal behavior
• the quality of the environment.

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Training and capacity building workshop on
environment and health policy

• Main areas of intervention
• Development and implementation of the necessary
  legislative base
• Increasing the knowledge about relationship
  between the pollution and the population health
• Monitoring of environmental exposures
• cont.

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Training and capacity building workshop on
environment and health policy

• Development of data base and establishing
  information systems
• Implementation of educational programmes
• Rising public awareness
• Involvement of the public in the decision making
  process.

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Main activities in EH area in accordance with
the main outcome documents of the Forth
Ministerial Conference on EH and the EU Strategy
on EH

• Implementation of the National Environmental
  Health Action Plan (NEHAP)
• Development and implementation of National
  Childrens Health and Environment Action Plan as
  a chapter to the NEHAP
• Establishment of a National Environmental Health
  Information System
• Strengthening research on environment and health.
• Communication and cooperation

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I. National Environmental Health Action Plan

• First National Environmental Health Action Plan
  1997
• The first revision - 2002
• Management of the NEHAP
• NEHAP Interministerial Committee - established by
  a Govermental Decision in the year 1998.
• Rules for its activities approved by the
  Government.
• Main goal - to ensure the collaboration between
  all governmental agencies, to involve them
  directly and to increase their responcebilities
  in the proces of NEHAP implementation.
• cont.

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I. National Environmental Health Action Plan

• Chairs of the Committee - the minister of health
  and the minister of the environment.
• Members - the viceministers of Transport,
  Economy, Agriculture, Labour, Home Affairs,
  Education, Regional Development and Construction
  etc.
• Main areas of intervention within NEHAP - the
  drinking water quality, ambient air quality,
  noise pollution, wastes, food safety, ionizing
  radiation.
• Monitoring - a report on NEHAP implementation is
  being prepared by the secretariat, adopted by the
  Committee and presented to the Council of
  Ministers every year.
• Ministry of Health activities mainly in
  legislation development, epidemiological studies
  and information campaigns.

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II. Development and implementation of the CEHAP

• The Childrens Environment and Health Action plan
  for Europe one of the main policy outcomes of
  the Budapest Conference
• Commitment of the ministers of health and of the
  environment - to develop national CEHAPs,
  building on existing plans such as the National
  Environmental Health Action Planes
• National activities
• 1. Decission of the Council ofMinisters
• all interested parties to be informed about the
  autcomes of the Forth Conference the necessary
  steps to be taken in order to implement the
  obligations taken
• special emphasis given to the NGO,s involvement
  (National Council and the working group for
  CEHAP).
• cont.

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II. Development and implementation of the CEHAP

• 2. The CEHAPE and the Declaration - translated
  into Bulgarian language.
• 3. Meeting of the National Interministerial
  Committee for management of the NEHAP
  implementation with special emphasis on its
  agenda on development of the CEHAP - the main
  actors and their responsibilities, necessary
  steps, timetable, NGOs involvement etc has been
  discussed.
• 4. Working group for NEHAP revision and CEHAP
  development as a separate chapter - established
  (the first draft is almost ready).

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Problems

• The process of development goes slowly
• Too many different institutes are involved
• The environmental health is not a priority
• It is an additional burden
• Very difficult to attract and involve the
  industrial sector.

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The NGOs could play a very important and useful
role in both processes the development and the
implementation of the CEHAP. How?

• By their formal representatives in the
  Interministerial Committee who are also members
  of the working group for CEHAP development
• By discussing the draft CEHAP and giving
  suggestions for its improvement
• By implementing some of the activities included
  in the CEHAP
• By pushing the governmental sectors and the
  industries to implement CEHAP

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III. Establishment of a National Environmental
Health Information System

• Development of a National Environment and Health
  Information System started in 2002.
• Main objectives of the system - to serve the
  decision-making process and to ensure timely and
  reliable information to the public.
• Size - covers the whole country and includes, as
  a first step, data on air quality, drinking water
  quality and food safety.
• Experience till now - the process is not easy
  and takes time
• Future plans - to continue its development and to
  extent the system by inclusion of new aspects of
  the Environmental Health problems.

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IV. Strengthening research on environment and
health.

• WHO project on HIA in the framework of the EU
  Public Health Programme.
• Activities included in the project
• capacity building on HIA
• case studies related to food and recreational
  water
• socio-economic determinants of health within HIA
• introduction of HIA at local level.

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IV. Strengthening research on environment and
health.

• Two years international study on air pollution
  and childrens respiratory health funded by the
  EU.
• Objective - to contribute to improve
  understanding of the magnitude of health impacts
  of outdoor and indoor air pollution (tobacco
  smoke, gas fumes, mould) as well as socioeconomic
  factors on childrens health.
• The final report will be prepared by the end of
  this year.

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IV. Strengthening research on environment and
health.

• Health of the youth and air pollution.
• Financed by the EU within the Fifth framework
  programme.
• Lead by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
  Medicine UK.
• This study proves the relationship between NO2
  and children respiratory health as well as some
  factors connected to the way of living.

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IV. Strengthening research on environment and
health.

• Studies within NEHAP
• Epidemiological studies in the most polluted
  areas in Bulgaria related to ambient air
  pollution, drinking water quality, soil
  pollution, food contamination and assessment of
  the population exposure - Rousse, Silistra,
  Plovdiv and Assenovgrad, Kardzali, Zlatica and
  Pirdop, Stara Zagora.
• Conclusions and recommendations for the local
  authorities and the polluters are being presented
  always.

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V. Communication

• Press activities
• Production of a series of information bulletins
• Websites
• Lectures
• Workshops

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Main EH problems

• Air pollution
• Waste management
• Soil contamination

• Legislation
• Control

Penalties Studies
Information campaigns
Lack of sanitation Child labor Transport and
injuries
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European Environment and Health CommitteeOne of
the main strengths of the EEHC - its mix of
countries and organizations

• Composition of the EEHC
• Country members designated by the World Health
  Organization Regional Committee for Europe
  Armenia, Bulgaria, France, Norway and Russian
  Federation
• cont.

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Composition of the EEHC

• 2. Country members designated by the United
  Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Committee
  on Environmental Policy Austria, Finland,
  Georgia, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro
• 3.Representatives of intergovernmental and
  international organizations - European
  Commission, European Environment Agency,
  Organization for Economic Co-operation and
  Development, Regional Environmental Centre for
  Central and Eastern Europe, United Nations
  Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations
  Environment Programme, 2 from World Health
  Organization Regional Office for Europe

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Composition of the EEHC

• 4. Representatives of civil society - European
  ECO-Forum and Women in Europe for our Common
  Future, European Public Health Alliance,
  International Confederation of Free Trade Unions,
  World Business Council for Sustainable
  Development, European Chemical Industry Council

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Terms of reference of the EEHC

• 1. To oversee coordination and implementation of
  the outcomes of the Forth European Environment
  and Health Conference, taking into account other
  relevant processes and programmes, and to help
  promote and ensure reporting back on the
  implementation of actions decided by the Budapest
  Ministerial Conference by
• the Environment and Health Focal Points
• the CEHAPE Task Force

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Terms of reference of the EEHC

• 2. To foster the exchange and dissemination of
  information among relevant actors in the field of
  environment and health and to propose regional
  activities, encouraging the involvement of all
  Member States in the Region.
• 3. To promote cooperation and coordination with
  associated organizations and related processes,
  and in particular the links between the
  Environment and Health process, the Environment
  for Europe process and the European Commissions
  Environment and Health Strategy, taking into
  account the recommendations of the Rio
  Declaration, Agenda 21 and the World Summit on
  Sustainable Development.

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Terms of reference of the EEHC

• 4. To assist in identifying environmental health
  issues that require collaborative action or
  further study, including the possible promotion
  of subregional activities, and to make
  recommendations for further actions to the WHO
  Regional Office for Europe as well as to other
  appropriate organizations/bodies.
• 5. To further develop the Environment and Health
  process in Europe by facilitating and promoting
  partnerships with relevant stakeholders in the
  field of environment and health.

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Terms of reference of the EEHC

• 6. To report annually to the WHO Regional
  Committee for Europe and to the UNECE Committee
  on Environmental Policy on achievements and areas
  needing greater efforts, as well as on the
  Committees activities and work plan.
• 7. To provide all Member States in 2007 with a
  detailed proposal for the agenda of the Fifth
  Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
  in 2009.

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At the Budapest Conference, ministers

• agreed that an intergovernmental review
  meeting on the status of implementation of the
  commitments taken at the Conference should be
  held in 2007. This mid-term review should also
  provide the forum for countries to discuss a
  detailed proposal for the agenda of the 2009
  Conference.

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• THANK YOU
• FOR YOUR ATTENTION