The Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health took place on 5−7 July 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, with the aim to define the future environment and health priorities and commitments for the WHO European Region, with a focus on addressing the health dimensions of the triple environmental crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution.
Countries of the WHO European Region, which gathered at the 7th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health (7MCEH) in Hungary, have adopted the Budapest Declaration, which prioritizes urgent, wide-ranging action on health challenges related to climate change, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and land degradation, along with, and in the context of, recovery from COVID-19. To strengthen countries’ capacities to fulfill commitments made under the Declaration, it also focuses on strengthening governance, investing in human resources, and advancing knowledge and tools for action. See more information about the conference on the WHO webpage.
The Budapest Declaration recognises that 'maintaining the integrity of natural ecosystems is critical in preventing zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, and pandemics', and calls for, among others:
- Conserving, protecting, restoring, and sustainably using and managing natural ecosystems to protect human health, including from vector borne and zoonotic diseases;
- Promoting and strengthening the integration of the environmental dimension in the operationalisation of the One Health approach.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) presented a poster on reinforcing One Health with the environmental sector and the importance of operationalising and scaling wildlife health surveillance.
READ MORE
Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
WCS & One Health
Pandemic Prevention at Source