WHO-UNEP Health Environment Linkages Initiative (HELI)

"Human beings are at the centre of concern for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature."

- Principle 1 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992

HELI is a global effort by WHO and UNEP to promote and facilitate action in developing countries to reduce environmental threats to human health, in support of sustainable development objectives. HELI supports a more coherent approach to valuing the services that ecosystems provide to human health as part of decision-making processes. Activities include:

• Projects at country level bringing together diverse government and civil society sectors to assess and recommend integrated policies on environment and health issues.
• Guidance on better use of impact assessment and economic valuation to enhance environment and health decision-making.
• Improving access to policy-relevant knowledge, resources, and tools, via electronic media and printed materials, in priority areas. Those include: water quality, availability and sanitation; water-related vector-borne diseases; ambient and indoor air quality; toxic substances; and global environmental change.
• Capacity building for policy action at local, national and regional levels through technical workshops and interactive events including policy-makers, scientists and the public.

For more details on the HELI Initiative goals and activities, see the publication below:

Download individual chapters

For further information about HELI please contact:

The WHO/UNEP Health and Environment Linkages Initiative Secretariat
World Health Organization
20 Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Email: heli@who.int