The European Environment and Health Process (EHP) Partnership on Youth was launched at the Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in 2023. Led by Slovenia in collaboration with the International Youth Health Organization, this initiative aims to empower young people and strengthen their involvement, ensuring that the policies and practices adopted today genuinely reflect their needs and aspirations.

EHP Partnerships are a thematic voluntary cooperation mechanism among Member States and other stakeholders who agree to work together to facilitate the implementation of Conference commitments and accelerate progress in certain areas.

Aims

The EHP Partnership on Youth drives action on the implementation of the Budapest Youth Declaration 2023, which is an advocacy tool written by young people and stakeholders that reflects young people’s commitments. The Partnership empowers youth through training, technical support and access to resources while fostering collaboration through regular meetings and subregional initiatives. By mapping challenges, developing solutions and enhancing youth engagement in policy-making, the Partnership strengthens coordination among organizations and contributes to WHO/Europe’s efforts in the implementation of the Conference commitments.

Partners

The Partnership collaborates with the Institute for Health and Environment (Slovenia), as well as existing youth networks such as WHO/Europe’s Youth4Health initiative. It also partners with the European Environment and Health Youth Coalition, which has been the recognized stakeholder in the EHP since its establishment in 2014.

WHO/Europe supports the Partnership by providing guidance, supporting the facilitation of its expansion and assisting in the development of communication materials such as social media posts and youth videos.

About youth

The world currently has the largest generation of young people in history. Half of the people on our planet are aged 30 years or younger. In the WHO European Region, every third person is under 30. To build an inclusive and sustainable future for all, youth engagement in environment and health decision-making is crucial at all levels. Young people are a key partner in the development of the Second European Programme of Work. This new regional health agenda for 2026–2030 aims to accelerate action to implement the Conference commitments.

For youth engagement opportunities within the EHP Partnership on Youth and beyond, contact euceh@who.int.