Since their inception in 1989, the Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Health have evolved into a pivotal intersectoral policy platform, bringing together relevant sectors from all 53 Member States of the WHO European Region on an equal footing, along with stakeholders representing international, regional, and nongovernmental organizations, including voices of the youth.

Over the past 3 decades, 7 Ministerial Conferences have convened, each contributing to the collective effort to address pressing environment and health challenges, agreeing upon political commitments, and fostering collaboration and cooperation among diverse stakeholders.

Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Budapest, Hungary, 2023

The Budapest Declaration prioritizes urgent action on health challenges posed by the triple environmental crisis of climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss in the context of COVID-19 recovery. A roadmap identifies “accelerators” to facilitate the transition towards resilient, healthy, equitable and sustainable communities. Countries committed to tackle pollution, ensure universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene; integrate nature and biodiversity considerations into policies; and promote a clean, safe and healthy built environment. The EHP Partnerships, a new mechanism for implementation of commitments, was launched.

Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health

Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Ostrava, Czech Republic, 2017

The Ostrava Conference aligned the EHP with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and identified 7 priority areas: air pollution; water, sanitation and hygiene; chemical safety; waste and contaminated sites; climate change; cities; and environmentally sustainable health systems. Countries committed to develop National Portfolios of Actions to accelerate progress towards achieving the targets set by the Fifth Conference and selected goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda. Enhanced coordination and collaboration between national, subnational and international levels were facilitated through revised EHP institutional arrangements. For the first time, representatives of regions and municipalities attended the Conference, highlighting the crucial role of cities and subnational governments in addressing environment and health concerns.

Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Parma, Italy, 2010

Keeping the focus on children, the Parma Conference also addressed environmental health issues of growing concern of climate change, along with cross-cutting issues that affect environmental health, such as inequalities. The Declaration outlined 5 measurable targets on selected priority issues and identified 4 priority areas for action: children’s health; climate change and health; involvement of children, young people and other stakeholders; and knowledge and tools for policy-making and implementation.

Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Budapest, Hungary, 2004

The Conference placed a special emphasis on children, who bear a heavier impact from environmental pollution. Ministers adopted the Declaration and committed to implementing the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) in their respective countries. The CEHAPE outlines actionable steps and policies to achieve 4 main priority goals: ensuring clean air; ensuring safe water; managing chemical and physical agents; and preventing injuries. It calls for the development and implementation of national plans and policies tailored to address local priorities.

Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, London, United Kingdom, 1999

Following conferences on policy formulation and planning, the London Conference shifted its focus to action in partnership, engaging a wide range of partners and stakeholders. Ministers made 3 major commitments by adopting: the legally binding Protocol on Water and Health, the first and only international legal agreement linking sustainable water management with the prevention, control and reduction of water-related diseases in Europe; the Charter on Transport, Environment and Health, emphasizing the necessity of addressing all health impacts of transport policies in an integrated manner and fostering enhanced cooperation between WHO and other organizations to achieve sustainable and healthy transport; and the London Declaration. Based on the Charter, the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) was established in 2002.

Second Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Helsinki, Finland, 1994

Based on the first comprehensive assessment of the health and environment situation in Europe, ministers in Helsinki adopted the Environmental Health Action Plan for Europe (EHAPE). In endorsing the EHAPE, they committed their respective health and environment departments to developing joint National Environment and Health Action Plans, aimed at integrating environmental protection and health promotion in political programmes. Furthermore, the establishment of a multistakeholder steering group European Environment and Health Committee (former body) helped to enhance engagement, fundraising and dissemination capacities.

First Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, 1989

The first-ever meeting of ministers of health and of the environment in a common forum adopted the European Charter on Environment and Health and established the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health. The Charter represented a major step forward in the development of both public health and environmental policies. Acknowledging the relationship between environment and health, it defined environmental health as not limited to pollution control and environmental hygiene, but including all aspects of the physical environment and socioeconomic development. The Charter also focused on the principles, mechanisms and priorities for action appropriate to Europe. It emphasized that the wide-ranging environmental health problems now facing Europe require a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach, and that many need to be dealt with internationally.