Event highlights
This Bonn Dialogue – attended by 170 participants from across the WHO European Region and beyond –presented facts, examples and perspectives on nature-based solutions (NbS) and health and explored how nature can be utilized in various sectors to enhance population health. Central to the Bonn Dialogue discussion was the launch of a new WHO report on NbS and health, jointly produced by the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health and the WHO Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Key takeaway: nature offers effective solutions to many public health challenges
The discussion on the new report highlighted the potential of NbS to simultaneously address human health and environmental sustainability. Presented examples of NbS across the European Region illustrated their broad applicability, ranging from local interventions like green spaces for better urban conditions to large-scale interventions tackling issues such as flooding, pollution, disaster risks, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. Diverse health benefits can be generated by NbS, including prevention of risks for both communicable and noncommunicable disease, improved mental well-being, increased physical activity and enhanced social cohesion. NbS can also be utilized by the health sector to integrate activities in nature into medical treatment and recovery, and to support the transition to sustainable health systems.
Panel members from France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Serbia and Slovenia stressed the relevance of a broader understanding of health promotion and primary prevention, raised the need for supporting and further developing opportunities and frameworks for the application of NbS at the local level, discussed the necessity of well-planned design and management of NbS to avoid unintended health risks, and linked NbS to the One Health approach. Further discussion focused on the role of the health sector in ensuring that NbS can maximize their potential for health benefits and prevent negative side effects.
The Bonn Dialogue was opened with a short address by Robb Butler, Director of the Division of Communicable Diseases, Environment and Health at WHO/Europe, and an opening statement on NbS and health by Eva Kracht, Director-General for International and European Policy, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany. High-level input to the discussion was provided by Mihael Zupančič, Slovenian Ambassador to Denmark, who provided key messages from a meeting led by the embassy on pollinators, which marked World Bee Day, on 20 May, and Boris Erg, Regional Director for Europe, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), who addressed the role of IUCN in supporting countries in implementing NbS, highlighting IUCN’s Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions.
Framing action within the European Environment and Health Process
The 2023 Budapest Declaration and its “Roadmap for healthier people, a thriving planet, and a sustainable future 2023–2030” committed Member States to accelerating the transition towards healthier, more resilient and sustainable societies, and identified nature and biodiversity interventions as one central element of action. The WHO report on NbS and health supports such actions and provides various examples on how NbS can promote and protect health in different settings.
Event notice
Join us for the ninth Bonn Dialogue on Environment and Health, a 2-hour online event highlighting how countries in the WHO European Region are implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) to support sustainable development while ensuring the protection of human health.
Background
WHO supports Member States in integrating nature and biodiversity into environmental and health policies, maximizing the benefits and reducing the risks of human interaction with nature. NbS are an important approach that introduces nature elements into current policies and applies environment- and nature-driven mechanisms to solve current societal, environmental and/or health challenges. NbS can provide innovative measures in tackling challenges such as environmental pollution, climate regulation, water management or disease prevention and control. Furthermore, they provide interesting opportunities in the health sector, among other things, by reducing the environmental footprint of health systems or promoting health and well-being by prescribing nature. NbS offer an effective means of achieving societal or infrastructural objectives while protecting, managing and restoring ecosystems, benefiting both environmental conservation and human well-being. By addressing health issues arising from environmental degradation, NbS also align with the One Health approach that connects actions and policies related to the health of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems, resulting in integrated, holistic strategies that promote ecological sustainability, prevent diseases and improve public health.
Event details
The Dialogue will launch a WHO report on NbS and health, highlighting their increasing role in promoting health and well-being while tackling environmental, societal and health challenges. This report will explore how NbS, ranging from local interventions to large-scale policies, can enhance public health, strengthen nature resilience, mitigate risks and support sustainability. It will also examine the balance between benefits and potential health risks, offering practical case studies and insights for professionals across the health and environmental sectors.
The report will be a collaborative effort led by the WHO Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health at the University of Exeter and the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health.
Participation
This online event will be of particular interest to anyone working on environmental, nature conservation, spatial planning and health policies in national, regional and local governments, and European and international institutions; as well as other interested stakeholders and decision-makers.
The event will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Russian.
You can join via Zoom by registering at the provided link.
Bonn Dialogues on Environment and Health
The Bonn Dialogues are a series of high-level online events within the framework of the European Environment and Health Process (EHP), aimed at fostering discussions on selected themes and topics among policy-makers across the WHO European Region. They provide the EHTF and all interested parties with evidence and reflection points on well-known and emerging environment and health issues to accelerate the implementation of the Budapest commitments.
The Bonn Dialogues are organized and promoted by the EHP Secretariat, located at the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany, within the framework of the EHTF’s Programme of Work.