BUDAPEST (dpa-AFX) – The WHO European Region has accelerated efforts to combat the health impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution agreed. At a ministerial conference in Budapest on Thursday evening, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge, Hungary’s Environment Secretary Aniko Raisz and Health Secretary Peter Takacs signed a declaration with a series of measures and a joint roadmap for the coming years. The so-called Budapest Declaration aims to help tackle the impact of climate, biodiversity and pollution crises on human health.
“We have now accepted the Budapest Declaration. It took us a superhuman effort to reach this point,” said Kluge at the conference, according to WHO information. “And it will take all of our determination, resilience and ingenuity to deliver on that promise.” The declaration is to be submitted to the regional conference planned for October in Astana, Kazakhstan, for official approval.
At least 1.4 million premature deaths across the 53-country region each year are attributed to environmental risk factors, such as air pollution, the statement said. It is worrying that the “triple crisis” of climate change, pollution and species extinction is having unprecedented and rapidly evolving impacts on life and ecosystems, and human and animal health and well-being, the document said.
In the declaration, the ministers and representatives of the member states commit to a two-pronged approach to ensure a just transition to resilient, healthy, fair and sustainable societies. On the one hand, countries want to become better at prevention and preparedness for emergencies, on the other hand they want to address the environmental factors themselves that affect health. A so-called “Roadmap for healthier people, a prosperous planet and a sustainable future 2023-2030” should be central on this path. Lessons from the corona pandemic should also be incorporated into the process.
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