The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP) in a joint effort have signed an agreement to accelerate action to curb environmental health risks that cause an estimated 12.6 million deaths a year.
The agencies say the signed agreement is to step up joint actions to combat air pollution, climate change and antimicrobial resistance, as well as improve coordination on waste and chemicals management, water quality, and food and nutrition issues.
Priority areas of cooperation between WHO and UN Environment include more effective air quality monitoring, tackling vector-borne disease and other climate-related health risks, ensuring effective monitoring of data on water quality, promotion of more sustainable waste and chemicals management, particularly in the area of pesticides, fertilizers, use of antimicrobials.
“There is an urgent need for our two agencies to work more closely together to address the critical threats to environmental sustainability and climate which are the foundations for life on this planet. This new agreement recognises that sober real
ity,” says Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, in a press statement.
The collaboration also includes joint management of the BreatheLife advocacy campaign to reduce air pollution for multiple climate, environment and health benefits.
This represents the most significant formal agreement on joint action across the spectrum of environment and health issues in over 15 years.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, says, “Our health is directly related to the health of the environment we live in. Together, air, water and chemical hazards kill more than 12.6 million people a year. This must not continue.
“Most of these deaths occur in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where environmental pollution takes its biggest health toll.”
According to the release, the new collaboration creates a more systematic framework for joint research, development of tools and guidance, capacity building, monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals, global and regional partnerships, and support to regional health and environment fora.
The two agencies will develop a joint work programme and hold an annual high-level meeting to evaluate progress and make recommendations for continued collaboration.
The collaboration aims to advance the goal of sound lifecycle chemicals management by 2020, a target set out at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
