The World Health Organization (WHO) has significantly strengthened its activities related to the protection of children’s environmental health. In response to growing concerns by Member States and recent international conventions and declarations, WHO set up a "Task Force on the Protection of Children’s Environmental Health" in 1999. All sectors of WHO (Regional Offices, Centres for Environment and Health etc.) are involved in the Task Force. Several Task Force meetings have resulted in the development of an WHO strategy that focuses on environmentally-induced diseases of childhood that cause the greatest global burden, while allowing for the content to be adapted to individual country and regional needs.
WHO activities related to children’s environmental health have been initiated in the following areas:1)data gathering and analysis to assess the magnitude of the problem; 2) develop and promote methodologies to assess risks in children; 3)awareness raising, training, and capacity building ; 4) information dissemination; 5) prevention and education. The objectives and status of these activities will be discussed. The recommendations of Regional workshops to address the major environmental threats and child health concerns in specific regions of the world will also be presented.
Learning Objectives: After this presentation, participants will be able to: 1) describe the World Health Organization’s activities related to children’s environmental health
Keywords: International MCH, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.