Bangkok, 9 August 2007 -
Ministers and high level officials of environment
and health in South-East and East Asian countries
today endorsed the Bangkok Declaration on
Environment and Health in a collective effort
to reduce the estimated 6.6 million deaths
in Asia each year attributable to various
environmental health risks. The death toll
is approximately 25% of all deaths in the
region.
The First Ministerial Regional Forum on Environment
and Health was held between 8th and 9th of
August 2007. The High level meeting on the
8th was a forum to review national activities
and the Regional Work Plans. The Ministerial
meeting held on the 9th commenced with a scientific
segment chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess
Chulabhorn.
Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn, President
of the Chulabhorn Research Institute, gives
importance to environmental health issues
that are a concern in the Asia-Pacific region,
including air pollution and in particular
carcinogenic air pollutants. In addition,
to address the long-term capacity of the region
to address the environmental health issues
it faces, the Chulabhorn Research Institute
is committed to utilizing its linkages to
world–renowned institutions and experts in
the fields of environmental science and human
health, as well as its network of research
collaborators, to assist countries in the
region in the development of human resources
and capacity building.
The Ministerial meeting which endorsed the
Bangkok Declaration, aimed to strengthen cooperation
between ministries responsible for environment
and health within countries and across the
region. The Bangkok Declaration will provide
a mechanism for sharing knowledge and experiences,
improve policy and regulatory frameworks at
the national and regional level, and promote
the implementation of integrated environmental
health strategies and regulations.
"The Bangkok Declaration takes us a
firm step forward from monitoring and assessment
of sectoral issues towards the prevention
of health impacts," said Surendra Shrestha,
Regional Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP)
Over the last 50 years, environmental pollution
has intensified due to rapid industrialization,
urbanization and motorization, resulting in
urban air pollution, the generation of solid
and hazardous wastes, and numerous man-made
disasters and emergencies.
"The region's high death toll from environmental
degradation can be avoided if we are determined
to reverse the current trend," said Dr
Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the
Western Pacific. "Solving environmental
health problems requires collaboration between
health and environmental sectors. We need
to strengthen our collective commitment to
priority environmental health challenges in
the region."
Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director
for South-East Asia said "The increasing
numbers of cross-cutting global environmental
initiatives are invitations for mainstreaming
health concern into multisectoral cooperation,
however, within this multisectoral environment,
the role of health ministries would need to
be expanded to face the increasing challenges
of the collaborative process of integrating
health and environment in national development."
Incorporated in the Bangkok Declaration is
a regional Charter aimed at helping Southeast
and East Asian countries develop joint policies
and programmes on environment and health.
The regional Charter identified six environmental
and health priorities over the next three
years, namely:
• air quality
• water supply, hygiene and sanitation
• solid and hazardous waste
• toxic chemicals and hazardous substances
• climate change, ozone depletion and ecosystem
change
• contingency planning, preparedness and response
to environmental health emergencies
A regional thematic working group has been
established for each priority area.
Dr. Vallop Thainuea, Deputy Minister for Thailand's
Ministry of Public Health said:
"Since the capacities of countries in
the region to deal with environmental health
problems are limited, we need to have better
intersectoral coordination. Harmonized policy
responses need to be formulated for the transboundary
environmental risk to health. Consequently,
there is the need for an integrated management
of health and environmental issues in the
region."
The ministers agreed to actively share information
and contribute their resources to the protection
of the environment and health at the local,
national, regional and global level.
"Protection of health and environment
is vital for sustainable development. A strong
and thriving economy will alleviate poverty
and provide a better quality of life."
Dr. Supat Wangwongwatana, Director General
of Pollution Control Department of Thailand's
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
said yesterday. "Not only is it important
that our environmental agencies and health
agencies integrate their work, it is also
necessary to form partnerships among the countries
in our region."
A Second Ministerial Regional Forum is planned
in 2010 to review the progress in implementing
the regional Charter.
The Ministerial Regional Forum was attended
by environment and health ministers and high
level officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
China, Indonesia, Japan, the Lao People's
Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore,
Thailand and Viet Nam. Representatives from
the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations
Development Programme, the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific, and the World Bank also attended
the meeting.
The meeting was jointly organized by the
United Nations Environment Programme Regional
Office for Asia and the Pacific and the WHO
Regional Offices for South-East Asia and the
Western Pacific, and hosted by the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Environment and the
Ministry of Public Health of the Government
of Thailand and the Chulabhorn Research Institute.
Mr. Surendra Shreastha, UNEP Regional Director
for Asia and the Pacific
Dr Hisashi Ogawa, WHO Regional Adviser in
Environmental Health
