W H O   R E L E A S E S   D O C U M E N T S

The conference agenda aims to address urgent environmental challenges likely to contribute to the health problems of the next millennium by uniting ministers of health, environment and transport around a common agenda. Proposed outcomes include:

• The Protocol on Water and Health: This legally binding measure (a first by the WHO) is expected to be adopted by WHO European Member States.
• A Charter on Transport, Environment and Health: This will seek to ensure that health is placed at the heart of transport planning and land-use policies.
• The London Declaration: This will summarise agreement over the main issues in conference sessions, all backed up by conference documents now available on the Web. Some of these main issues include:
  • Children's health and environment. This will build on the agreement on children's health and environment made by the group of the eight leading industrially developed democracies (G8).
  • Early effects of climate change and human health. There is a growing body of evidence about the effect of climate change on human health.
  • Good practice in health, environment and safety in the workplace. This will be a basis for national guidelines promoting links between environment and health at the workplace.
  • Public participation in environment and health matters. This will increase transparency in decision-making on environment and health, building on the framework of the 1998 Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters adopted in Aarhus.