Issues
The achievement of sustainable development,
in its environmental, social and economic dimensions, is
fundamental to improving health and well-being, and requires new
levels of cooperation between health and various development
sectors. This programmatic area deals with strengthening
cross-sectoral (ie across, and within, sectors such as energy,
housing, transport etc) policy and planning processes at global,
national and local levels, ensuring a strong health dimension in
development policies and practices.
Of key importance is to strengthen the
evidence-base regarding the health impacts of development
sectors, ensuring a sound basis for the formulation of
integrated and holistic policies and plans in all sectors that
contribute to health and development. Fundamental is the need
for effective planning tools such as health impact assessment
methodologies to be developed and applied in all stages of the
policy and planning cycle, from data and information gathering,
to policy formulation and implementation, to monitoring and
evaluation.
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Approach
Agenda 21, the global programme of action on
sustainable development, forms an overall framework for the
programmatic area of work, providing an entry point into a
number of development sectors. The work is carried out along two
dimensions, institutional and technical, both of which are
closely interlinked and complementary. The work is done
through close collaboration with a range of clusters and
departments at headquarters and regional offices, and partners
such as NGOs, the private sector, collaborating centres,
research and academic institutions, and other UN agencies/bodies
such as UNDESA, UNDP, UNEP.
In respect of its institutional role in
particular, emphasis is placed on ensuring that the health
objectives of Agenda 21 (the global programme of action on
sustainable development), are adequately addressed in the work
of WHO, and that health features centrally on the agenda of the
upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
Activities contribute to strengthening the role of health in the
work of the Commission on Sustainable Development (responsible
for overseeing implementation of Agenda 21), and to achieving
the health goals of Agenda 21. The follow-up process for WSSD or
“Rio plus ten” involves analyses of critical health,
environment and development trends, identifying new and emerging
key health and development issues, and assessing the
implications for future policy development and implementation
strategies.
In terms of its technical role, the focus is
on incorporating health into impact assessment of development
policies and practices on health, in key (non-health) sectors
such as energy and housing. Tools and guidelines for health
impact assessment of development policies, strategies and
practices are developed; and evidence-based guidance, policy
options, strategies and frameworks/models formulated.
A priority (and heretofore neglected) issue
to be focussed on initially within the energy and housing sector
is household energy and fuel poverty, and its impact on the
health of the poor, particularly women and children. In
this area, evidence on the health burden, prospects for
interventions, and policy implications are addressed. Case
studies addressing health impacts, approaches and interventions
in various regions of the world are analysed and highlighted,
and guidance developed based on lessons learned, which can be
transferred also to other settings and sectors.
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