Transcript The World Summit on Sustainable Development Johannesburg 2002

A Strategy for WHO
Sustainable Development:
Brundtland Legacy

1987: World Commission on Environment and
Development (The “Brundtland Commission”)

“Our Common Future”: Coined the term
Sustainable Development:
– ”Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”
•Economic
Development
• Trade
• Finance
• Investment
• Technology
Transfer
Sustainable
Development
•Environmental
Development
• Oceans
• Atmosphere
• Forests
•Social
Development
• Health
• Education
• Energy
• Water
• Food
• Climate
Sustainable Development:
Rio Legacy

1992: UNCED
– Rio Declaration (“Human beings are at the centre of
concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a
healthy and productive life in harmony with nature” )
– Agenda 21 : Global Programme of Action on
Sustainable Development
– Global Conventions
– CSD and Task Manager system
Rio Legacy: The Health Gap

Chapter 6 Agenda 21
– Focus on:

Primary health care
 Communicable diseases
 Urban health
 Pollution and hazards
 Vulnerable groups
– Inadequate attention to:
 Health and poverty alleviation
 Health risks and determinants beyond communicable diseases
 Health impacts of development policies and practices
 Globalisation and health
WHO Contribution to the
WSSD
An unprecedented
opportunity to
show why health
needs to be seen
as central to the
development
process.
Four Themes / Messages

Ill-health hampers poverty alleviation and
socio-economic development

Environmental degradation, mismanagement
of natural resources and unhealthy consumption
patterns/lifestyles impact on health

Development policies and practices need to take
into account current and future impacts on health

New partnerships and reform measures are
needed inside and outside the health sector
Key Elements of the WHO
Strategy (1)

Assessing the Evidence and Tracking
Progress
–
–
–
–
Thematic reviews
Institutional and policy reviews
UN critical trends report
Report on cross-sectoral policy and intervention
strategies
Key Elements of the WHO
Strategy (2)

Defining the issues and policy positions:
Dialogue among key partners

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Nov 2001: Health think-tank meeting (Norway)
Jan 2002: Interministerial health meeting (SA)
Feb - June 2002: Intergovernmental prepcom meetings
and associated events
May 2002: WHA roundtables
Aug 2002: Implementation conference (SA)
Sep 2002: Johannesburg Summit
Key Elements of the WHO
Strategy (3)

Advocacy and Awareness-raising:
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Development of WSSD Website
Production and dissemination of Fact
sheets/Issue/Policy briefs
Production and dissemination of Media briefs
Multistakeholder virtual dialogues
Presentations key target groups: missions, G77
etc
Key Outcomes for WHO

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Health issues feature centrally in the final conference
documentation/declaration
Renewed commitment to implementation of the
health aspects of Agenda 21
Concrete plan of action in place on identified
priorities for health and sustainable development
Announcement of major global initiative on health
and sustainable development
Agreement on mechanisms to improve intersectoral
action, including institutional strengthening for HIA
New partnerships/alliances in place
A Strategy for WHO