Download First International Forum on Development, Environment and Health

First International Forum on Development, Environment and Health
Arezzo, Italy, November 20-23, 2012
— High-Level Conference on Water, Climate and Health —
23 November, 2012
Organised by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS) and
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC)
Background
During the G8 Environment Ministers’ Meeting, held in Syracuse in April 2009, the
ministers agreed that “safeguarding human health is a fundamental objective of
environmental protection and sustainable development”.
At the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in March 2010,
ministers of environment and health from the pan-European region adopted the
Parma Declaration aimed at reducing the adverse health impacts of environmental
threats in the coming decade. Countries confirmed the need to integrate
environment and health issues in all sectoral policies and measures at all levels and
highlighted the role of national and regional cooperation to meet environmental
challenges such as water management and the impacts of climate change on
environment and health.
The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in June
2012, recognised that water is at the core of sustainable development and has close
links with global challenges such as energy, food, health and poverty eradication. It
also recognised that transition to a green economy represents a key driver for
sustainable development.
The Forum and the High-Level Conference
It is in this context that the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea and
the Italian Ministry of Health are promoting the First International Forum on
Development, Environment and Health, which will be held in Arezzo, Tuscany, on
November 20–23, 2012.
The aim of the forum is to explore critical environmental factors that endanger
human health, identify risk assessment challenges, and discuss the main policy tools
and possible joint actions. The forum builds on high-level science–policy dialogue
and provides an opportunity for international discussion on environment and health
as new drivers for green economy and sustainable development.
Scientific sessions during the forum will give experts a chance to exchange existing
knowledge and to discuss major environment and health topics and risk assessment
challenges. The forum will also provide an opportunity to promote Italian best
environmental technologies for sustainable development.
In the framework of the Forum1, the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land
and Sea and The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
will organise the First International High-Level Conference on November 23,
focusing on risk management, science–policy dialogue, and challenges related to
water, climate and health.
1
Please see a short summary of the Forum below the Provisional Programme!
High-Level Conference on Water, Climate and Health
Provisional Program
Friday, 23rd November 2012
09:00 - 09:30
Registration
09:30 - 10:00
Opening of the Conference – Welcome address
 HE Dr Corrado Clini, Minister for the Environment, Land and
Sea of Italy
 H.E. Renato Balduzzi, Minister of Health of Italy
 Mr. Marco Keiner, UNECE, Director of Environment Division
10:00 - 11:15
Risk management challenges: Water, Climate and Health
Chair: Mr Edoardo Michele Majno, Director General of the
Department of Health (Tuscany Region)
Invited speakers:
 Dr Bettina Menne, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Medical
Officer, Global Change and Health – Health determinants in
water and climate policies
 Dr Luciana Sinisi, Chair of Task Force on Extremes - Protocol
Water and Health to United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE) Water Convention – Water and climate
strategy in the UNECE Region : the case of water supply and
sanitation under adverse weather conditions
 Mr Jan Semenza, Senior Expert, Health Impact, Office of the
Chief Scientist European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control (ECDC) – Challenges at EU level for water-related
diseases
 Ms Helena Molin Valdes, Deputy Director UN International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction – Communication to the public
in emergencies
11:15 - 11:45
Coffee break
11:45 - 12: 45
Panel Session
Facilitator: Dr Claudio Martini (Water Right Foundation) – Experience,
case studies, best practices and recommendations on addressing the
challenges
Invited panel members:
 Mr Alberto Sandoval, FAO Climate Change and Food Security
 Mr Desiree Schweitzer, Deputy Coordinator Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
 Mr. George Zedginidze, Former Minister, Ministry of
Environmental Protection, Georgia
 Mr Roberto Zocchi, Chair EU3, European Federation of
National Associations of Water and Wastewater Services
(EUREAU) – Water utilities sector
 Mr. Omer Ozturk, Expert in Climate Change, Ministry of
Environment and Urbanization, Turkey
 Mr. Milos Jevtovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Health, Serbia
 Mr. Adylbek Ormonov, Executive Director, State Agency on
Environment Protection and Forestry of the Kyrgyz Republic
12: 45 - 13: 15
Questions and Answers Session
13:15 - 14:30
Lunch
14:30 - 15:45
Science-policy dialogue: Challenges in Water, Climate and Health
Chair: H.E. Dr. Corrado Clini, Minister for the Environment, Land and
Sea of Italy
Invited speakers:
 H.E. Fatmir Mediu, Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Administration of Waters, Albania – Challenges in South
East Europe
 Mr. Marco Keiner, UNECE, Director of Environment Division –
Water Convention and Protocol, Water and Health /Policy tools
for trans-boundary governance
 Dr Sergio Castellari, IPCC, National Focal Point of Italy –
Experience/considerations on building up adaptation measures
 Mr Mehmet Bas, General Director of Environmental
Management, Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation,
Turkey
 H.E. Borbala Czako, Partner, Ernst&Young – Mobilization of
financial mechanism, public-private partnerships and corporate
social responsibility
15:45 - 16:15
Coffee break
16:15 - 17:15
Panel Session
Facilitator: Marta Szigeti Bonifert, REC Executive Director – Policies,
tools, solutions, recommendations to enhance science-policy dialogue
Invited panel members:
 Mr Jan Semenza, Senior Expert, Health Impact, Office of the
Chief Scientist European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control (ECDC)
 Mr Jan Dusik, Acting Director, UNEP, Regional Office for
Europe
 Nurlan Zhumaev, State Agency of Environmental Protection
and Forestry, Kyrgyzstan
 Professor Maria Lodovica Gullino, Vice Rector, University of
Torino
 Mr. Nodrijon Yunusov, Head of Department of Interstate
Sustainable Development Commission, State Committee for
Nature Protection of the Republic of Uzbekistan
17:15 - 18:00
The Way Forward – discussion and closing session
 Conclusions and recommendations by the
Facilitators
Chairs
and
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE AREZZO FORUM (20-23 November 2012)
SCIENTIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
The Forum aims to provide Institutions, local authorities, private sector, ONGs and experts with the
appropriate framework for exchanging views, knowledge and experiences on development, environment
and health topics and related risk assessment challenges.
Key words of the First International Forum on Development, Environment and Health are “research and
advanced technologies for the environment and health: new drivers for development”.
The scientific program is structured to allow discussions on analysis of impacts of development processes
on environmental determinants of health, together with socio-economic factors, and on how promote new
solutions for healthy sustainable development.
The Forum will pay special attention to several critical environmental factors endangering human health.
In its first edition, the Forum will address the following issues:
-
Renewable energy as “zero impact” opportunity and way for promotion of innovation and
sustainable development. Discussion will address the most recent frontiers for research and
technology and opportunities deriving from Green Economy instruments;
-
Protection and proper use of water resources, a in-depth analysis of Integrated Water Cycle
Management issues and available investment opportunities for drinking water safety. The session
will describe cutting-edge water saving technologies, surface water and wastewater treatment
technologies as well as available regulatory tools to protect quality, safety and availability of water;
-
Analysis of health risks in contaminated sites: how to assess the reliability of epidemiological
analysis findings of health risks in contaminated sites and provide the proper communication and
dissemination of information; a distinct session will also discuss the issue of micropollutants and
food chain in contaminated sites;
-
Health Impact Assessment session will discuss results of local experiences and the process of its
integration in environmental policies;
-
Outdoor/indoor air pollution and health: considerations for the risk management. Experts will
feed evidence-based discussion on health risks from exposure to pollutants in everyday outdoor
and indoor environment such as cities, offices, schools. Focus will be also on daily consumer
products as source of indoor air pollution, the influence of climate change on microclimate in
crucial environments as hospital and, last but not least, specific research objectives for the hazard
assessment of the main air pollutants;
-
Towards MILANO EXPO 2015 (Feeding the Planet-Energy for life). Nutrition aspects will be
addressed from different prospective: how nutrition may play a role in the promotion of health,
measures and opportunity for agriculture as driver for sustainability and health protection,
measures and opportunity to enhance environment promoting sustainability and protecting human
health;
-
Global Environmental Changes, exposure to chemicals, risks of infectious diseases towards a
integrated prevention. The session will be shared by environmental, human and veterinary health
experts presenting results of local projects on session topics following EU strategies on one health
approach. Evidence-based discussion will focus on research needs and suggestions to improve a
resilient-to-changes integrated prevention of health hazards under the challenges of global
environmental changes such as climate change, urbanization trend, land use degradation,
biodiversity and ecosystem services loss;
-
Waste management. Technologies for the waste cycle management with a specific focus on the
best and advanced practices available for recycling and energy recovery from waste. Some leading
Italian companies in the field of waste collection and recycling of waste, production of quality
compost for agriculture, recovery of energy from non-recyclable waste are invited for an exchange
of experiences and best practices. A pilot project for a future “free from landfill of wastes” will be
also presented;
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Eco-sustainable Hospitals and Universities. Concrete examples of sustainability in health and
education sectors infrastructures and buildings.
The Forum will also be the opportunity for the Italian Regional Authorities responsible for the Environment
to address the issue of climate changes impacts and hydro-geological related risks together with the Italian
Minister of Environment.
Finally, in the framework of the Forum, the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea and The
Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe will organize the First International HighLevel Conference on November 23, focusing on risk management, science–policy dialogue, and challenges
related to water, climate and health.
For more information on the Forum and to download the full version of the Program please visit the
following website:
www.forumriskmanagement.it