17. Policy Interpretation Network on
Children's Health and Environment

June 24 Thursday

15-18

G
room, purple

English

The International Network on Children's Health, Environment and Safety (INCHES) and the Policy Interpretation Network on Children's Health and Environment (PINCHE; EU funded project QLK4-2003-02395) are organising the  workshop. A wide body of knowledge exists on the linkages between environmental hazards and threats to children's health. Unfortunately, that knowledge base is not systematically harnessed to influence decision-making and actions. As a result, we are often left with large environmental, social and economic costs. We need your ideas to improve children's environmental health!

The aim of this workshop is to facilitate and enhance policy for effective actions to reduce adverse environmental impacts on children's health. The workshop organisers hope to accomplish this by assembling scientific, technical and socio-economic information on environment and health linkages, and transferring the knowledge  to inform decision-making and enhance capacity at the local, regional and national levels. In practical terms, this could be accomplished through the promotion and use of assessment methodologies; the sharing of experience on policy interventions; and the enhancement of capacity to consider environment and health in decision-making. Many of these items are been dealt within the Policy Interpretation Network on Children's Health and Environment (PINCHE; EU funded project QLK4-2003-02395). The outcome will be used the further develop policy recommendations. This workshop is especially targetting those persons who are working either on a politicial level where they have to make informed decisions, or at a policy-level where they have to build relevant sound policies and other stakeholders in the field of children's environmental health. We invite politicians, policy-makers, NGO's and scientists.

The objective of the workshop is to help shape the link between decision makers, policy-makers and scientists on Health and Environment issues. Participants will be asked to identify and discuss key areas, as well as the appropriate methodologies. The focus is on children. In order to meet the objectives of the workshop, it would be useful for participants to start considering some of the following, overarching questions:

• Which environmental threats to children's health are of greatest concern?
• What policy strategies have proven most successful in addressing those issues?
• What type of knowledge would be most useful to improve children's health, and how should that knowledge be presented?
• What are the barriers to successful intervention?
• What are the potential thematic areas around which informed policy and/or capacity would yield greatest results?

Contact:

Peter van den HAZEL * INCHES * pvdhazel@inter.nl.net * www.inchesnetwork.net