What did CICH think of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) September 2002 CICH was proud to be part of the official Canadian delegation to the WSSD in Johannesburg August 26 to September 4, 2002. CICH was one of a small number of non-governmental organizations and the only one focused on children's health and the environment. We attended sessions at all venues, including the Standton Center for the plenaries and negotiations, the Water Dome for exhibits and sessions on use and access to water, Umbutu, the village where countries had program exhibits and sponsored workshops and Nescrec, where there was a parallel conference for non-governmental organizations. While there were continuous activities regarding energy, trade, and subsidies, CICH concentrated on children's health issues and human rights within the context of reproductive health. This meant CICH attended many informal meetings and various sessions with WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF, UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program), EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency), and other governments on children's health issues. The opening WSSD Plenary was on Health and the Environment, with most countries calling for action with children as a priority. Minister Anderson chaired a panel on health and the environment with participants such as Carol Bellamy (Executive General of UNICEF) and Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland (Director-General, WHO) from the World Health Organization. From the perspective of children's health there were some important outcomes: Canada has agreed to partner with WHO on the Global Alliance for Children's Environmental Health, creating networks of researchers for increased knowledge regarding children and their environments. Canada will partner on the EPA children's environmental health indicators project to determine priorities and identify the means to measure the condition of children's environmental health. A number of countries joined the Canadian initiative, Strengthening Health and Environment Linkages: From Knowledge to Action, to investigate internationally the linkages between health and environment. Children and their health are included in the Plan of Implementation agreed to at the Summit, raising awareness on the need for interventions, regulations and program funding. The 'precautionary principle' essentially asks governments and scientists to err on the side of caution. Within the 'precautionary' discussion at WSSD, there has been an expansion to include words referring to chemicals and their impact on health. Within the reproductive health discussions, the words "in conformity with human rights and fundamental freedoms" were accepted after several days of intense 'discussion'. While we "won" on the human rights and children's health issues, many people were dissatisfied with the energy discussions, because while the majority of targets and dates were agreed to, some critical targets remain outstanding. There were a number of new partnership opportunities announced, paving the way for new funding opportunities, particularly for the developing world. Bottom line benefits: During the two years leading up to the Summit, issues about sustainability and development came together. Now there is also a much greater recognition of how the environment affects health outcomes and economic development, particularly for children and those in developing countries. The importance of working together in new research, interventions, regulations and funding opportunities has also been recognized. Back to CICH Communiqués About the Institute / Partnership Opportunities / Planned Giving / Projects & Activities / Resources & Publications / News Releases / CICH Communiqués / Links / Special Events / Coming Soon / Environmental Health / What's New / Site Map / French / Home If you have any comments about our website, please contact our webmaster. Last Reviewed: January 20, 2003 Copyright 2003