The Secretariat of SEEnHealth Network, under the Presidency mandate of Montenegro organized innpartnership with the Embassy of Montenegro and the “Dobredojde” MacedonianWelcome Centre, Montenegro Coffee Morning,non 6 February 2020, in Skopje, the Republic of North Macedonia.
nnnnThe event was dedicatednto Montenegro and the “Importance ofnregional cooperation in public health to advocate with single voice that cleannair is a human right, not a privilege!”.
nnnnThe Ambassador ofnMontenegro to the Republic of North Macedonia, H.E. Ms. Marija Petrovic promotednMontenegro as a destination to visit and much more to discover from the “Montenegronwild beauty” towards its health tourism, products and beyond.
nnnnHead of Secretariat ofnSEE Health Network, Dr. Mira Jovanovski-Dasic presented the importance ofnregional cooperation in public health to advocate with single voice that cleannair is a human right and a chronic issue persisting for a long timenwith consequences to our health in our Region in particular.
nnnnA safe, clean, healthynand sustainable environment is integral to the full enjoyment of a wide rangenof human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water and sanitationnand it is declared within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
nnnnSEEHN has clean air as anpriority for action included in the main strategic policy document – thenChisinau Pledge from 2017. The document reflects the SDG Agenda 2030 and Healthn2020 and is also translated into the WHO-SEEHN Sub-Regional CooperationnStrategy 2018-2023, signed in July 2018, in Tel-Aviv.
nnnnSEEHN took the firstnclear step by organizing a Regional expert round table “Reducing Health Impacts of Polluted Air- Strengthening Health Systemsnand Multisectoral Response in SEE Countries” on 7-8 November 2019 in Skopje,nNorth Macedonia.
nnnnThe experts from 9 MembernStates including observers from Turkey and Kosovo* attended and identified thenfollowing recommendations to focus on:
nnnn- Inter-sectoral actions that are key fornhealth in all policies implementation;
- Comparable data that are key to informednbased policies,
- Health risk assessments and Health ImpactnAssessments to be carried out;
- Regional epidemiological studies onnenvironmental health issues (studies on pollution sources, biomonitoring, etc.)
- Human capital – that needs to continuouslynstrengthen capacities of the health system experts, along with the imperativenneed to increase general population knowledge and awareness on how to protectnduring the especially high polluted days;
- Support to development of national/regionalnstrategies/action plans on indoor/outdoor air quality and the decrease of airnpollution.
- To establish a SEEHN RHDC on Environmentnand Health
Moreover, there is stillnso much to be done to tackle air pollution across the region with the contributionnof other sectors with the final aim to empower citizens with knowledge andncleaner choices.
nnnn- Tonimprove public transport
- Tonincrease energy efficiency
- Tonenforce standards
- Reducenhigher polluting cars
- Offerngrants and subsides for greener policies
- Tonconstantly raise awareness and health literacy on air pollution
- Tonplant trees etc.
We will all benefit from cleaner air, water and soil, as will the generations that come after us.
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