Regional Capacity-Building Workshop on Biodiversity and Health for the ASEAN Region

The Regional capacity-building workshop on biodiversity and human health for the ASEAN region was jointly convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity from 5-7 November 2018, in Manila, Philippines.

The regional workshop was hosted jointly by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Health of the Philippines. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia and United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) also provided technical input and support. The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, with support from the European Union through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN Project, covered the costs of nominated participant.

The workshop was opened by the Secretary of Health of the Philippines, Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, and Jonas R. Leones, Undersecretary at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. Opening keynote statements were also provided by Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, Executive Director for ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The cross-sectoral workshop brought together over 50 participants, including representatives from Ministries of Health and Ministries responsible for biodiversity conservation across ASEAN members states, as well as global experts on biodiversity and health.

The workshop aimed to strengthen collaboration, engagement and policy coherence between national agencies responsible for biodiversity and those responsible for health, to mainstream biodiversity and health linkages in national policies and programmes, and to contribute to enhanced national implementation of the Convention, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and related Sustainable Development Goals among ASEAN countries. In particular, the workshop intended to equip participants from the biodiversity and health sectors with the knowledge and tools needed to:
(i) Promote transboundary/regional cooperation and support networks on health and biodiversity issues and strategies with a view to informing an action plan on biodiversity and health for ASEAN countries;
(ii) Identify key entry points and discuss best practices for integrating health and biodiversity considerations in national and/or regional biodiversity policies or programmes as well as in national and/or regional health policies or programmes, among ASEAN countries; (iii) Strengthen capacity and identify further capacity needs for the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health linkages in relevant national and/or regional policies, plans and programmes;
(iv) Identify possible joint activities to achieve health and biodiversity co-benefits for consideration in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and national health plans among ASEAN countries; and
(v) Strategically integrate biodiversity and health considerations in the post-2020 biodiversity framework and in the development of integrated approaches to health including One Health, Ecohealth and Planetary Health.

The workshop brought together nominated representatives from Ministries responsible for biodiversity and those responsible for health across ASEAN member states. It supports the implementation of decisions XII/21 and XIII/6 of the Conference of the Parties, by which the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary to organize, in collaboration with WHO and other relevant organizations, additional capacity-building workshops on the interlinkages between biodiversity and human health, under the joint work programme between the Secretariat and WHO, and it identified initial elements to be considered for the development of a Regional Plan of Action on Biodiversity and Health to be developed for the ASEAN region.

WORKSHOP DOCUMENTS

Official Notification

Information Note

Provisional agenda

Workshop preparation

Provisional programme

In preparation for the workshop, participants were encouraged to consult the key messages contained in the Summary of the WHO-CBD report Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health: A State of Knowledge Review

Participants were also encouraged to consult the related decision on biodiversity and health adopted at the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties Decision XIII/6.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The full volume of the State of Knowledge Review, Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health is available here.

Regional Capacity-Building Workshop on Biodiversity and Health for the European Region

The Regional capacity-building workshop on biodiversity and human health for the WHO Europe region was jointly convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization (WHO) from 23 to 25 October 2017, in Helsinki, Finland. It was convened in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Energy and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Finland, with financial support from the European Commission and the Government of Finland. The WHO Regional Office for Europe also provided technical input and support through the European Centre for Environment and Health.

The multi-sectoral workshop brought together over 70 participants, including representatives from 28 countries in the European region, as well as representatives from the COP 13 Presidency (Mexico) and COP 14 Presidency (Egypt) and experts working in the European region. The workshop aimed to strengthen collaboration, engagement and policy coherence between national agencies responsible for biodiversity and those responsible for health to contribute to enhanced national implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as well as related Sustainable Development Goals. It also aimed to assist policy makers in mainstreaming biodiversity-health linkages in national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national health strategies, and to support the implementation of CBD COP decision XIII/6.

WORKSHOP DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS

In preparation for the workshop, participants were encouraged to consult the key messages contained in the summary of the CBD-WHO report Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health: a State of Knowledge Review.

Participants were also encouraged to consult the related decision adopted at the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, decision XIII/6.

WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS

To access the Workshop Presentations, please click here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The full volume of the State of Knowledge Review, Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health is available here.
ENCA Recommendations European Conference on Biodiversity and Health in the Context of Climate Change, June 2017 (submitted by Germany).
Pamphlet on Health From Nature (prepared by Finland).
Poster on Biodiversity and Health (prepared by Austria).
Short Video on Biodiversity and Health (presented by Austria).
Short Video - Project Wild Things (presented by The Netherlands).
Fact Sheet EU 7th Environment Action Programme (Presented by the European Commission)
Teaser Video - MOOC Global Health (presented by the University of Geneva).
Short Video - Do no harm (prepared by Health Care Without Harm and presented by UNDP).

Regional Capacity-Building Workshop on Biodiversity and Health for Africa

The regional workshop on the inter-linkages between biodiversity and human health for Africa was held in Maputo, Mozambique from 2 to 5 April 2013. The workshop was co-hosted by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization (WHO), with the generous financial support of the Government of Japan and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ). In total, 56 participants attended including government-nominated experts from 24 African countries representing Ministries of Environment and Ministries of Health. Several experts from national, regional and international organizations also contributed to the success of the workshop.

This workshop provided a forum for Parties and experts from the health and biodiversity sectors to (i) discuss the implementation of the Strategic Plan, in particular as it relates to health issues (ii) discuss regional best practices in terms of incorporating biodiversity and health considerations in national and regional biodiversity conservation programmes, in national health plans (iii) strengthen capacity and identify further capacity needs for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (iv) identify possible joint activities to achieve health and biodiversity co-benefits for consideration in national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), national health strategies and (NPJAs) under the Libreville Declaration and (v) promote transboundary/regional cooperation and support networks on health and biodiversity issues and strategies.

The workshop was held in English, French and Portuguese.

DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS

The official workshop documents, are available here.
Report of the Regional Workshop on Biodiversity and Health for the Africa Region (in English).
Rapport de l'atelier régional sur les liens entre la santé humaine et la biodiversité pour l'Afrique (en Francais).
*The workshop presentations are available here.*

First Regional Capacity-Building Workshop on Human Health and Biodiversity in the Americas

The first regional workshop on the inter-linkages between biodiversity and human health for the Americas was held in Manaus, Brazil from 4 – 6 September 2012. In total, 52 participants from 26 countries attended, representing Ministries of Environment (nominated by CBD focal points), Ministries of Health (nominations received via the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization), as well as representatives from local and indigenous communities and from national, regional and international organizations. The Health Minister of Costa Rica participated throughout the workshop, along with several high ranking officials from Health Ministries in the Caribbean.

Participants attending the workshop engaged thoroughly in the workshop programme, including during presentations on their national context and discussions on the mainstreaming of biodiversity and human health linkages into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and the potential for recognition of biodiversity and health activities in Fifth National Reports.

DOCUMENTS

Primer Taller Regional sobre las Interrelaciones entre Salud Humana y Biodiversidad en las Américas

El primer taller regional sobre las interrelaciones entre la diversidad biológica y salud humana en las Américas se llevó a cabo en Manaus, Brasil el 4-6 de septiembre de 2012. En total, 52 participantes de 26 países asistieron, representando Ministerios de Medio Ambiente (nominados por los puntos focales del CDB), Ministerios de Salud (candidaturas recibidas a través de la Organización Mundial de la Salud y de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud), así como representantes de las comunidades locales e indígenas, y de organizaciones nacionales, regionales e internacionales. La Ministra de Salud de Costa Rica, la Dra Daisy Maria Corrales Diaz, también participó al taller, junto con varios altos funcionarios de los Ministerios de Salud del Caribe.

Los participantes que asistieron en el taller se involucraron a fondo en el programa del taller, tanto con presentaciones que presentaban sus respectivos contextos nacionales como en discusiones sobre la incorporación de la perspectiva de la diversidad biológica y de los vínculos entre salud humana y biodiversidad en sus Estrategias y Planes de Acción Nacionales sobre Diversidad Biológica, en el Quinto Informe Nacional de cada país, así como en planes de acción nacionales de salud.

DOCUMENTOS

Borrador Reporte Regional - Español

Recomendaciones del Taller - Español

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION