Budapest Declaration: accelerating action for healthier people, a thriving planet, a sustainable future

Adopted on 6 July 2023 by health and environment ministers of the countries of the WHO European Region, the Budapest Declaration formulates political commitments and actions to address the health risks posed by the triple crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss along with – and in the context of – recovery from COVID-19. The Declaration prioritizes urgent, wide-ranging action on health challenges related to this triple crisis, and aims to accelerate the just transition towards resilient, healthy, equitable and sustainable societies. By adopting the Budapest Declaration, countries have committed to tackling pollution and climate change, ensuring everyone has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, integrating nature and biodiversity considerations into policies, and promoting a clean, safe and healthy built environment. Additional commitments targeted health systems.

The Declaration promotes health sector engagement in climate change and makes the case for health in climate policy-making. With regard to adaptation policy, a key commitment is the development, update and implementation of health national adaptation plans, either as standalone documents or as a part of wider national adaptation planning efforts. To support countries’ implementation capacities, the Declaration also aims to strengthen governance, investment in human resources and the generation of knowledge and tools for action. It also emphasizes the empowerment of youth organizations to make their actions more relevant in policy-making and implementation. The Roadmap for healthier people, a thriving planet and a sustainable future 2023–2030 is an integral part of the Declaration and describes a set of actions to expedite the necessary transitions. To accelerate the implementation of the commitments, the European Environment and Health Process (EHP) Partnerships were launched as a new action-oriented mechanism. It aims to bring together countries and partners with a shared interest in a specific thematic area to work together on joint projects and activities. Four EHP Partnerships were launched, focusing on health sector climate action, youth collaboration, human biomonitoring, and healthy mobility. The Partnership for Health Sector Climate Action aims to provide a regional community of practice to share approaches, experience and research as countries chart pathways and solutions to developing climate-resilient, low-carbon and environmentally sustainable health systems.