African Health and Environment Ministers will gather in Luanda, Angola on 23-26 November for the Second Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment. This landmark Conference aims to sustain the political commitment made by Ministers at the Libreville Conference in 2008, on enhanced inter-sectoral actions and co-benefits for human health and the environment, as part of their engagement towards sustainable development in the African region.

The Conference will address progress made by countries in the implementation of the Libreville Declaration, identify country-level actions and agree on the continent’s health and environment top priorities with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The four-day Conference is expected to adopt a Statement for Africa on climate change and health for the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Cancun, Mexico, December 2010.

Jointly organized by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme and hosted by the Government of the Republic of Angola, the second Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa will bring together ministers of health and ministers in charge of environment of African countries, as well as participants from a broad range of constituencies such as multilateral agencies and secretariats of international agreements, cooperation partners, development banks and regional political and economic organizations, scientific experts, civil society, including NGOs, the media, academia and the private sector.

This Conference follows the First Inter-Ministerial Conference where health and environment Ministers in Africa agreed to build a strategic health and environment alliance to reduce environmental threats to human health and well-being. At this historic gathering, Ministers signed and adopted the Libreville Declaration which committed governments to taking the measures required to stimulate the policy, institutional and investment changes needed to optimize synergies between health, environment and other relevant sectors.

 Implementation of the Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa - Luanda Commitment English French Portuguese

African Ministers of Health and Environment Joint Statement on Climate Change and Health English French Portuguese

The Health and Environment Strategic Alliance for the Implementation of the Libreville Declaration English French Portuguese

For further information, please contact:

Technical contacts: 
Dr Nsue-Milang Nsuemilangd [at] afro.who.int 
Tel: 00 472 413 9200

Dr Lucien Manga
Managl [at] afro.who.int
00 47 241 39338

Media contacts: 
Collins Boakye-Agyemang boakyec [at] afro.who.int
Tel: 00 47 241 39420

Samuel Ajibola
Ajibolas [at] afro.who.int
Tel: 00 47 241 39378