Health impact assessment (HIA) and health in environmental assessments – Enhancing HIA practice in Portugal

Este documento tem co-autoria da Unidade de Promoção da Saúde, Departamento de Promoção da Saúde e Prevenção de Doenças Não Transmissíveis, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, IP, LisboaTo further support development of HIA in Portugal, the Ministry of Health of Portugal together with the National Health Institute of Doctor Ricardo Jorge initiated organization of a workshop within the Biennial Collaborative Agreement (BCA) with WHO EURO office in Bonn, Germany. The workshop convened in Lisbon, at the National Health Institute of Doctor Ricardo Jorge on November 13-15, 2017.Aim and objectives of the workshop: The importance of assessing the health implications of policies, plans, programmes and projects of different sectors has been long established. Through the Health 2020 approach, the European framework on health, adopted in 2012 by the Member States in the WHO European Region, the need for a whole‐of‐government and whole‐of‐society approach has been re‐emphasised. Within this approach health impact assessment (HIA) can play a crucial role by supporting decision‐makers inand outside of the health sector to address health impacts and inequalities, and ensure the health of future generations through the identification and estimation of possible impacts of proposed policies and activities. HIA can thus play an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Ministry of Health of Portugal through its Directorate General is in the process of proposing a new Government Bill (nr 49/XIII) that defines the competencies of the Public Health Services. These competencies include among others the assessment of potential health impacts of proposed legislative acts. Therefore an implementation model for HIA in Portugal is proposed by the Committee for the National Public Health Reform to assess in a first step, policies of any sector and their potential impacts on health and well‐being. Through the implementation of HIA of policies, as well as of plans, programs and projects there is great potential for health gains. Several Member States in the WHO European Region have already established legal obligations for HIA but in the majority of countries HIAs are voluntarily conducted. Meanwhile, in many countries, including Portugal, legal obligations for environmental assessments exist which include the need to assess impacts on human health and on the population, as for example defined in the European Directives on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA Directive 2014/52/EU) and on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA Directive 2001/42/EC) as well as the Espoo Convention on EIA in a Transboundary Context and its Protocol on SEA of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Public health authorities need to be prepared not only to assess the impacts of policies, plans, programs and projects of the health sector but also to engage in environmental assessments. To further support development of HIA in Portugal, the Ministry of Health of Portugal together with the National Health Institute of Doctor Ricardo Jorge initiated organization of a workshop within the Biennial Collaborative Agreement (BCA) with WHO EURO office in Bonn, Germany. The workshop convened in Lisbon, at the National Health Institute of Doctor Ricardo Jorge on November 13-15, 2017.Este relatório resume as discussões e principais conclusões do Workshop realizado em Lisboa, dias 13-15 de Novembro de 2017, no âmbito do BCA para Portugal (BCA 2016-2017), sobre desenvolvimento da cultura de HIA em Portugal. A reunião foi tecnicamente apoiada pela OMS – Europa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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