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WHO Collaborating Centre for
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable
Development is central to the Manila
Declaration on Health and Environment
and the vision of the TWG-HIA.
As an established leader in HIA the Centre
looks forward to playing a major role in
promoting the use of HIA to achieve more
sustainable and equitable development,
better health outcomes and progress
toward the Sustainable Development
Goals.
ABOUT THE CENTRE The Centre was established in 2003 and is located
in the School of Public Health at Curtin University
in Perth, Western Australia. The Centre has been
involved in WHO projects in many countries
including Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Nauru, Solomon Islands,
Thailand, Vanuatu & Vietnam.
The Centre aims to increase the effectiveness
and use of EHIA and HIA across the Asia Pacific
Region. The Centre was redesignated in 2015 and
has three new key activities:
1. To develop or improve WHO guidelines or
manuals on Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
of prioritised sectors
2. To develop HIA framework on climate change
for WHO
3. To assist WHO in promoting HIA in the
Region, including strengthening the
knowledge network of the Thematic Working
Group on HIA under the Regional Forum on
Environment and Health in Southeast and
East Asian Countries
Staff have a wide range of expertise including:
Health risk assessment and risk management
Indoor and outdoor air quality
Environmental health
Health impacts of climate change
Sustainable Development
Systems thinking
Occupational health and safety
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change is a major public health issue and
effective adaptation is critical to the future health
of people around the globe. Staff from the Centre
have developed “Climate Change, Vulnerability
and Health: A Guide to Assessing and Addressing
the Health Impacts”. This guide uses a HIA
framework and includes a series of working tables
to assist users to run climate change workshops
and develop strategies for their region.
The Centre has assisted groups from Nauru,
Solomon Islands, Vanuatu & Western Australia to
apply the guidelines. These guidelines have also
been used by the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change for training in Africa, South
America & Asia.
With the Paris Agreement on climate change and
the pressing need to adapt to health impacts of
climate change, the Centre will continue to work
with countries to improve and apply the
guidelines.
Capacity Building & Training
Research and development at the Centre has
built significant capacity in HIA and resulted in
guidance documents that are freely available on
our website. These guides have also assisted
with the development of country-specific
guidelines in HIA. Examples include:
Evaluation of HIA in EIA
Climate Change Vulnerability & Health Guide
HRA Scoping Guidelines
The Centre has been providing education and
training in HIA for over a decade. Training format
is flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs
of different groups. Capacity building and
training events held over 2015 and 2016 include:
Climate change, Health and the Environment
co-hosted by WHO and the Australian
Embassy, Beijing
HIA—A pathway to a healthier and
sustainable future. United Nations University
International Institute Global Health
WHO Health Environment and Development
Inaugural Training, Republic of Korea
Role of HIA and the Agenda 2030 for
Sustainable Development—Ministry of
Health, Malaysia
Sixth Climate Change & Health Conference,
Republic of Korea
Australia-China Centre for Air Quality Science
and Management, Beijing
Emerging Opportunities for Health and the
Environment— Public Seminar, Perth
First Regional Forum of WHO Collaborating
Centres in the Western Pacific, Manila
The recent work in the Centre will continue with a focus on some of the most pressing health issues in the region:
Climate change
Vulnerable groups , particularly children.
Sustainable Development
Integration of HIA into EIA
Dr Helen Brown:
Ph: +61 (8) 9266 7944 Email: [email protected]
THE CENTRE WELCOMES COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER RESEARCHERS & CENTRES
www.ehia.curtin.edu.au
Environmental Health Impact Assessment
Thematic Working Group on HIA (TWG-HIA) The Centre is a member of the WHO TWG-HIA.
HIA promotes a multidisciplinary approach that
considers health outcomes in light of a broad
range of environmental, social, economic and
biological determinants of health. This requires
strong interaction across all sectors and is
underpinned by the key values of:
Sustainable Development
Equity
Democracy
Ethical use of evidence
Promotion of Health
The Centre works with other members of the
TWG to develop four-yearly workplans and to
assist members and WHO as required.
Staff from the Centre were invited to attend the
Informal Meeting for the Draft Regional Frame-
work for Health and Environment at WPRO in
Manila in 2016.
AUS-078
