Poverty, Health, & Environment : Placing Environmental Health on Countries’ Development Agendas

There are several reasons why environmental health is an important concern for the poor (Cairncross and Kolsky 2003). Poor people often live in areas with the worst environmental conditions; they have lower resistance to infection; they pay more for environmental health services; and when they fall ill, they lose income and even their jobs. Better environmental health conditions go beyond directly improving health outcomes. Additional benefits often include saving time, lowering the cost of living, gender equality (security and dignity), increasing convenience through service provision (recycling, building latrines, etc.), and reducing the burden of daily life.

The main objectives of this report are to illustrate that-despite efforts:
1. to emphasize the importance of environmental health to poverty reduction and sustainable development in partner countries-there has been limited success in countries placing environmental health issues that matter to the poor high on their development agendas.
2. To provide practical guidance on how to raise the profile of environmental health issues important to the poor and integrate them more successfully in (a) national and local strategies and plans, and (b) development cooperation
activities that support these strategies and plans.

This report is intended primarily for officials in finance and planning departments at the national, state, or city level in developing countries. It will also be of interest to various sector officials in national and local governments in developing countries, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector representatives, and development agency staff and sector advisors in development cooperation agencies.
This report was produced by several bilateral and multilateral development agencies and NGOs with an interest in enhancing the quality of life of the poor through improvements in environmental health.

Se nyhetssak om rapporten