Government commitment to environmental health: new meeting of the Health and Environment Group

The expectations of the French on environmental issues are high and constantly growing. In this context, Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, and Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, Minister Delegate in charge of Territorial Organization and Health Professions, led the work of the Health and Environment Group today. (GSE) under the chairmanship of MP Anne-Cécile Violland.

According to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental factors are responsible for nearly 20% of mortality in Europe. They can contribute, in their various components (outdoor and indoor air quality, water quality, food, etc.), to many diseases which have several factors as their origin: cancers, respiratory pathologies, allergies, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, etc.

This is the first meeting since the appointment, on February 6, of Anne-Cécile Violland, MP for the 5^e constituency of Haute-Savoie, to the presidency of the GSE.

The Health and Environment Group is responsible for monitoring the actions of the 4^e National environmental health plan as well as their orientation. It brings together several stakeholders in environmental health, including local authorities, environmental associations, economic players and representatives of the State or public establishments, in addition to qualified personalities and professionals from the health system.

Ministers recalled on this occasion thestrong commitment of the Government in the conduct of ambitious policies in the field of environmental healthand more broadly in a “one health” approachknown as “One Health” with the objective of targeting human health, animal health, the health of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Structuring and unifying element of the policy led by the Government in terms of environmental health, the 4^e National Environmental Health Plan (PNSE 4), “One environment, one health” was published on May 7, 2021 and continues the following four ambitions :

• better train, inform and raise awareness among populations, including the most vulnerable, and professionals (including health professionals),
• reduce exposure to environmental factors (chemical, physical, biological agents) and associated health risks,
• amplify the deployment of environmental health projects at all territorial levels,
• improve knowledge of the links between health and the environment through research and by facilitating access to environmental and health data for the scientific community.

Today’s meeting was also an opportunity to review the progress of the actions of the PNSE 4, through the four monitoring groups set up within the framework of the Health and Environment Group, namely:

• the “Training/information/awareness” follow-up group;
• the “Risk reduction” monitoring group;
• the “Research and data” monitoring group;
• the “One Health.

The ministers asked MP Anne-Cécile Violland to presentbefore next summer and with the support of the departments of the Directorate General for Health and the Directorate General for Risk Prevention, a roadmap for the Health and Environment Groupmaking it possible to achieve the objectives mentioned above.

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Contacts presse

Press service of Mr. Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion

Winter: 01 40 8I 78 31

Email: [e-mail]

Press service of Mrs Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, Minister Delegate in charge of Territorial Organization and Health Professions

Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]