A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO): “Promoting health: Guide to national implementation of the Shanghai Declaration”, includes Health Care Without Harm’s Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) ten goal framework as an example of health promotion for sustainable development. The document features the GGHH Agenda Goals as a tool to make a greening transformation of the health care sector (see page 17).
“This is a great opportunity for national health systems to learn about GGHH as a resource for their efforts to act sustainability within the sector,” said Susan Wilburn, International Sustainability Director for Health Care Without Harm, and to demonstrate how one sector can lead the implementation of all of the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Global Green and Healthy Hospitals has its foundation in a comprehensive framework of 10 interconnected goals for the health sector to address and promote greater sustainability and environmental health: leadership, chemicals, waste, energy, water, food, transportation, pharmaceuticals, buildings and purchasing. The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Agenda sets out to support existing efforts around the world to promote greater sustainability and environmental health in the health sector, and thereby to strengthen health systems globally.
WHO’s guide describes policy orientations and approaches that can unlock the transformative potential of health promotion for sustainable development. This guide was developed to support country level implementation of the commitments and recommendations in the Shanghai Declaration. The target users of the guide are development professionals, from the public and private sector, whose areas of work include planning, implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals and public health professionals responsible for health policy and planning, health promotion and program management. The concepts, examples and ideas presented are intended to inform the development of national and local plans, policies and program and enable effective advocacy to influence the political agenda surrounding health and sustainable development.
To download the guide, click here.
Shanghai Declaration on promoting health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Leaders from governments and United Nations organizations, city chiefs, and health experts from around the world met in Shangai, China in 2016 for the Ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion and committed to promote public health and eradicate poverty. The “Promoting health: Guide to national implementation of the Shanghai Declaration” was one of the outcomes from the conference
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.