SDE Seminar Series towards Rio+20

Sustainable Development and Environmental Health – SDE -  PAHO/WHO

"Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development.
They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature" - Principle 1 of the Rio…..”Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992.

The Rio Declaration of 1992 recognizes that healthy populations are central to human progress and sustainable development, and remains equally true today. However, the economic pillar has been prioritized at the expense of the social and environmental pillars of sustainable development over the last few decades, becoming itself a source of volatility and destabilization.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - UNCSD Rio+20 now offers an opportunity to re-examine the relationship between health and sustainable development. The proposed SDE Seminar series towards Rio+20 aim at contributing to this important debate by bringing different themes of relevance to sustainable development and health to inform all areas of the Pan American Organization about the themes under discussion in the Rio Conference, but also to inform public health stakeholders and other decision makers in the health sector, to better take part in the debate.

In the “Zero draft document of the Conference” [ http://bit.ly/zDNKbR ] under discussion, health is very poorly mentioned. With these debates we hope to provide an overview of some of the various and different aspects of health in the context of sustainable development.

The SDE Seminar series will happen every Wednesday   from 12 to 1pm (Washington time), from February 8 to June 13th.

All Seminars will be life-streamed, and opened for participation in person at the PAHO/WHO HQ, or via Elluminate, or via telephone line.
Some of the Seminars will be in English, others in Spanish.

For those who cannot follow the seminar alive, they will be available later at
PAHO Rio+20 Toolkit at: http://bit.ly/oxoRdS

The information on dates, themes and names of the speakers will be periodically updated on our Rio+20 Toolkit and on all other media of our networks.

The first Seminar is planned as follows:

February 8, 2012

Public Health Challenges and Sustainable Development

– A Global Perspective - Dr Maria Purificacion Neira, Director Protection Human Environment

– A Regional Perspective, Dr Luis Augusto Galvao, Manager Sustainable Development and Environmental Health PAHO/WHO

– Brasil in the Route to Rio+20 - Dr. Paulo Buss – Director Global health Center FIOCRUZ Brazil - TBC

-- PAHO/WHO  Rio+20 toolkit. Ana Lucia Ruggiero – Sandra Raiher -   Knowledge Translation Specialists PAHO/WHO

Comments: Dr. Carlos Santos Burgoa, Regional Advisor Sustainable Development and Environmental Health PAHO/WHO

Moderator: Dr. Agnes Soares, Regional Advisor Sustainable Development and Environmental Health PAHO/WHO

In person:
PAHO/WHO
525 23^rd ST NW
Washington DC, 20037 Room B – 12h to 13h Eastern Time (WDC)