Health and Environment Linkages Initiative

The overall goal of the Health and Environment Linkages Initiative is to facilitate and enhance effective actions to reduce adverse environmental impacts on human health. The goals of the initiative can be defined as:

1) defining the specific requirements of decision-makers in environment and health particularly in developing countries;

2) making the necessary scientific information accessible to decision-makers;

3) adapting existing methodologies that support decision-making, so they are applicable in a range of settings;

4) training decision-makers and their support staff to use decision-support tools

5) carrying out pilot studies to gain hands-on detailed information, and to test and refine the tools developed; and,

6) support all phases of the initiative by communicating HELI's aims, activities and outputs, as well as relevant knowledge and experience gained, via appropriate media and media aids including the production and dissemination of a tool kit in both printed and electronic formats.

The tool kit would provide practitioners with comprehensive and accessible guidelines on how to reach evidence-based decision on issues with a potential health and environment linkage, and how to evaluate relevant outcomes.