Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) are responsible for European women’s input for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Here, Marie Kranendonk, Helen Lynn and Elizabeth Danielyan (WECF president, health working group co-ordinator for Western Europe, and health working group co-ordinator for Central and Eastern Europe respectively) describe their perspectives on health.
How can the crucial importance of health be strengthened in the debate in Johannesburg?
Helen Lynn: Health is an integral and overarching part of Agenda 21 (Plan of Action adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio). Some progress has been made but we need to encourage indicators and targets that are about maintaining health as well as counting people with disease or requiring care. A precautionary and preventive approach to health needs to have equal footing with health care and treatment.
Women are particularly affected by environmental degradation. As a result, their health and that of their families and communities suffer. Those most affected are the ones who should be most involved in this process. The WSSD needs to seriously consider the future participation of hard to reach and vulnerable groups. Funding for existing groups, women’s groups and NGOs working on women’s participation must be a priority if sustainable development and its relation to health is to be fully addressed at the WSSD.
Why do you believe women have a leadership role at the Summit?
Marie Kranendonk: In general, women put a high priority on health and social issues. The health and well-being of their families, especially the children, are directly affected by economic interests in government policy. Women are concerned about ongoing environmental pollution and degradation, about the problems with food quality and agricultural production, about violation of citizens’ environmental and health rights - the right to protection from the risks of toxic substances, noise and radiation. Therefore women have to take a strong leadership role at the Earth Summit - to bring about a change in policy priorities and to give global interaction a human face.
What are the key health issues for European women?
Marie Kranendonk: A key issue is the protection of vulnerable groups, including the unborn child, young women and men, and women. Vulnerable groups are more sensitive to polluting substances. Noise and radiation are harmful to young people at levels of contamination that would not harm healthy adults. Pollution affects women and men differently. Therefore standards of protection, legislation and monitoring must be based on ensuring protection of these vulnerable groups, and must take gender differences into account.
Helen Lynn: One of the key issues is exposure to continuous low levels of potentially hazardous chemicals both in our home, workplace and in the wider environment. Lack of implementation of a precautionary approach to these substances has raised concern among the general public, scientists, NGOs and some governments. Little is known about the effects of many of these chemicals and almost nothing on the cumulative and combined effects they have on our health and the health of future generations. The WSSD is an ideal opportunity to call for the implementation and ratification of various treaties which refer to production, use and phase out of persistent chemicals.
Elizabeth Danielyan: Reproductive health is one of the main health issues for European women. Around 17% of potentially healthy years of life of European women are lost due to STDs, including HIV/AIDS. The European Region is facing a grave danger of HIV infection spreading quickly in the countries of the former USSR and Central and Eastern Europe.
Poverty is a major cause of ill health and lack of social cohesion. More than 165 million people in Europe are estimated to live below the poverty line. Data on poverty does not exist for all 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. But for the eight countries where data do exist, 50% of the population lives below the poverty line.
How have you identified these issues?
Marie Kranendonk: Over the past ten years we have participated in scientific conferences and studied research results on the health effects of pollutants on both women, the foetus and the developing child. Recently, the effects of hormone disrupting and other chemicals and (low level) radiation have become clearer. Widespread contamination resulting from persistent chemicals building up in the food chain and transported over huge distances through the air has also emerged. We have started to realise that these issues are of the greatest importance for all of us, and that we have to act now to protect the health of present and future generations.
Do European priorities clash with those of NGOs in the South?
Marie Kranendonk: Everywhere, the poor are affected most by the lack of a healthy environment. They cannot move to cleaner areas, they cannot afford to buy good, safe food and bottled water, and they have to do the dirtiest jobs. In addition, they lack the power and education to defend their right to a healthy environment in which to live and work. Women form the majority of the poor so women from all world regions have to join forces to change the current situation.
Helen Lynn: Many women in the South work at a grass roots level with little resources and funding. Priorities may differ but the aim is the same. Women want a healthy environment to live and work in, access to clean water, uncontaminated food, pollution free air and an opportunity for meaningful participation in all processes for change.
How do your priorities differ from the priorities of the EU delegation?
Helen Lynn: The EU recognises that it has failed to involve women in the Agenda 21 although it recommits itself to assessing progress so far and strengthening the implementing of the Rio declaration in its preparations for the WSSD.
However gender specific actions and language on environmental health remain noticeably absent from the PrepCom documents. We need to loudly remind our respective governments and the EU as a whole of the continuing need to work actively at involving women and enabling their participation in this process for change. Women and children are often among the first to feel the impacts of a degraded environment and as such their health is a good, if sad, indicator of the state of the environment.
What one thing would you most like to achieve as a result of the process associated with the World Summit on Sustainable Development?
Helen Lynn: Greater empowerment of women to participate in the process knowing they can influence the outcomes.
Elizabeth Danielyan: An agreement that women’s health should be included as a priority in the national health policies and programmes of NIS countries and countries of central and eastern Europe.
Marie Kranendonk: To become a real force for change, we need the very effective co-operation of women from all over Europe, working in close association with women in other regions of the world. We would like to see change at the global level through successful action by women at the local level.
Women in Europe for a Common Future is an international network of women for health, environment and sustainable development. WECF is an EPHA member and part of the "Global Deal" urging the European Union to form a tripartite programme to ensure implementation of sustainable development priorities.
Info:
Marie Kranendonk, President
Women in Europe for a Common Future
Regulierenring 9
NL - 3981 Bunnik, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 30 2310300 Fax: +31 30 2340878
E-mail: wecf@wecf.org
Website: http://www.wecf.org
