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It is with great pleasure that I am launching today the information and awareness-raising campaign entitled "Child Protection Shield" of the National Committee "Environment and Child Health"
The relationship between the environment and health is close and complex. It is becoming more complex with the climate crisis, which is already developing into a health crisis of unprecedented proportions. The environment in the WHO European Region is responsible for 80% of the impact of morbidity and 20% of deaths (2023), is linked to 40-60% of cancer cases, while polluted air is responsible for 26% of premature deaths of children aged 0-5 years. The Director-General of the World Health Organization ( Germany, World Health Summit 2022) recently stressed the importance of preventing disease and shifting the focus from treating disease to preventing it, recognizing that "health does not start in hospitals but is primarily shaped in homes, schools, workplaces and streets." The important point is that environmental risks are largely predictable and especially preventable. But a holistic / interdisciplinary approach is needed and, in particular, strategies and policies that shift the focus from one-sided disease care to multi-faceted health promotion. Policies that respond in a timely manner to serious emerging risks and protect in particular children, who are the future of any healthy society and the heart of Sustainable Development. Essential tools in the timely management of serious risks when conclusive evidence is lacking, such as radiation from wireless technology, are the COM 2000 Precautionary Principle and the ALARA principle.
Since 2004, children (0-19) have been a strategic target of EU and World Health Organization health and environment policies because their exposure to toxic agents is many times higher than that of adults and also, as developing organisms, they are much more vulnerable. Exposure to toxic agents in the early stages of life can affect a child's physical, mental and spiritual development with lasting effects in adulthood. The organisations consider that there is sufficient evidence to not only allow but also require immediate action and mobilisation to reduce children's exposure to potential toxic agents, chemicals, radiation, etc.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Cyprus in 2004 took the lead in responding to the call of the Budapest Interministerial Conference "Future of Our Children" and by decision of the Council of Ministers established the National Committee "Environment and Children's Health" with the aim of early response to emerging environmental risks and the protection of the foetus and the child. I have had the pleasure of being involved and contributing from the early stages of the Commission. Today, 19 years later, the Commission has a remarkable body of work to show for its work and deserves international recognition. Its enlightenment materials are being dubbed in Europe and the USA. The World Health Organization, in 2007, speaking of the Commission, described Cyprus as "the small island with a big footprint". The pioneering role of the Ministry of Health at European level as a supporter of the Commission's activities and independence is positively assessed. I would like to congratulate the President and the members of the National Committee for the important and commendable scientific work they produce and their essential contribution to the Health of our Children, as well as the Medical World (PIS & PEC), the Press and Information Office and all the institutions involved.
Prevention is also the foundation of the Commission's new campaign which focuses on three important objectives : a) Preventing tobacco smoke/adhesion of cigarettes and new tobacco products which are wrongly considered safe b) Safe use of digital technology, and avoiding addiction. The search for the golden mean between rational use and the preservation of the child's mental, intellectual and physical development is an important objective because our children must successfully enter the new digital age by making use of its multiple benefits. The 3rd important objective is to reduce the impact on children's health from the deterioration of air quality due to the climate crisis.
For the Government, effective protection and prevention of the impact of the environment on children's health is a priority. The Ministry of Health and I personally, recognising the role and importance of the Commission, will continue to provide practical support for its actions. At the same time, we will draw on the expertise of the members of the Commission in targeting and formulating relevant policies and actions based on the twin duo of "scientific evidence and the Precautionary Principle" , thus contributing to the prevention and protection of children's health. We want to go one step further by institutionalising it, strengthening its advisory role and securing its future and independence, while paving the way for securing grants from European funds for targeted research and interventions.
Friends and colleagues,
The prevention and safeguarding of our children is the responsibility of all of us. It requires the collective effort of the state and a well-informed society to apply the precautionary principle where and when needed at the scientific, professional, family and individual level, while pushing and contributing to the timely promotion of broader institutional measures.
In conclusion, I would like to stress that the key to success is timely and accurate information, awareness and action by all of us. That is why your contribution and that of all the media is important. Thank you very much and I invite you to share our vision by contributing to the realisation of our goals to safeguard children and generations to come.
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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