HIA

 

The context

New sectoral development initiatives, whether at the policy, programme or project level, may lead to considerable changes in the biophysical, social or socio-economic environment with resulting positive and adverse health effects. Today, tools are available which allow proper assessment and risk management of the positive and negative health implications of development. Health is not the responsibility of the health sector alone but rather a shared responsibility and inter-sectoral action is needed to safeguard human health. Most governments recognize the value of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in this context. However, many countries lack the capacity and capability to manage an inter-sectoral HIA process effectively.

In collaboration with the World Health Organization DBL has addressed this need for HIA capacity building.

 

2007 HIA activities under the DBL and InWEnt supported Comprehensive Capacity Building for Health Impact Assessment in the Mekong Region :

HIA e-learning - course development workshop 
Date: December 2007 (tentative)
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark (tentative)

 

Training-of-trainers on Intersectoral Health Impact Assessment
Date: December 2007 (tentative)
Venue: Hanoi, Vietnam (tentative) 

 

HIA Policy Seminar
Date: 12-15 November 2007 
Venue: Hanoi, Vietnam

 

Training of Master Trainers on Intersectoral Health Impact Assessment
Date: 17-23 September 2007
Venue: Hanoi, Vietnam 

 

(download flyer about the programme in pdf format here>>)

 

Past DBL HIA activities

Since DBL's designation as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Disease Vector Control in Sustainable Development in 1991 and further in DBL's role as WHO Collaborating Centre for Health and Environment in Sustainable Development, DBL has contributed to the development of the concept of HIA, HIA capacity building and the resulting development of institutional framework for effective interagency and inter-sectoral collaboration in the context of HIA and water resources development.

 

Important partners in the efforts to build inter-sectoral HIA capacity have been the Secretariat of the Joint WHO/FAO/UNEP Panel of Experts of Environmental Management for Vector Control (PEEM) anchored in the World Health Organization, Geneva, the former Health Impact Programme at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of London.

A key capacity building activity has been the development of a three-week training course on "Health Opportunities in Water Resources Development". The aim of this course, which takes a problem-based learning approach, is to enable mid-level officials from different ministries to collaborate effectively in the implementation and appraisal of the HIA part of the feasibility study of a water resources development project. In line with Danida's priority settings and the identified needs of authorities and institutions in partner countries, five trial courses have been implemented in sequence in Africa (Zimbabwe, Ghana and Tanzania), Latin America (Honduras) and Asia (India).

Through a process of refining objectives, course materials and guides during the development phases of the course (1992-2003), in which more than 100 professionals were trained, a tangible training manual has been produced, allowing a proper institutionalization of the training course in countries in need. The training "package" was officially launched at a Danida HIA-seminar in Copenhagen in April 2003.

In compliance with the Terms of Reference for the DBL-function as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Health and Environment in Sustainable Development DBL has since 2003 supported a process of extensive Health Impact Assessment (HIA) capacity building in Lao People's Democratic Republic. Responding to a request by the Lao Government for assistance from WHO in connection with rapidly increasing implementation of new water resources development projects (hydro power projects) in the country done without proper assessment of their potential health implications, DBL has entered into a close collaboration with WHO and the Lao Government to address this problem.

 

Through a systematic, step-wise process local capacity has been built for a number of essential Ministry of Health functions related to HIA followed by intersectoral HIA training with focus on competence development in intersectoral negotiation and critical appraisal of HIA work. A policy framework for HIA has been established subsequent to an HIA Policy Seminar held for high-level policy and decision-makers and the end result has been the formulation of a National HIA Policy now endorsed by the Government and signed by the Prime Minister.

 

This model for comprehensive HIA capacity building is now being replicated in neighboring countries realizing that the riparian countries of the Mekong River Basin have a joint responsibility for proper, safe management of its water resources as well as other valuable natural resources. A programme of needs assessment, skills development, institutional arrangements, policy adjustments and regional networking in Cambodia, and Vietnam was initiated in 2005 and will continue in 2007 and beyond.  

 

Public Health Impact and Future Perspectives

With the growing recognition that the burden of disease resulting from the adverse effects of development may be prevented or mitigated by proper assessment and risk  management there is definitely an expanding market for future HIA capacity building.

In relation to Danish development assistance a challenge for the future will be to integrate HIA training in Danida sector programme support with an emphasis on the need for different sectors to take a collective responsibility for human health. Securing health as a component of future Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) will be another important challenge.

 

It is envisaged that the experiences from the Mekong Region may be translated into new initiatives in countries of other WHO regions in the world. In Africa (WHO/AFRO) expression of interest for HIA capacity building has already been received from 12 countries.

 

Key publications

Quigley, R., L. den Broeder, P. Furu, A. Bond, B. Cave and R. Bos. 2006 Health Impact Assessment International Best Practice Principles. Special Publication Series No. 5. Fargo, USA: International Association for Impact Assessment.

 

Bos, R., Birley, M.H., Furu, P., Engel, C.E. 2003. Health Opportunities in Development - A Course Manual on Developing Intersectoral Decision-making Skills in Support of Health Impact Assessment. World Health Organization, Geneva. (2 volumes + CD-ROM)

 

Engel, C., Birley, M., Bos, R., Furu, P., Gøtsche, G. 2000. Intersectoral Decision-making Skills in support of Health Impact Assessment of Development Projects. Final Report on the Development of a Course addressing Health Opportunities in Water Resources Development 1988-1998.WHO/SDE/WSH/00.9.

 

Furu, P., Birley, M.H., Engel, C.E., Bos, R. 1999. Health Opportunities in Water Resources Development: A Course Promoting Intersectoral Collaboration. In B. Kay (ed.): Water Resources: Health, Environment and Development. pp. 86 - 107. E & FN Spon, London and New York

 

Birley, M.H., Bos, R., Engel, C.E., Furu, P. 1996. Health opportunities in water resources development: a multisectoral task based training course. Education for Health, 9, 71-83.

 

Birley, M.H., Bos, R., Engel, C.E., Furu, P. 1995. Assessing health opportunities: a course on multisectoral planning. World Health Forum, 16, 420-422.

 

Key partners

World Health Organization: Water, Sanitation and Health Unit, Switzerland

World Health Organization: Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, Switzerland

InWEnt - Internationale Weiterbildund und Entwicklung (Capacity Building International), Germany

Mahasarakham University, Thailand

Aalborg University, Denmark

University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark

 

Key DBL Staff

Peter Furu: