UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- U.N. agencies are banding together to combat environmentally related diseases in Africa, the non-government organization said Tuesday in New York.
The World Health Organization and the U.N. Environment Program jointly organized the inaugural Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa, hosted by the government of Gabon, under the slogan "Health Security through Healthy Environments," the United Nations said in a news release. The conference began Tuesday.
"African countries share common ecosystems and the impact of the environment on the health transcends national borders. Accelerated efforts are required to deal with the outbreak of diseases caused by changes in the environment," said Luis Sambo, regional director of the World Health Organization for Africa.
The conference is the beginning of a collaborative effort between the U.N. agencies and governmental health and environment ministries "to implement integrated activities that promote health and sustainable development," Sambo said.
While knowledge about how the environment can relate to human health has grown, "there is a lag in concerted policy and action to address this relationship," said Angela Cropper , deputy director of the U.N. Environmental Program said.
