The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (ECH) within the overall work of WHO strives to promote a healthier environment, intensify primary prevention and influence public policies in all sectors. The Department also works to strengthen health sector leadership, governance and coordination, build mechanisms for political and social support and monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals to address the root causes of environmental threats to health. ECH develops and promotes preventive policies and interventions based on an understanding and an in-depth scientific analysis of the evidence base for environmental determinants of human health.

By focusing on reducing environmental and social risk factors, nearly a quarter of the global burden of disease can be prevented. Examples include promoting safe household water storage, better hygiene measures and safer management of toxic substances in the home and workplace. Through cooperation with sectors such as energy, transport and agriculture, root environmental and social causes of ill-health can be addressed that lie beyond the direct control of the health sector.

The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (ECH) within the overall work of WHO has 6 key objectives. These include:

• Primary prevention: to scale up action on health determinants for health protection and improvement in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Cross-sectoral action: to act on determinants of health in all policies and in all sectors
• Strengthened health sector: to strengthen health sector leadership, governance and coordination roles
• Building support: to build mechanisms for governance, and political and social support
• Enhanced evidence and communication: to generate the evidence base on risks and solutions, and to efficiently communicate that information to guide choices and investments
• Monitoring: to guide actions by monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals