The Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health brought together health ministers and environment ministers, intergovernmental organizations and civil society organizations.

The theme of the Conference was “The future for our children” and it placed in the spotlight the measures that Member States can take to address the impact that a contaminated environment has on children’s health.

The Conference was preceded by four intergovernmental meetings, to which all Member States were invited, which negotiated the proposed Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe and the Conference Declaration, as well as discussed the other priority issues on the agenda.

Civil-society organizations also contributed to the Conference and held their own parallel events.

This Conference was the fourth in a series of Ministerial Conferences that have taken place (in Frankfurt 1989, Helsinki 1994; London 1999). The European Environment and Health Committee provided the steering group for the Conference. The Fifth Ministerial Conference will be hosted by Italy in 2009.