26 June 2024
NTS Bulletin June 2024
Planetary Health and the ASEAN Vision 2025
By Margareth Sembiring
Planetary health is a concept that emphasises the interconnectedness of human health and the health of our planet. For ASEAN, the positioning of human health at the heart of sustainability agenda directly supports the people-oriented, inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and dynamic pillars of the 2025 ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint, and the approach has been adopted and implemented more explicitly by the ASEAN Health Sector. Although the environment-health nexus has been acknowledged by the said sector, more can be done to streamline planetary health approach in the regional body’s overall efforts to realise the ASEAN Vision 2025 of “an integrated, peaceful and stable community with shared prosperity.
Planetary Health in ASEAN
At present, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint treats health and environment agendas separately. Environmental issues fall under the sustainable component, while promoting a healthy and resilient community is part of the inclusive component. Considering that the planetary health concept originated from within the public health domain, it is not surprising that it was the ASEAN Health Sector has led efforts to bring the two elements together, envisioning a healthy, caring and sustainable community in the ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (2015-2025). The proactive measure is evidenced in the Agenda’s acknowledgment of the need “to prepare and respond to environmental health threats and other hazards, including the health impacts of climate change in the region” and the need to “strengthen the capacity of health and relevant sectors on health impact assessment and climate change adaptation in health.” To achieve this objective, the ASEAN Health Sector develops the ASEAN Training Needs Assessment on Environmental Health for the ASEAN Member States, conducts ASEAN Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Climate Resilience and Social Inclusion Situation Analysis and Policy Review, and strengthens existing Environ-mental Health Network and Health Impact Assessment.
Mainstreaming Planetary Health Further
While these efforts are commendable, focusing solely on preparedness and response is insufficient to preventing the emergence of environmental health threats. After all, biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change often stem from various factors including economic activities, and production and consumption patterns. Addressing the root causes of environmental degradation is as crucial as enhancing the health sector’s capacity to prepare and respond to potential health threats. This is especially relevant in Southeast Asia given the region’s economic development trajectory and the accompanying increase in material footprint and pollution. Additionally, incorporating a human health perspective into the ASEAN environment sector, which similarly focuses on responses to various environmental challenges, will strengthen the case for more robust sustainability measures.
Achieving ASEAN Vision with Planetary Health
In this regard, integrating the planetary health concept across other sectors is essential. This can be done by mainstreaming human health considerations into the agendas of the three pillars of ASEAN (the ASEAN Political Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community). To this end, raising awareness of planetary health among relevant stakeholders, and conducting extensive research to examine these linkages, will be necessary for formulating evidence-based policy actions and implementations. This will significantly facilitate achieving ASEAN’s vision of a peaceful, stable and resilient Community.
Planetary Health and the ASEAN Vision 2025
By Margareth Sembiring
Planetary health is a concept that emphasises the interconnectedness of human health and the health of our planet. For ASEAN, the positioning of human health at the heart of sustainability agenda directly supports the people-oriented, inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and dynamic pillars of the 2025 ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint, and the approach has been adopted and implemented more explicitly by the ASEAN Health Sector. Although the environment-health nexus has been acknowledged by the said sector, more can be done to streamline planetary health approach in the regional body’s overall efforts to realise the ASEAN Vision 2025 of “an integrated, peaceful and stable community with shared prosperity.
Planetary Health in ASEAN
At present, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint treats health and environment agendas separately. Environmental issues fall under the sustainable component, while promoting a healthy and resilient community is part of the inclusive component. Considering that the planetary health concept originated from within the public health domain, it is not surprising that it was the ASEAN Health Sector has led efforts to bring the two elements together, envisioning a healthy, caring and sustainable community in the ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (2015-2025). The proactive measure is evidenced in the Agenda’s acknowledgment of the need “to prepare and respond to environmental health threats and other hazards, including the health impacts of climate change in the region” and the need to “strengthen the capacity of health and relevant sectors on health impact assessment and climate change adaptation in health.” To achieve this objective, the ASEAN Health Sector develops the ASEAN Training Needs Assessment on Environmental Health for the ASEAN Member States, conducts ASEAN Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Climate Resilience and Social Inclusion Situation Analysis and Policy Review, and strengthens existing Environ-mental Health Network and Health Impact Assessment.
Mainstreaming Planetary Health Further
While these efforts are commendable, focusing solely on preparedness and response is insufficient to preventing the emergence of environmental health threats. After all, biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change often stem from various factors including economic activities, and production and consumption patterns. Addressing the root causes of environmental degradation is as crucial as enhancing the health sector’s capacity to prepare and respond to potential health threats. This is especially relevant in Southeast Asia given the region’s economic development trajectory and the accompanying increase in material footprint and pollution. Additionally, incorporating a human health perspective into the ASEAN environment sector, which similarly focuses on responses to various environmental challenges, will strengthen the case for more robust sustainability measures.
Achieving ASEAN Vision with Planetary Health
In this regard, integrating the planetary health concept across other sectors is essential. This can be done by mainstreaming human health considerations into the agendas of the three pillars of ASEAN (the ASEAN Political Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community). To this end, raising awareness of planetary health among relevant stakeholders, and conducting extensive research to examine these linkages, will be necessary for formulating evidence-based policy actions and implementations. This will significantly facilitate achieving ASEAN’s vision of a peaceful, stable and resilient Community.
