Seminar

World Health Organization
Regional Office for Europe

Weltgesundheitsorganisation
Regionalbüro füR Europa

Organisation Mondiale de la SantÉ
Bureau RÉgional de l'Europe

ВсемирнаЯ организациЯ здравоохранениЯ
Европейское региональное бюро




Project Meeting on Strengthening Policy for Healthy and Sustainable Diets: learning from innovation in practice

Seminar on Health in Trade and Investment Agreements

Zoom connections
Topic: 14 June – Health in Trade and Investment Agreements
Time: Jun 14, 2024 09:00 AM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna
https://who.zoom.us/j/91998856079
Meeting ID: 919 9885 6079
Passcode: HIA_2024




Hybrid meeting
14 June 2024
09:00 - 15:00 pm CEST
10 May 2024
Original: English
Provisional programme
08:45–09:00
Participants registration / log-on
PART ONE: Strengthening Policy for Healthy and Sustainable Diets: learning from innovation in practice
09:00 –09:15
Welcome, opening remarks and introductions

Kremlin Wickramasinghe
Regional Advisor (Nutrition), Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office for Europe

Anne Marie Thow
Professor of Public Policy and Health, University of Sydney

• Overall structure and purpose of meeting
• Participant introductions
09:15–09:30


09:30-10:40
Overview of the first round of research case studies planned (University of Sydney)
Anne Marie Thow, Professor of Public Policy and Health, University of Sydney

Update on the current status of key policy areas in the Region
TBC


• Public procurement
• Digital marketing
• Food systems governance
10.45-11.00
Coffee break and networking
11:00–12:20

Discussion
Moderator: Holly Rippin, Consultant, Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office for Europe


• Policy areas and any others arising to support healthy and sustainable food systems
• Priority countries and additional research case study areas
• Next steps and plan Melbourne meeting

12:20–12:30
12:30-13:00


Final remarks
Lunch and networking
PART TWO: Health in Trade and Investment Agreements

13:00-13:10






13:10-14:00










14:00-14:15

14:15-15:00


Introduction and opening remarks
Kremlin Wickramasinghe
Regional Advisor (Nutrition), Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office for Europe

Gauden Galea
Strategic Adviser to the Regional Director, Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office for Europe


Introduction to trade and investment agreements and health and presenting findings from the Health-IIA research project
Anne Marie Thow
Professor of Public Policy and Health, University of Sydney
• Introduction to Trade and Investment Agreements, how they may impact public health policy making and health determinants.
• Health safeguards in International Investment Agreements.
• Sustainable Food System inclusions in TIA: the EU-New Zealand FTA, EU-Chile FTA, and the Singapore-Australia Green Economy Agreement.
• Policy learning from recent ISDS cases on protecting policy space for environmental and health regulations.

Healthy break and end of seminar

Discussion and feedback: internal
Moderator: Holly Rippin, Consultant, Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office for Europe

• Health-IIA research project findings.
• Opportunities for Sustainable Food Systems in TIAs.
• Opportunities for adopting health (and environmental) safeguards in TIAs – dissemination, next steps and raising awareness.
15:00
Final remarks and close

Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Regional Advisor (Nutrition), Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Anne Marie Thow
Professor of Public Policy and Health, University of Sydney

Trade and Investment Agreements and Health

Sustainable Food System inclusions in International Investment Agreements Study
Concept note and Agenda
Date: June 14, 2024 13:00-15:00

Venue: UN City, Copenhagen

Background

Trade and Investment Agreements (TIAs) are an important component of economic policy. However, policy coherence between trade, environment and health has proved challenging; for example, industry actors have used such agreements to dispute environmental and health policy measures in critical areas, including environmental laws and tobacco control. Recognising these risks, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended that environmental and health safeguards be built into TIAs. However, their adoption has been limited and inconsistent, reflecting limited engagement by the environment and health sectors and a lack of knowledge regarding best practice safeguards. 

The ‘International Investment Agreements and Health’ (Health-IIA) project aims to support the adoption of TIAs that have greater potential to protect public health. and support a transition to sustainable food systems. The European Union (EU) has been a leader globally in the adoption of environmental and health safeguards, and there is an opportunity for environment, health and trade policy communities to learn from experience to date to address challenges including non-communicable diseases, planetary health and sustainable development.

The proposed seminar will provide a forum to disseminate the outputs of the Health-IIA project to date and discuss findings from two case studies highly relevant to the EU. The event will also provide an opportunity to showcase EU innovation to support policy coherence, share learnings from successes and develop a dialogue on emerging issues and challenges, and ways forward.

Objectives:
• Sharing the findings and raising awareness about the issues investigated by the Health-IIA project, validate findings and receive feedback.
• Encouraging a dialogue among sectors and disciplines to identify lessons and opportunities to adopt TIAs that can support environmental and health imperatives besides promoting sustainable economic development.

Strengthening policy for healthy and sustainable diets: learning from innovation in practice
Concept note and Agenda
Date: June 14, 2024 09:00-12:00

Venue: UN City, Copenhagen

Background

Unhealthy food systems – spanning food production through to trade, marketing and retail – are a major driver of unhealthy diets, and consequently a major contributor to NCDs as well as negative climate impacts. The transformation of food systems so that they promote good nutrition and health (and also safeguard against biodiversity losses and climate change) is a critical contemporary challenge. In Australia, state and federal Governments have committed to adopting effective evidence-based measures to transform food systems to support healthy diets. These policies could play a pivotal role in improving the healthiness of food systems, but translating and operationalising best-practice cross-sectoral policy has proved challenging for governments. Although we have clear evidence on ‘what works’, the World Health Organization, in support of governments in Australia and the European Region, has identified an urgent need for evidence regarding the ‘how’ of effective design, coordination and implementation of food system policy, and supports policy makers to design and implement effective policies to promote health, environmental and economic dimensions of food systems to enable a ‘win-win-win’ (health-environment-economic) outcomes in a rapidly changing food system context.

This project brings together government partners in Australia and the WHO European Region with leading Australian nutrition policy researchers to directly address this gap and support implementation of the full policy package envisaged by WHO and in Australia’s new preventive health and obesity policy framework. Australia and countries in the WHO European Region have been global leaders in implementing evidence-informed food systems policies, but report numerous challenges in achieving policy success.

This project aims to examine the ‘how’ of nutrition and food systems policy making, and to identify strategies to address the real challenges of designing, coordinating and implementing effective policies. The research will lead to recommendations to support best-practice nutrition actions in national and sub-national food system policies across relevant sectors of government. The study aims are to:
1. Use co-designed research methods to (a) understand approaches to successful food systems and nutrition policy innovation and implementation in Australia and countries in the WHO European Region, and (b) identify factors that have facilitated the adoption of strong national and subnational food systems and nutrition policy measures.
2. Develop strategies and resources that would support public health policy makers with the adoption, coordination and implementation of policies to improve food systems and nutrition.

The proposed seminar will provide an overview of the first round of research case studies planned and give an update on the current status of key policy areas in the region such as procurement, digital marketing, food systems governance mechanisms and other policy innovations to support healthy and sustainable food systems. It will also identify priority countries and any additional key policy areas.

Objectives:
• Sharing the proposed research case studies planned for the project and receiving feedback.
• Discussing the status of key policy areas (procurement, digital marketing, food systems governance) to support healthy and sustainable diets.
• Identify priority countries and policy areas.
• Plan next steps for the partnership project (including an in-person meeting in Melbourne in November 2024).

Trade and Investment Agreements and Health

Sustainable Food System inclusions in International Investment Agreements Study
Concept note and Agenda
Date: June 14, 2024 13:00-15:00

Venue: UN City, Copenhagen

Background

Trade and Investment Agreements (TIAs) are an important component of economic policy. However, policy coherence between trade, environment and health has proved challenging; for example, industry actors have used such agreements to dispute environmental and health policy measures in critical areas, including environmental laws and tobacco control. Recognising these risks, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended that environmental and health safeguards be built into TIAs. However, their adoption has been limited and inconsistent, reflecting limited engagement by the environment and health sectors and a lack of knowledge regarding best practice safeguards. 

The ‘International Investment Agreements and Health’ (Health-IIA) project aims to support the adoption of TIAs that have greater potential to protect public health. and support a transition to sustainable food systems. The European Union (EU) has been a leader globally in the adoption of environmental and health safeguards, and there is an opportunity for environment, health and trade policy communities to learn from experience to date to address challenges including non-communicable diseases, planetary health and sustainable development.

The proposed seminar will provide a forum to disseminate the outputs of the Health-IIA project to date and discuss findings from two case studies highly relevant to the EU. The event will also provide an opportunity to showcase EU innovation to support policy coherence, share learnings from successes and develop a dialogue on emerging issues and challenges, and ways forward.

Objectives:
• Sharing the findings and raising awareness about the issues investigated by the Health-IIA project, validate findings and receive feedback.
• Encouraging a dialogue among sectors and disciplines to identify lessons and opportunities to adopt TIAs that can support environmental and health imperatives besides promoting sustainable economic development.

Strengthening policy for healthy and sustainable diets: learning from innovation in practice
Concept note and Agenda
Date: June 14, 2024 09:00-12:00

Venue: UN City, Copenhagen

Background

Unhealthy food systems – spanning food production through to trade, marketing and retail – are a major driver of unhealthy diets, and consequently a major contributor to NCDs as well as negative climate impacts. The transformation of food systems so that they promote good nutrition and health (and also safeguard against biodiversity losses and climate change) is a critical contemporary challenge. In Australia, state and federal Governments have committed to adopting effective evidence-based measures to transform food systems to support healthy diets. These policies could play a pivotal role in improving the healthiness of food systems, but translating and operationalising best-practice cross-sectoral policy has proved challenging for governments. Although we have clear evidence on ‘what works’, the World Health Organization, in support of governments in Australia and the European Region, has identified an urgent need for evidence regarding the ‘how’ of effective design, coordination and implementation of food system policy, and supports policy makers to design and implement effective policies to promote health, environmental and economic dimensions of food systems to enable a ‘win-win-win’ (health-environment-economic) outcomes in a rapidly changing food system context.

This project brings together government partners in Australia and the WHO European Region with leading Australian nutrition policy researchers to directly address this gap and support implementation of the full policy package envisaged by WHO and in Australia’s new preventive health and obesity policy framework. Australia and countries in the WHO European Region have been global leaders in implementing evidence-informed food systems policies, but report numerous challenges in achieving policy success.

This project aims to examine the ‘how’ of nutrition and food systems policy making, and to identify strategies to address the real challenges of designing, coordinating and implementing effective policies. The research will lead to recommendations to support best-practice nutrition actions in national and sub-national food system policies across relevant sectors of government. The study aims are to:
1. Use co-designed research methods to (a) understand approaches to successful food systems and nutrition policy innovation and implementation in Australia and countries in the WHO European Region, and (b) identify factors that have facilitated the adoption of strong national and subnational food systems and nutrition policy measures.
2. Develop strategies and resources that would support public health policy makers with the adoption, coordination and implementation of policies to improve food systems and nutrition.

The proposed seminar will provide an overview of the first round of research case studies planned and give an update on the current status of key policy areas in the region such as procurement, digital marketing, food systems governance mechanisms and other policy innovations to support healthy and sustainable food systems. It will also identify priority countries and any additional key policy areas.

Objectives:
• Sharing the proposed research case studies planned for the project and receiving feedback.
• Discussing the status of key policy areas (procurement, digital marketing, food systems governance) to support healthy and sustainable diets.
• Identify priority countries and policy areas.
• Plan next steps for the partnership project (including an in-person meeting in Melbourne in November 2024).