Keyword inter-institutional cooperation; integrated planning; sustainable development

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) can be defined as a combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, programme or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population. Four values are particularly important for HIA: democracy, sustainable development, equity and the ethical use of evidence. HIA can be a useful tool for promoting integrated planning, reducing inequalities and achieving sustainable development objectives.  It can contribute to the evidence based on health determinants, and help raise awareness regarding these determinants among different sectors at the local and national level.

In EU Countries, there is an increasing emphasis on HIA and related processes, with a number of countries beginning to recommend and require such assessments at the local level. WHO Healthy Cities is currently developing and piloting an HIA toolkit for European cities. The project is entitled Promoting and Supporting Integrated Approaches for Health and Sustainable Development at the Local Level Across Europe - "PHASE". The focus on HIA in this project reflects a growing interest and demand by healthy cities and national networks for a transferable HIA tool at the European level.