Methodology Selected schools Partnership Links References Contacts SEARCH I

What is SEARCH?

The SEARCH initiative is a research project implemented within the international frameworks of the EU Action Plan on Environment and Health; and the World Health Organization's Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe. The project is generously supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS).

The first phase of the SEARCH project (2006–2009) led to the creation of a comprehensive environment and health database through assessments in selected countries. Based on the SEARCH I conclusions and recommendations, the initiative was reaffirmed at the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, held in Parma, Italy, in 2010. Stakeholders and experts requested a follow-up project to continue the valuable research activities.

In keeping with the recommendations contained in the Parma Declaration, SEARCH II was developed in order to expand the monitoring of children’s health and air quality. This follow-up project includes the design of environment and health capacity-building programmes for school staff and training for local implementation strategies. Four new countries, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Ukraine, have joined the SEARCH I participants Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Italy, Serbia and Slovakia.

The project contributes to the European legal and policy framework for sustainability in schools, since children’s health and educational potential depend on the quality of the school environment. Recommendations will be made for improving the school environment, buildings and energy consumption based on an analysis of data from the 10 countries.

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