BEIRUT, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Lebanon Office launched the national Environment and Health Strategy 2021-2026 on Thursday, reaffirming nine priorities for the Arab region, the UN mission said in a press release.

       Thursday is also the World Health Day which falls on April 7 every year.

       The nine environmental health priorities, first adopted in the Arab Health and Environment Strategy 2017-2030 developed by the WHO, are water sanitation, air pollution, food safety, chemical safety, waste management, environmental health emergency management, climate change, sustainable development and occupational health and safety.

       "Caring for the environment and a healthy environment per se are goals that are equally important to fight poverty and economic development, but more so a prerequisite for achieving the well-being of people," said Iman Shankiti, WHO director for Lebanon.

       Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said it is impossible to have a healthy society in a polluted environment or to have a clean environment in an unhealthy society.

       For his part, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said one of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that the first step to solving any challenge is to acknowledge its existence and understand its causes.

       "Now we have a chance to build better health systems for the future. Without these systems, we will repeat the mistakes of the past," he noted.

       According to the UN press release, environmental risks in the Eastern Mediterranean region, including climate change, are responsible for 23 percent of the total burden of disease and 30 percent for children.

       An estimated 1 million people die prematurely every year from living and working in unhealthy environments, the press release said.