Menstrual health, defined as complete physical, mental and social well-being in relation to the menstrual cycle, is increasingly recognized as both a human rights issue and a public health priority. Across the WHO European Region, however, many women and girls continue to face barriers that undermine their dignity, comfort, health and well-being.
The settings where people learn, work, receive care or go about their daily lives are central to promoting menstrual health. Ensuring access to safe and adequate water, sanitation and hygiene services, menstrual products and accurate information in schools, workplaces, health‑care facilities and public spaces is essential for creating equitable environments that uphold dignity and support well‑being.
WHO/Europe has been supporting countries in promoting menstrual health by advancing equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene in institutional settings, particularly through the Protocol on Water and Health – a multilateral legal instrument that promotes national target setting and coordinated action across the health, environment and water sectors.
Event details
The Bonn Dialogue on Environment and Health, a high-level online event open to all, will explore what menstrual-friendly environments look like, spark discussion on identifying gaps and practical solutions, and discuss how the environment, health and education sectors can work together to close equity gaps.
This event will be of particular interest to professionals working in the fields of water, sanitation and hygiene, education, public health, gender and human rights, and environment and climate change and health at national, regional and local levels; experts and practitioners engaged in school health, youth engagement and community initiatives; as well as relevant stakeholders from nongovernmental organizations, academia and international organizations, including youth representatives.
The event will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Russian.
You can join via Zoom by registering here by 28 May 2026.
Bonn Dialogues on Environment and Health
The Bonn Dialogues are a series of high-level online events within the framework of the European Environment and Health Process (EHP), aimed at fostering discussions among policy-makers across the WHO European Region on selected themes and topics. They provide the European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) and any interested individuals with evidence and reflection points on well-known and emerging environment and health issues to accelerate the implementation of the Budapest Declaration.
Ensuring that everyone has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services is one of the priorities under the Budapest Declaration adopted by countries in the European Region. This priority ties into establishing policies that promote menstrual health and access to affordable means for menstrual hygiene.
The Bonn Dialogues are organized and promoted by the EHP Secretariat, located at the WHO European Centre for Environment, Climate Change and Health in Bonn, Germany, within the framework of the EHTF’s Programme of Work.