P.E.I. conference set to develop new health improvement pledge

A pledge to encourage all levels of government around the worldto make a commitment to improve health promotion for peoplewill be drawn up at an international conference set to beheld on Prince Edward Island.

The P.E.I. Declaration, as it is called, willexplore how to helppeople gain control and improve their own health.

"A global treaty on health would be really something to increase the level of commitment that countries have to promoting people's health because, at the moment, people say that they're interested and develop some policies but not all of it is well-implemented or it's not necessarily as strong as we would like it," said Suzanne Jackson, a University of Toronto professor and forum organizer.

The pledge will be madeat when 300 delegates attend theGlobal Forum on Health Promotion being held in Charlottetown Oct. 16 and Oct. 17.

It is the sixth time the forum is being held and the first time outside of Europe.

Jackson said theP.E.I. Declaration will be submitted to the World Health Organization later this fall.