The precautionary principle: protecting public health, the environment and the future of our children

The purpose of this publication is to provide the background rationale and support for WHO's working paper Dealing with uncertainty - how can the precautionary principle help protect the future of our children?, prepared for the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health held in Budapest, Hungary, in June 2004. The debate around the precautionary principle has provided many insights into how to improve public health decision-making under conditions of uncertainty.

This publication should further support approaches to attaining the concurrent goals of

1. protecting adults, children and future generations and the ecosystems on which we depend, and

2. enhancing economic development, sustainability and innovation in science, research and policy.