Geneva Health Forum Channel

First WHO Europe Conference on Indoor Air Quality

First WHO Europe Conference on Indoor Air Quality

Presentation :

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of ventilation to mitigate the transmission of respiratory disease.

Beyond COVID-19 there is growing awareness that exposure to pollutants in indoor environments has a substantial impact on health, productivity and performance. Large numbers of buildings do not have good ventilation or good indoor air quality, and there are multiple other considerations including climate change, energy, comfort, noise and security.

We need to learn the lessons of the pandemic and build better after COVID-19 for the health of future generations. The focus of the meeting is to consider what is needed at a strategic level to make effective change to improve indoor environments in buildings. We will explore the practical challenges and opportunities for understanding and mitigating poor ventilation in the most cost effective ways.

The conference was held on September 20, 2025 in Berne.

Progamme :

SCIENTIFIC SESSION

	Catherine Noakes Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds United Kingdom Opening words
	David Vernez Head of Department, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne Switzerland The indoor environment as a determinant for health
	Pawel Wargocki    Associate Professor, International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark Denmark What do we need to achieve in buildings? What is realistic vs what is ideal?
	Corinne Mandin    Head of the Laboratory of Epidemiology, Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety France What do we know about the current state of IAQ in buildings?
	Hossein Gorji   Scientist at Empa, Adjunct Research Assistant Professor at University of Southern California USA Infection risk and IAQ in Swiss schools
	Andreas Prenner    Policy Officer at HERA (European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority) Switzerland Pandemic management through indoor pathogen transmission suppression – EU innovation funding?

WELCOME AND KEYNOTES

	Antoine Flahault Director of the Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva Switzerland
	Hans Kluge Director of WHO/Europe, Copenhagen Denmark
	Sir Jeremy Farrar    WHO Chief Scientist Switzerland
	Nora Kronig Romero    Ambassador, Head of International Affairs Division, Vice Director, Member of Senior management, Federal Office of Public Health,  Switzerland
	Frank Vandebroucke   Minister of Public Health Belgium

FROM SCIENCE TO POLICY

	Catherine Noakes Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds United Kingdom Challenge and opportunity for Indoor Air – Learning from the pandemic
	Roger Waeber Head of Indoor Pollutants Unit, Health Protection Directorate, FOPH Switzerland Improving ventilation in Swiss buildings – IAQ as part of sustainability
	Jelle Laverge    Associate Professor, Ghent University Belgium Compliance through information sharing in Belgium
	Claude-Alain Roulet    Prof. Emer. EPFL, private consultant EPFL  Switzerland Priorities for improving indoor air in Switzerland

DISCUSSION PANEL

	Kamran Abbasi Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal, London United Kingdom
	Martin Bäumle Member of National Council, Green’Liberal Group Switzerland
	Esther Friedli    Member of the Council of States, Democratic Union of the Center Switzerland
	Gabriela Suter    Member of National Council, Socialist Group Switzerland
	Catherine Noakes Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds United Kingdom
	David Vernez Head of Department, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne Switzerland

CLOSING REMARKS

Hans Kluge Director of WHO/Europe, Copenhagen Denmark

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