Welcome to the 7th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, organized by the Hungarian Government.  I warmly thank Hungary for its long and active history in this series of conferences, having already hosted the 4th Ministerial Conference in 2004. At this meeting, it was Hungary's foresight that led to the adoption of the Action Plan for the Environment and Children's Health in Europe, paving the way to better protect younger generations.   Almost 20 years later, Budapest is back at the center of the action, hosting 46 countries from Europe and Central Asia, 30 ministers and state secretaries, and over 600 partners and representatives from civil society and youth organizations – all to accelerate progress in addressing the existential threat posed by the triple environmental crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.