Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Not enough progress was made at the 11th round of the World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic agreement negotiations, conceded Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the global body’s Director-General on Friday.

“I know you have made progress, but I also know that from what you have been saying, it’s not as good as what we wanted,” Tedros told delegates at the Intergovernmental Negotiation Body (INB) at the end of the two-week-long talks.

According to the latest draft of the pandemic agreement, the most controversial part of the agreement – developing a pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) system (Article 12) – will now be addressed via a separate “instrument”.

The provisions governing the PABS system – described as a “multilateral system for safe, transparent, and accountable, access and benefit sharing for pathogens with pandemic potential” – will be developed by the Conference of the Parties (COP). This COP will be set up after the World Health Assembly has adopted the pandemic agreement.

The COP has also been given responsibility for defining “pathogens with pandemic potential and PABS Materials and Sequence Information, modalities, legal nature, terms and conditions, and operational dimensions” for PABS. 

All these details will be contained in a PABS instrument – and no deadline for its finalisation has been set. The COP itself has to be set up within a year of the adoption of the pandemic agreement, so it could be years before any PABS system comes into being.

Some observers have described the current document as “pandemic agreement lite” as it defers many key decisions. Delegates appear to have accepted this deferment, as text dealing with it is “greened” in the draft agreement, indicating its acceptance.

Tedros told the INB that he believed it was still possible for the pandemic agreement to be adopted by the end of the year at a special session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in December.

However, the next round of negotiations set for 4-15 November, will determine whether this is realistic. Procedurally, 12 November is the latest date by which a December special WHA can be called.

However, the INB Bureau will hold informal meetings with member states during the course of October to try to reach consensus on key articles.

Will Africa trade deferring PABS details for speed?

African member states are anxious for the speedy adoption of the agreement, which currently includes support for “local manufacturing” and technology transfer to help member states to prepare for, and mitigate against, another pandemic.

While the Africa Group has pushed hardest for a PABS system in which countries are rewarded for sharing pathogen information, it may be prepared to accept deferring the PABS system details in exchange for early adoption of a pandemic agreement.

The spectre of the US elections this November and the possibility of a Donald Trump victory is also causing jitters amongst some member states. Trump previously froze the US contribution to the WHO, which severely affected its operations.

On 11 September, the US Congress passed the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act, which was introduced by Republicans who claim that the pandemic agreement will undermine US national sovereignty. 

This is despite all iterations of the pandemic agreement affirming member states’ national sovereignty in pandemics.

At the close of the INB meeting on Friday, the representative from Argentina – which now has a far-right government – asserted that the pandemic agreement should ensure no “interference with national regulations and legislation”. 

“My country firmly believes that we need to implement an International instrument to tackle pandemics but this must be designed respecting the sovereignty of all states. Without exception, we must maintain the capacity to legislate and apply our own laws within our jurisdictions as we see fit, with regard to the health of our citizens,” said Argentina, which has resisted joining regional positions on the pandemic agreement with other Latin American countries.

Tedros has previously described the notion that the agreement threatens nations’ sovereignty as “misinformation”, but it hasn’t stopped right-wing groups and parties globally from portraying the agreement as a “globalist power-grab”.

Their campaigning is part of growing nationalist populist rhetoric against international bodies and human-rights-oriented agreements.

This has also been evident in negotiations over the UN’s Summit of the Future starting on Sunday. The UN is due to adopt a Pact for the Future, but this has been watered down by conservative countries – particularly regarding the right to health, gender equity and human rights.

Happier stakeholders

INB co-chairs Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou and Precious Matsoso

One aspect of INB11 that is different and, by most accounts better, has been the daily consultations with officials stakeholders at the start of each day.

These stakeholders include patient advocates, the pharmaceutical industry, NGOs and academics, who have long complained at being shut out of the talks.

“We’ve seen [stakeholders] engage in the corridors, but this time, it was different, because they also participated in the meeting,” said INB co-chair Precious Matsoso.

“They were able to provide their advice as best as possible, and I must say that there’s a lot of goodwill and there’s a lot of commitment.”

Nina Jamal, Head of Pandemics at the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, thanked the INB Bureau “for transparency towards relevant stakeholders, increased openness and constructive proposals by member states, promoting successful negotiations”.

Michelle Childs, Policy Advocacy Director for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), said that her organisation welcomed the sharing of the draft texts and daily briefings.

“These help to improve the ability of stakeholders to follow and input and counter misinformation about what is actually being discussed. We encourage further steps to enhance transparency, including making stakeholder interventions publicly available,” added Childs.

‘Messy middle’

The Pandemic Action Network said “progress efforts [were] bumping into the messy middle”, adding that while engagement with stakeholders was better, they want more transparency and access to the actual negotiations.

Matsoso said progress had been made on “research and development, regulatory systems strengthening, One Health, pandemic prevention and technology , supply chain networks and a new system for increased access to pathogens of pandemic potential and sharing of benefits, such as vaccines, diagnostics and treatments”.

“Following nearly three years of negotiations, countries are now focused on the remaining and most critical elements of the draft agreement to protect the world from future pandemics,” Ms Matsoso said.

Matsoso added that “we are going to find a solution in our life time.”

Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya

African heads of state from countries affected by mpox will meet virtually on Sunday to address the “worrying” increase of the virus – with 2,912 new cases and 14 deaths recorded in the past week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported at a media briefing on Thursday.

“Mpox is not under control in Africa. We still have this increase of cases that is becoming worrying for all of us. In many countries, we have different clades [so] the mpox outbreak is a combination of many outbreaks in one,” Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya told the media briefing.

Clade 1A and Clade 1B are both circulating in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which is worst affected by mpox. 

However, because the continent’s surveillance, testing and laboratory systems are not strong enough, “we cannot confirm that we don’t have this kind of joint circulation of clades” across the continent, Kaseya admitted.

Of the 29,152 suspected mpox cases identified since the beginning of the year, only 6,105 have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

In the past week, Morocco in North Africa reported its first mpox cases, which means that mpox now affects all regions of the continent, said Kaseya.

Japan donates three million vaccines

On Wednesday, the government of Japan signed an agreement with the DRC to donate three million KM Biologics’ LC16 vaccines which, unlike Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine, are authorised for children. Around 40% of the continent’s suspected mpox cases are in children.

However, health workers will need special training to vaccinate people with LC16, which requires a similar process to that of smallpox, said Dr Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global head of health emergencies.

“The LC 16 vaccine is not delivered by the same method as the MVA vaccine, and that does introduce complexity to the training and logistics,” Ryan confirmed at a WHO global press conference on Thursday.

“The LC16 is given the same way the previous smallpox vaccination was done, which is scraping intradermally on the skin. That’s quite a skilled technique, and that will take time, and that hasn’t been used in vaccination programs for decades now.” 

Rwanda meanwhile started its vaccination campaign earlier in the week, but it has only received 1,000 donated so far vaccines.

The DRC will start its vaccination campaign in the first week of October, while the Africa CDC expects to soon dispatch vaccines to South Africa, Uganda, Burundi “and any other country that will be in need”. 

It is also establishing an expert technical review committee to assist countries to develop “strong vaccination campaign plans”, said Kaseya.

Isolating at home or hospital?

Burundi, despite having 1,600 case, has recorded zero deaths. However, Dr Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC Chief of Staff, told the media briefing that all Burundi’s cases were hospitalised and in isolation.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s interim director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, stressed that it is “really important that cases do isolate, but there are options for where they can isolate”.

“If there’s an indication of clinical severity, if they have a risk of developing severe disease, it’s important that they get appropriate clinical care, so isolation in a hospital is helpful,” said Van Kerkhove.

“But we do have guidance for isolation at home. For people who are presenting mildly, and people who aren’t at risk of developing severe disease, home care is completely appropriate,” she added.

“It is really important that the scabs are covered, that we use good hand hygiene, that the close physical contact between caregivers is done appropriately so that we can prevent onward spread,” said Van Kerkhove.

“Also, it is really critical to clean bed linen and clean clothes, etcetera and that’s very difficult in many different contexts.”

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the briefing that the mpox virus “is being spread primarily through close personal contact, including sex and within families, through caring for young children, breastfeeding and sharing clothing or bedding”. 

“The response to the outbreak is made more difficult by the context with insecurity in the affected areas and concurrent outbreaks of other diseases, including measles and chicken pox,” added Tedros.

In comparison to a year ago, there has been a 177% increase in cases and a 38.5% increase in deaths in Africa, and the Africa CDC has committed to developing an open-access dashboard that is regularly updated with information about the spread of the virus.

Image Credits: Africa CDC.

Tomnjong Thadeus under a bed net with his three-year-old daughter Gabriella at their home in Soa, Cameroon. Gabriella and her mother have both had malaria and the family now sleeps under nets.

Global Fund investments have reduced deaths in HIV, tuberculosis and malaria by 61% and saved 65 million lives since 2002 – while simultaneously improving health service delivery, according to its annual Results Report released on Thursday. 

The past year (2023) has brought significant wins: a 55% reduction in the price of bedaquiline, the main treatment for drug-resistant TB and a 25% cut in the cost of TLD, the preferred first-line HIV treatment.

It has also introduced new dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets that are 45% more effective against malaria.

These wins are the result of what The Global Fund terms “marketing-shaping”: using its substantial buying power to encourage manufacturers to lower prices. 

While The Global Fund focusses on the three priority diseases, its impact has been far wider. 

‘’In 2023, we invested $1.8 billion, the highest amount ever in a single year, to strengthen health and community systems,” Executive Director Peter Sands told a media briefing on Wednesday.

“In this grant cycle period, [2024- 2026] we’re looking at investing around $6 billion in supporting countries to deliver better health outcomes, through pandemic preparedness, through stronger systems and through accelerating their journey towards universal health coverage.”

One significant area of investment, health facilities’ oxygen supplies, has assisted around 22 million patients with respiratory illnesses.

Peter Sands, Executive Director of The Global Fund.

Reducing health system pressure

The report also quantifies for the first time how its focus on the three diseases has alleviated stress on countries’ health services.

Currently, it supports 25 million people on antiretroviral medication – and this has saved around 1.66 billion hospitalisation days and 1.36 billion outpatient visits, which translates into   a saving of around $85 billion. 

“Where the three diseases absorb over 50% of health system resources, the impact of reducing their burden on overall health system performance can be dramatic,” said Sands. “It means lower infant and maternal mortality and fewer deaths from acute trauma and other conditions.

“In addition, our continued investments in community health workers, labs, supply chains, disease surveillance systems and other health system components better prepare countries to prevent, detect and respond to other diseases like mpox or future pandemics.” 

Nurse Everlyne Esige examines an pregnant mother at Vihiga Hospital in Kenya. A partnership between The Global Fund, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has trained health care workers to integrate HIV, TB and malaria services into antenatal and postnatal care

Climate change challenges

The Global Fund invests 70% of its funding in the 50 most climate-vulnerable countries, and its operations have been affected by changing climate – from floods disrupting services to rising temperatures “cooking” valuable medicines. 

However, the most significant impact is on malaria.

“There are two different things going on, said Sands. “One is the gradual rise in temperatures, which means that communities and places that were previously not subject to malaria, often because of higher altitudes which were too cold at night for the mosquitoes, are now becoming susceptible to malaria.”

The second, which is more difficult to predict, is “the impact of climate change on the frequency of extreme weather events, leading to cyclones and flooding” such as seen in Malawi and Pakistan – and resulted in surges in malaria.

But addressing malaria is “particularly challenging”, added Sands, because it is surging in conflict zones there is  “increased resistance both of mosquitoes to insecticides and to the most commonly used treatments”.

To support countries to adapt to the impact of extreme weather and climate events, it restructured grants and offered access to emergency funds in countries such as Zambia, Kenya and Somalia. 

The Fund has also established partnerships with the World Bank and the Green Climate Fund that have “significant expertise and resources around both climate mitigation and adaptation”, said Sands. 

He stressed that very little funding has gone to climate adaptation in health and “we need to work together to respond more effectively to what’s happening, because, if anything, it appears to be happening faster and more significantly than projected”.

Human rights barriers

Lucy Mukasia, a clinician at Kibera Health Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, sorts antiretroviral medicines. But stigma and discrimination are still significant barriers preventing people with HIV from getting care.

In HIV, human rights barriers like punitive laws, stigma, discrimination and violence, including gender-based violence, prevent people from getting HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care. 

“The fight against diseases is as much a fight for justice and equity as it is a biomedical fight,” said Sands. “Even the most innovative biomedical tools will fail if those who most need them can’t get them.” 

To tackle human rights and gender-related barriers to accessing health services, the partnership expanded the Breaking Down Barriers initiative, which aims for inclusivity and equity in healthcare delivery. 

“Our model is anchored by a partnership that thrives on inclusive governance, making us a global movement of civil society, governments, private sector partners, technical partners and communities affected by the three diseases in more than 100 countries,” said Sands. “That partnership came to count enormously as we responded to the many challenges we faced in the year.”

Image Credits: Vincent Becker/ Global Fund, Brian Otieno /Global Fund, Brian Otieno/ Global Fund.

Robert Yates from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

GENEVA – Ensuring that universal health coverage (UHC) protects cancer patients and tackling commercial interests driving cancer were two issues in the spotlight of the World Cancer Congress.

Speakers stressed that they need to make their mark at the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in 2025, ensuring a bold rethinking of how healthcare is financed and protected from commercial interests.

The HLM will adopt a political declaration that will determine how NCDs including cancer are addressed to 2030, according to the WHO.

Speakers addressing the plenary called for the intersection of money, politics, and public health commitments to be addressed. 

Universal Health Coverage

“Universal health coverage (UHC) is not just a health goal; it’s a political strategy that leaders can rally behind,” said Robert Yates from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

UHC aims to ensure that everyone can access essential health services without facing financial ruin and for cancer patients, often burdened by exorbitant treatment costs, this is not just a lofty ideal but a lifeline, Yates explained.

“There is no other way of financing this other than through a predominantly publicly financed health system,” Yates stressed. 

“If we’re serious about UHC, we have to be serious about increasing levels of domestic public financing and making sure that resources are allocated as efficiently and equitably as possible.” 

He urged advocates to focus their efforts on high-level policymakers, particularly ministers of finance and heads of government, to secure the necessary funds.

Cancer care, Yates argued, is central to the UHC agenda, from preventive measures like the HPV vaccine to advanced treatments. 

He pointed to the cost-effectiveness of many cancer interventions as a compelling argument for public investment, citing examples like the inexpensive HPV vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer. “We need to sell the broader benefits of investing in cancer care, including the economic advantages,” Yates said. “It’s about convincing politicians that this is what their populations want – and it’s politically popular.”

The economic impact of cancer and other NCDs extends far beyond individual patients, straining healthcare systems worldwide. 

Bente Mikkelsen,  the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director of NCDs, said that only 28% of countries have integrated cancer care into their UHC plans. The consequence? Many patients face catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses, plunging families into poverty.

“We have to stop relying solely on international funding and look at sustainable domestic financing,” Mikkelsen urged. 

“Unless cancer is part of the UHC agenda, we will continue to see out-of-pocket payments driving people into poverty.” She emphasized that the link between poverty and NCDs forms a vicious cycle, as low-income individuals are more likely to suffer from these diseases and less able to afford treatment.

‘Voluntary actions don’t work’

Another significant barrier to addressing NCDs is the influence of commercial interests, highlighted Anna Gilmore, Co-Director of the Centre for 21st Century Public Health at the University of Bath

“What’s causing disease and killing us is increasingly the products of commercial organisations – tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods,” Gilmore said. “And the greatest barrier to preventing disease is the practices of those same corporations.”

Gilmore pointed to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s Article 5.3 as a model for protecting public health policies from harmful corporate influences. Article 5.3 specifically requires governments to protect their public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. 

It recognizes the fundamental conflict between public health and the tobacco industry’s profit motives, and it sets out guidelines to limit interactions with the industry, ensure transparency, and prevent conflicts of interest.

“The tobacco industry has a long history of trying to undermine public health efforts through lobbying, funding misleading research, and positioning itself as a partner in health initiatives,” Gilmore explained. 

“Article 5.3 is a critical tool in countering these tactics, as it explicitly calls for excluding the tobacco industry from policy-making processes and ensuring that their influence does not interfere with public health objectives.”

The guidelines under Article 5.3 recommend that governments avoid any partnership or interaction with the tobacco industry unless strictly necessary and ensure that any such interactions are transparent and accountable​. This model is cited as an effective way to protect public health from the influence of industries that profit from products harmful to health.

Fabio Gomes, Regional Advisor at the Pan-American Health Organization.

Fabio Gomes, Regional Advisor at the Pan-American Health Organization, echoed these concerns, highlighting how Latin American countries have started regulating harmful products and practices. 

“Countries have realized that we cannot move forward without regulating the products that are killing us,” he said, pointing to successful policies like warning labels on unhealthy foods and restrictions on marketing aimed at children. 

The regulation of these products is seen as essential to protect public health from the influence of powerful commercial interests that prioritize profit over people’s well-being.

The panellists stressed that confronting commercial interests is critical in the broader fight against NCDs. They noted that implementing measures similar to Article 5.3 for alcohol, sugary drinks, and ultra-processed foods manufacturers, could significantly advance public health protections. 

Gilmore highlighted how corporations often resist regulations that could prevent millions of deaths annually, such as taxes on tobacco or restrictions on unhealthy food marketing. She believes that regulations are vital in reducing the influence of industries that stand in the way of effective NCD prevention strategies. 

“Voluntary actions don’t work, regulation will always be essential,” she said.

A political battle for health

While calling for increased public financing and highlighting the need for high-level political advocacy to ensure cancer care becomes a priority within health agendas worldwide, Yates and others highlighted the need for the key players to be confident in directly reaching out to politicians such US Vice Presidential candidate Tim Waltz, who had personal experience of how financially devastating cancer can be on a family.

“We need to get political,” Yates stated. He urged cancer advocates to directly engage with ministers of finance and heads of government to secure funding for cancer services. He argued that integrating cancer care into UHC could drive broader political support, given its strong public appeal and the significant economic benefits associated with early intervention and prevention.

With the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs approaching in 2025, the panellists emphasised the need to secure commitments from political leaders to increase funding and regulatory measures that could significantly impact global health outcomes.

Preserving cancer research integrity

Christoph Plass, Division Head at the International Journal of Cancer

One of the Congress panels addressed fraud in cancer research. Fraudulent science, including data manipulation, plagiarism, and paper mills, have been a persistent problems, particularly exacerbated by the influx of ‘fake’ papers post-COVID-19. 

Christoph Plass, Division Head at the International Journal of Cancer, highlighted the troubling trend of cell line misidentification in cancer research, which leads to inaccurate research findings. 

He emphasized the need for cell line authentication and research resource identifiers (RRIDs) to ensure the reliability of the data presented. His team found that many rejected manuscripts for cell line issues were published elsewhere without corrections—a practice that threatens the credibility of published research.

Julie Stacey, Editor-in-Chief of eBioMedicine, said that smaller journals often lack the resources for thorough peer review and investigative rigour, leading to the publication of flawed or fraudulent research. Larger journals have better systems in place but are not immune to these problems, often relying on whistleblowers to identify misconduct.

Sonali Johnson, from the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), underscored how fraudulent research erodes public trust in science and medical research, making it harder to advocate for cancer control initiatives. 

Misinformation is especially harmful in cancer research, where public understanding is already limited. Fraudulent findings can lead to patients pursuing ineffective treatments, delaying necessary care, and wasting valuable resources. Johnson also pointed out that commercial interests from industries such as tobacco and fossil fuels manipulate science to promote their products, often creating confusion and mistrust about cancer-related risks.

The panellists agreed on the need for stricter editorial policies, transparency in research funding, and a stronger focus on ethical education for junior and senior researchers alike. The session emphasized that journals must take responsibility for maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, while funding bodies and institutions need to enforce stricter compliance measures to avoid the pitfalls of fraudulent science.

The session concluded with a call to action for the cancer research community to adopt more rigorous authentication processes, promote open science initiatives, and foster a culture of accountability.

Geneva, Switzerland—The 2024 World Cancer Congress opened Tuesday in Geneva, bringing together more than 2,000 delegates from more than 120 countries. Its convener said the congress underscores a global commitment to combating the growing burden of cancer.

World Cancer Congress kicks off in Geneva
World Cancer Congress kicks off in Geneva

Hosted by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the congress aims to foster collaboration amongst cancer and health experts through a diverse three-day program of discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities.

UICC president, Prof Jeff Dunn, welcomed the delegates and highlighted the importance of international collaboration in the fight against cancer.

“We are here to share, learn, and strengthen our bonds in this shared quest to control cancer,” he said.

Despite global disruptions, he said the participants’ turnout reflects the urgency of addressing the rising cancer burden worldwide.

Dunn, a cancer survivor himself, spoke of his personal journey with mantle cell lymphoma, emphasising the role of community support in his recovery. He praised the congress partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and various cancer societies.

The opening ceremony featured addresses from notable global health leaders. Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, director-general of IARC, highlighted the alarming increase in cancer cases, projecting that new cancer cases could rise by 77% by 2050, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. She stressed the importance of preventive measures, such as tobacco control and HPV vaccination, and addressing environmental and lifestyle risk factors to curb this trend.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressing the congress via video message, acknowledged the progress made in implementing national cancer programs but called for more political leadership and faster action. He emphasised the need for countries to work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to non-communicable diseases, including cancer. European Union Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides also delivered a message outlining Europe’s commitment through the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan, which includes initiatives ranging from cancer prevention to improving the quality of life for cancer survivors.

Global Impact of Cancer Orphaning and Mortality Disparities

New research plays a significant role at the congress and will be showcased throughout the event, with some highlights already shared during Tuesday’s opening press conference.

Researchers, for example, explored how many children worldwide have been orphaned by losing their father to cancer. Losing one or both parents can leave children at a lifelong disadvantage in terms of health, support, and education.

The study, conducted by the IARC in France, follows a 2022 report that found one million children lose their mother to cancer each year. This new research aimed to estimate the global number of children who become fatherless due to cancer-related deaths amongst men. The team found that in 2020, 5.5 million men died from cancer, leading to around 1.4 million new paternal orphans, amongst which 75% were due to paternal deaths occurring above 45 years old.

The latest findings also emphasised the disproportionate impact on regions such as Asia and Africa, showing a significant link between development levels and the number of new orphans.

The research also underscored the urgent need for strategies to reduce preventable cancer deaths and provide better support for affected children.

A separate first-of-its-kind study shared at the congress quantifies the socioeconomic burden of ovarian cancer across 11 countries and highlights the significant disparities between countries and income groups.

“An estimated 3.4 million cancer deaths could be avoided annually If every country had the same success in addressing cancer as the best-performing countries, with stomach, lung, breast, and colourectal cancers having the most potentially avoidable deaths,” the UICC said in a statement on the study. “The highest disparities in cancer mortality occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.”

Researchers are also releasing an IARC assessment on the pandemic’s impact on cancer diagnosis and stage distribution. The study, based on data from population-based cancer registries in seven countries, found significant reductions in melanoma, breast, prostate, and lung cancer incidence, particularly during the early months of lockdown. These trends highlight the importance of preparing for future pandemics and the need to address screening and healthcare access disruptions, according to the UICC.

AI And Other Advancements

Artificial intelligence and other new technologies in healthcare that can transform patient care and enhance diagnostics and treatments are also being explored—both from the standpoint of the advancements they can provide and challenges like data privacy.

A prospective five-country observational study of the performance of a new artificial intelligence-based tool for cervical pre-cancer screening in the African region—Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — was announced to be released on Wednesday. The study involved more than 24,000 women and evaluated the performance of an AI-based tool, Automated Visual Evaluation (AVE).

AVE showed significantly higher sensitivity (60.1%) than the other tools it was compared to.

“The study concludes that AVE could enhance cervical pre-cancer detection in resource-limited settings, supporting broader cervical cancer elimination efforts despite some trade-offs in specificity,” the UICC said.

Challenges of Cancer Care in Conflict Zones

WHO’s Andre Ilbawi provided insights into the plights of cancer patients in Gaza.
WHO’s Andre Ilbawi provided insights into the plights of cancer patients in Gaza.

Another focus of the event was cancer care during humanitarian crises. Key sessions, including some on Tuesday, addressed the challenges of providing care in places such as Sudan, Gaza and Haiti.

Andre Ilbawi, a cancer lead at the WHO, painted a stark picture of the challenges faced by cancer patients in Gaza in one session. He said that as conflict rages, the already fragile health system struggles to cope, leaving cancer patients in a precarious position.

“The first step in areas of conflict is preparedness,” Ilbawi explained, emphasising that proactive measures, such as setting up funds and protocols for evacuating critically ill patients, are crucial in these volatile environments.

Just last week, the WHO evacuated around 100 Gaza patients in one of its most significant efforts to date to the United Arab Emirates medical treatment.

Ilbawi noted that the recent conflict in Gaza has laid bare the vulnerabilities of healthcare systems in conflict zones. From a lack of essential medicines to disrupted care pathways, he argued that cancer patients in Gaza face enormous barriers to accessing treatment.

“Cancer was one of the complicated issues in NCDs and humanitarian crises,” Ilbawi said, underscoring the compounded effects of war, displacement, and systemic neglect on cancer care.

The need for coordinated international responses was a recurring theme in the session labelled “Leaving No One Behind: Advancing Equity for Refugees, Displaced People, and Underprivileged Communities.” Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital discussed how the global oncology community can and must mobilise rapidly in crisis situations. He drew parallels between the response efforts in Ukraine and Gaza, where international and regional oncology groups have worked together to ensure continuity of care for cancer patients.

“In Gaza, having boots on the ground made a significant difference,” Rodriguez-Galindo explained. “St. Jude’s had staff dedicated to tracking every cancer patient, knowing their names, diagnoses, and treatment needs, and coordinating with local and international bodies to ensure they received the necessary care.” This immediate response was instrumental in managing patient care during a chaotic and dangerous time, providing a model for supporting other conflict zones.

However, Ilbawi highlighted that the situation in Gaza differs significantly from other crises due to its protracted nature and the severe restrictions on movement.

“What worked well in Ukraine did not necessarily translate to Gaza,” Ilbawi pointed out. For example, while patient evacuations were managed relatively smoothly in Ukraine, Gaza’s complex political and security landscape has made similar efforts much more challenging.

Ilbawi stressed that the solution to these challenges lies in emergency response and in building sustainable, long-term healthcare solutions that integrate cancer care into the broader health system. He emphasised that parallel health systems—where refugees and local populations receive different levels of care—are not sustainable and do not serve anyone’s interests.

“Eventually, cancer care must be fully integrated into national health systems,” Ilbawi argued. “The humanitarian response can no longer be seen as a temporary fix; it needs to be part of a broader strategy that strengthens the entire health infrastructure.”

He pointed to the need for ongoing international collaboration and investment to build resilient health systems that can withstand the pressures of conflict and provide equitable care for all.

The panellists called for a united global effort to address the healthcare needs of cancer patients in conflict zones. They stressed the importance of multilateralism and upholding international agreements that protect health workers and patients in times of crisis.

“We must honour decades of international law and agreements that govern the protection of healthcare in conflict,” Ilbawi said. “These are not just policies—they are lifelines.”

The UICC announced that the next World Cancer Congress will be held in Hong Kong in 2026. Future leaders’ summits are planned in Australia and other potential locations in low- and middle-income countries.

Image Credits: WHO/G. Reboux, Paul Adepoju.

The 11th meeting on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) is currently underway in Geneva.

The latest draft of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pandemic agreement shifts key decisions to the Conference of the Parties (COP) – a body that will be set up after the World Health Assembly (WHA) has adopted the agreement.

The draft, developed by the WHO Bureau overseeing the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) talks, was distributed to delegates late on Monday.

Details about how to implement the contentious Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system (Article 12) – a mechanism to share information and benefits about pathogens with pandemic potential – is one of those kicked down the road.

“The provisions governing the PABS system, including definitions of pathogens with pandemic potential and PABS Materials and Sequence Information, modalities, legal nature, terms and conditions, and operational dimensions, shall be developed and agreed in an instrument in accordance with Chapter III,” according to the draft.

Chapter III deals with institutional arrangements to bring the pandemic agreement into effect, primarily via a COP convened by the WHO “not later than one year after the entry into force of the WHO Pandemic Agreement”. 

The PABS system will also need to be recognised under the Nagoya Protocol, according to the new draft.

‘Lots of blanks’

Provisions for “pandemic prevention and surveillance” (Article 4) have also been kicked down the road to the COP, which will be charged with further developing these, “taking into consideration a One Health approach”.

In the One Health section (Article 5), the onus rests entirely on countries to develop and integrate measures governing animal and human health.

“This new text sets up a pandemic agreement ‘lite’ where there are lots of blanks left to fill in after the agreement,” says Elliot Hannon, Spark Street senior researcher and an observer at the negotiations.

“The Bureau’s new suggested language really shows they’re taking out the most contentious issues, particularly on PABS, and leaving the details to be worked out later. The aim, of course, is to meet their deadline and to produce some kind of agreement on PABS,” he added.

Hannon also pointed out that the language in the new draft had softened from terms like “hereby establish”, to “agree to establish”. 

“Almost all of the changes are designed to not have to deal with the intricacies of PABS right now. The same goes for Articles 4 and 5 on ‘prevention, surveillance’ and ‘One Health’,” he added.

“This is, obviously counter to what many Global South or developing economy countries are interested in and demanding, as they see the PABS system as a key ball game,” said Hannon.

New tech transfer definition

The draft introduces new two definitions:  “The transfer of technology is understood to mean non-coercive transfer and on mutually agreed terms,” according to the new text. 

“This understanding is without prejudice to other measures that parties may take pursuant to their domestic and/or national legislation, provided that such measures are consistent with their relevant international obligations regarding intellectual property,” it adds.

Meanwhile, it defines “know-how” as the “knowledge and skills required to manufacture products”.

“Negotiators are struggling to find compromise language on technology transfer,” noted Knowledge Ecology International director Jamie Love.

“Everyone knows it is important, but there is a lot of industry lobbying that is making it difficult to reach agreement.”

The 11th meeting of the INB ends on Friday. Negotiators have until May 2025 to reach agreement but keep getting stuck on PABS.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announces Olivér Várhelyi as Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare.

Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi has been announced as the new European Commissioner for Health, in a portfolio that now includes animal welfare.

He succeeds Cyprus’s Stella Kyriakides, whose portfolio was health and food safety.

Várhelyi has been the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement since 2019, leading efforts to increase membership of the European Union.

“He will be responsible for building a European health union and continuing the work of beating cancer and on preventive health,” said Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, announcing his appointment as part of her new European Commission College on Tuesday.

However,  before assuming office, all appointees still face questioning by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), need the  support of two-thirds of the MEPs on their respective committees and the college has to be voted in by the Parliament.

Várhelyi was nominated by right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He has a legal background and has served in various positions in the Hungarian public administration, including in trade and industry and foreign affairs. 

Prior to becoming a commissioner, he was Hungary’s Ambassador to the EU. Hungary is one of the least democratic EU members, restricting NGOs, media and women’s and LGBTQ rights.

In July 2022, the European Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU for its 2021 amendments to the Child Protection Law “which included unjustified restrictions on LGBT content, with the excuse of protecting children”, according to Human Rights Watch.

In September 2022, the Hungarian Ministry of Health issued a decree making it mandatory for pregnant women seeking abortions to listen to the foetal heartbeat before terminating the pregnancy.

As Commissioner in charge of enlargement, Várhelyi was accused of not paying enough attention to aspirant EU members’ records on democracy and human rights. In particular, he was accused of “pushing” Serbia’s EU membership despite its failure to make progress on key democratic and human rights issues, according to a report by Politico.

His predecessor, Kyriakides, who describes herself as a human rights advocate on X, comes from Cyprus’s Democratic Party, a centre-right Christian democratic political party

Unlike Várhelyi, she has a background in health and worked in her country’s Ministry of Health between 1976 and 2006, as a clinical psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

She also championed efforts to combat cancer, serving as president of the First Breast Cancer Movement in Cyprus and then president of the European Breast Cancer Coalition, Europa Donna. 

Open plastic trash burning
Burning waste in a rural town in Egypt. 30 metric tonnes of plastic waste are open burned globally each year. Nearly 60% of plastic waste is burned, yet the issue has “not formed a central part” of the current Plastics Treaty negotiations.

Royda Joseph, a 32-year-old mother of three lives in a community next to the PuguKinyamwezi dump in Tanzania. “The dump is on fire every two days,” Royda told the UK NGO TearFund. “Sometimes, when it is on fire, the smoke is so dark and huge that you can’t see the person in front of you or the house next to you. Because of that smoke I get breathing problems and coughing, and eye problems too. The kids also get a lot of breathing problems: they cough a lot.”

In developing cities, from Lagos, to Cairo and New Dheli, air pollution generated by the burning of plastic waste is a daily reality – a 30 metric tonne a year reality according to a new Nature study from researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK. The study found that some 52 metric tons of plastic waste are improperly disposed of every year. And of that, some 57% of that waste is burned openly, launching a slew of toxic chemicals into the air, and disproportionately affecting communities in the Global South. 

The findings have particular meaning for health, which are not well understood. The resulting smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals – including known or suspected carcinogens like bisphenols, phthalates, and dioxins, and a less-understood threat, microplastics. 

The Nature study comes as negotiators gear up for the next round of discussions over an international treaty  on plastic pollution in November in Busan, South Korea. So far, the focus of negotiations has mainly been on the disposal of plastics in landfills and waterways – and not health-harmful air pollution exposures from incineration. 

Model estimated improper waste disposal across 50,000 municipalities worldwide

Graphic description of the sources of air, water and land-based ’emissions’ from unmanaged plastics debris.

Using artificial intelligence to model and estimate plastic waste across 50,000 municipalities worldwide, the researchers identified Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South-East Asia as “hotspots” for improperly burned or disposed of plastics. India, followed by Nigeria and Indonesia, tops the list as the largest pollution emitter, producing one -fifth of global plastic pollution at 9.3 metric tonnes of plastic waste. China, Russia, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Brazil also ranked as high pollution producers.  Some 1.5 billion of the world’s 8 billion people, mainly in the Global South, live without any waste collection services or with highly inadequate services. 

As a result, low- and middle-income countries in the Global South emit roughly two-thirds of the world’s unmanaged plastic waste, defined as un-contained debris that winds up in open landfills, along fields and roadsides, or in waterways – or conversely as incinerated microplastics. Altogether, uncollected waste in lower-middle income countries accounts for 38% of total global plastics incineration emissions and 51% of plastic debris. 

While in developed countries, plastics incineration occurs in high-temperature, high-tech industrial burning sites, with controlled emissions release, in developing countries most of this unmanaged plastics waste is burned in open pits or piles in neighborhoods and streets of cities, towns and villages, or on their periphery, the study notes.

Burning plastics release microplastics, other hazardous chemicals

Plastic waste sorting
Over 30 metric tonnes of plastic are burned each year, mostly in lower and middle income countries, leaving millions exposed to toxic air pollutants.

The resulting smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals – including known or suspected carcinogens like bisphenols, phthalates, and dioxins, and a less-understood threat, microplastics. 

The health effects can be severe, Gauri Sanjeev Pathak, an Associate Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark, told Health Policy Watch. 

“Such emissions have been tied to cancer, respiratory problems, immunological issues, and birth defects, among a host of other human and planetary health issues,” she said. 

“Both open burning and degradation of plastics entering the environment as unmanaged solid waste can produce microplastics,” added Katrina Smith Korfmacher, Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester and co-director of the Lake Ontario MicroPlastics center. “Open burning poses well-known threats to human health,” she said.

One study estimated that humans may inhale up to 22 million particles of micro- and nanoplastics annually. Inhaling these pollutants can cause breathing problems, exacerbate existing respiratory conditions, and contribute to air pollution-related diseases.

Gaps in knowledge about the health effects of plastics air pollution exposures

Despite the growing number of studies on the health risks of microplastics, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that “many gaps remain in the current scientific knowledge of the health impacts of different types of plastics and added chemicals and their breakdown in the environment,” in a December 2023 report to the WHO Executive Board

Along with the direct exposures to humans from incineration smoke, tiny particles of carcinogenic chemicals like dioxins and furans, eventually settle on cropland and in waterways, where they enter the food chain. Dioxins are potentially lethal persistent organic pollutants that can cause cancer and disrupt thyroid and respiratory systems, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). 

Pollution hotspots – South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia

Plastic pollution map
Estimate of plastics ’emissions’ for the year 20202, referring to how much plastic ends up improperly incinerated or dumped on land or in waterways.

Just nine countries account for more than half of mismanaged plastics pollution emissions to the air, land and water, in absolute terms. But some countries with low absolute emissions rank high in per capita terms. For example, China, the world’s fourth largest emitter of plastics pollution has a very low per-capita emission rate, while South Sudan has high per-capita rates but low overall emissions. 

In Latin America and the Caribbean, hotspots for per-capita emissions include municipalities in Paraguay, Belize and Haiti.

The study anticipates that Sub-Saharan Africa will become the world’s largest source of plastic pollution within the next few decades as absolute and per-capita emissions continue to climb. Several megacities stand out as key hotspots, including Lagos, Nigeria; Juba, South Sudan; and Nouakchott, Mauritania.

“Across the continent, there is barely any plastic treatment infrastructure in place,” said a WHO Africa Region article on plastic waste.

Waste scavengers on the front lines of exposures

A woman scavenger looks on as two colleagues burn plastic e-waste to recuperate metal wiring

In lieu of government waste collection, “waste-pickers” in the informal sector generally collect and sort plastics – burning much of it to recuperate valuable metals, including wire and other materials that they can then sell or reuse. 

Globally, nearly 60% of all plastic waste globally is collected by waste scavengers in the informal sector. Over 20 million people around the world earn an income in the informal waste sector, collecting, sorting, and selling materials for recycling or reuse, according to the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP). Around 20% of waste scavengers are women, and an uncounted number are children, a 2021 WHO report estimates. The job is hazardous and exposures to the toxic soup of chemicals, directly and through airborne pathways, can cause respiratory illnesses and skin infections, as well as cancers. In addition, women and children are at risk from adverse reproductive and developmental health effects. 

Advocates for safer conditions urge governments and companies to accept Fair Circulatory Principles so that the human rights of waste pickers and other informal workers are recognized. 

The estimates highlight the huge disparities in how countries are able to grapple with plastic waste.  For much of the Global South, waste mismanagement drives pollution, while the Global North’s robust waste collection and management means that a much smaller fraction of plastic waste ends up in the local environment.

Raising awareness about plastics air pollution exposures – and hopes for consideration in a treaty

Managing plastic waste
With more robust waste management systems, wealthier countries are able to keep plastic waste from contaminating the air, soil, and water, leading the UNEP to advocate for more waste management investment.

The updated estimates of pollution from plastics waste, and particularly from incineration, comes just a few months before the next round of negotiations at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution in Busan, South Korea, 25 November-1 December.

The study authors hope negotiators will consider the burden of openly burned plastic, a topic that has “not formed a central part of discussions.”

Pathak stressed that “plastic pollution awareness campaigns or policies that focus only on plastic litter can often lead to increased open plastic burning, as communities and local officials engage in clean-up activities to care for their spaces or to meet waste management goals.

“Given low levels of awareness regarding the harms and the persistence of the toxicants from open burning and a lack of real alternatives to deal with collected wastes, communities often end up burning them. This is why it is crucial that policies and interventions to target plastic pollution, especially global interventions designed in the Global North, take a comprehensive view of the plastic problem and pay attention to local constraints and capacities.”

Korfmacher also echoed the need for research and awareness into “how plastics enter the human body and what effects different sizes, shapes, and types of plastics have on human health.” 

Image Credits: S. Samantaroy, Nature , SweepSmart, Nature/Cottom et al, 2024, WHO,2021.

Around 20,000 delegates took part in the European Respiratory Society (ERS) conference in person and online

Long-term exposure to air pollution and lack of green spaces significantly increases the risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions, according to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Vienna this week.

Researchers from the University of Bergen, Norway, found that even in Northern Europe, where air pollution levels are relatively low, exposure to particulate matter, black carbon, and nitrogen dioxide increased the risk of respiratory hospitalization by 30-45% for each measured increase in these pollutants.

The team analyzed data from 1,644 people across five Northern European countries, using the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. They examined respiratory hospitalizations from 2000 to 2010 and evaluated their connection to long-term exposure to air pollutants and green spaces between 1990 and 2000. 

Researchers considered particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and “greenness” — a measure of vegetation near homes.

 “Air pollution causes persistent inflammation and oxidative stress in the respiratory system,” explained Shanshan Xu, lead researcher from the University of Bergen. “These harmful processes contribute to the development and exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases, which can escalate into severe health episodes requiring hospital care.”

While access to green spaces led to a decrease in hospitalizations, researchers found it also increased emergency room visits, primarily among people with hay fever.

“It is also likely that long-term exposure to air pollution could lead to a decreased tolerance or increased sensitivity to these pollutants, explaining why even moderate or low levels might cause severe health effects in certain populations,” Xu said.

Traffic and air pollution

A second study led by researchers at the University of Leicester revealed a strong connection between traffic-related air pollution and the progression from asthma to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study also found that higher exposure to nitrogen dioxide increases this risk, especially in individuals with a genetic predisposition.

“For every 10 micrograms per cubic meter higher exposure to particulate matter, the risk of developing COPD was 56% higher among asthmatic patients,” said lead author Dr Samuel Cai.

“People with asthma should always be aware of air pollution around them and, if necessary and resources allow, take measures such as wearing masks, use an indoor air purifier and reducing outdoor activities when air pollution is at high levels.”

The findings underscore the critical need for effective clean air initiatives and regulations, according to Professor Zorana J. Andersen, Chair of the ERS Health and Environment Committee.

“Air pollution affects everybody, but most people are very limited in the actions they can take against it to protect their health,” she stated. “It falls to policy-makers to come up with some bold actions to tackle air pollution in our cities.”

The power of laughter and genetics

The ERS Congress, which welcomed nearly 20,000 delegates onsite or online over five days, covered a wide range of respiratory health topics. Notable presentations included studies on genetic risk factors for asthma, the impact of medical clowns on pediatric pneumonia patients, and the effects of fine particulate matter on respiratory immune responses.

Researchers presented a new method for calculating a person’s genetic risk of developing asthma. The study, involving about 12,000 participants, successfully predicted asthma-related conditions, with particularly strong results for childhood-onset asthma.

“Using the power of genetics, we were able to predict asthma and asthma-related outcomes in individuals by generating polygenic risk scores,” Bernard S. Striker, the lead author, explained. “We also showed distinct, genetically driven pathways underlying asthma pathophysiology, which could contribute to personalized treatment approaches and risk mitigation.”

In an unconventional study showcasing the congress’s diverse research, scientists found an unexpected aid for children’s respiratory illnesses: laughter. The research on pediatric pneumonia treatment showed that medical clowns significantly reduced hospital stays for young patients.

Dr Karin Yaacoby-Bianu, a pediatric pulmonologist from the Carmel Medical Center in Israel, reported that children with pneumonia who received twice-daily visits from medical clowns during their first 48 hours of hospitalization had shorter hospital stays – 43.5 hours on average compared to 70 hours.

“Laughter and humor may also have direct physiological benefits by lowering respiratory and heart rates, reducing air trapping, modulating hormones, and enhancing the immune function,” Yaacoby-Bianu said.

The results also showed children supported by clowning required fewer days of intravenous antibiotics. While the study didn’t investigate specific mechanisms, Yaacoby-Bianu suggested that by alleviating stress, medical clowns may indirectly support the body’s natural defense mechanisms, potentially reducing the need for antibiotic interventions.

“We proved that laughter is good for health,” Yaacoby-Bianu told Bloomberg. “Every procedure you try to do with a clown is much easier, much nicer. The child forgets that he is in a hospital.”

The conference also highlighted growing concerns over fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its impact on respiratory health. A comprehensive review examined how PM2.5 affects the respiratory immune system, suggesting that exposure significantly impairs immune cells’ response to microbial infections, potentially contributing to the development of severe respiratory diseases.

Among the hundreds of presentations in Vienna, other cutting-edge topics included the unique health dangers of wildfire smoke, AI-supported respiratory illness diagnoses and lung disease, and the effect of asthma on miscarriages.

COP29 Presidency is looking to make health a permanent issue at this and future COPs.

Health will be an important focus of the upcoming annual United Nations (UN) climate conference taking place in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to the COP29 Presidency and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Like the previous COP, there will be a health day and there is a slew of health-focused initiatives, according to Elmar Mammadov, co-lead of the COP29 Global and Regional Initiatives and Action Agenda Team.

The COP29 Presidency and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched the Harmonia 4 climate resilience initiative to empower farmers, villages, and rural communities.

Then there is the ‘Baku Initiative on Human Development for Climate Resilience’, which is a multi-sectoral initiative on health, education, jobs, green skills, and youth.

In addition, the COP29 Presidency is exploring a coalition along the lines of Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) that came out of COP26. ATACH is an informal voluntary network to share information-sharing and for cooperation administered by WHO.

“We would like COP29 Presidency to prioritize health on a permanent basis, to make it a long-term, sustainable topic to all COPs in the future,” Mammadov said. He added that the COP29 Presidency would like to bring together all the Presidencies since COP26, along with the WHO, and form a climate and health coalition.

The announcements were made during a webinar jointly organized by the COP29 Presidency and the WHO.

“It will be a very strong legacy on health, starting with the ATACH in COP26 and making sure that we have, every year, a more impactful presence on climate change and health,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO’s Director of Environment, Climate Change and Health.

Neira hailed the plans for collaboration between COP29 Presidency and other UN agencies like FAO, apart from the WHO to liaise on various issues that affect health.

Elmar Mammadov, Co-Lead of the COP29 Global and Regional Initiatives and Action Agenda Team.

Integrating health into city planning

It has become increasingly clear that the national governments have been slow to move on climate policies despite public rhetoric. And hence the focus has shifted to local administration as they have shown to be more willing to act.

“One of the key topic is integration of health into city planning,” Mammadov said. There will be several events and round tables that would focus on this topic.

“And one round table will be dedicated to nature, healthy cities and urban agriculture. This round table also will produce communicable call to action, [and] particularly will address urban agriculture, healthy cities and nature, because afforestation, reforestation also is one of the key topic for cities,” Mammadov said.

The Presidency has introduced the ‘Resilient and Healthy Cities’ initiative that will keep a track of the healthiest cities and address urban health issues. The World Heart Federation also began ranking cities based on the response to cardiovascular health this year, along similar lines.

COP29 is looking at health through food security, gender equity and environment, among others.

Focus on making COP29 inclusive

The location, high cost of attendance, visa issues and the allocation of time at COPs has usually meant that many groups are excluded.

“We would like to make COP29 inclusive. We would like to hear all voices, all proposals,” Mammadov said. He added that the goal would be to incorporate health into global initiatives to ensure it is a central theme in climate action.

Meanwhile, the Presidency will encourage multilateral development banks and multilateral climate funds to invest in each of these areas, so they get the required climate finance.

Image Credits: Unsplash.