Several Opportunities to Address the Health Impact of Climate at COP29 
The venue of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The United Nations (UN) climate change meeting, COP29, will feature a Health Day on 18 November as part of the negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Maria Neira said that the global body wants to ensure that health is “very prominent” in all the member states’ climate negotiations, which run from 11-22 November.

“We have two objectives. One is making sure that everybody understands that the climate crisis is a health crisis, and that climate change is negatively affecting our health, and we need to respond to that,” Neira told a media briefing on Wednesday.

“The second objective is to convince all the negotiators, participants, and member states that whatever they do to mitigate the process of climate change will have enormous potential health benefits,” said Neira, who directs the WHO’s Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health.

The Health Day will kick off with a high-level meeting on the Baku Initiative on Human Development for Climate Resilience, which aims to strengthen human development to address climate change, particularly in education, health, social protection, and green jobs and skills.

COP29 presidency official Elmar Mammador

“As part of the Baku initiative’s guiding principles, we emphasize the importance of science, knowledge generation and sharing as a part of the climate action,” COP presidency official Elmar Mammador told the briefing.

Other events focused on food, agriculture and water have health implications, while a high-level roundtable on 19 November on One Health “highlights the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health”, he added.

Mammador said that nine declarations had been finalised so far and some also offered opportunities for health interventions, including green energy, organic waste and pathways to resilient and healthy cities. 

A high-level meeting on resilient cities will be held on 20 November, which includes the integration of health in city planning.

“The President’s Climate and Health Continuity Coalition will have as one of its focus areas a platform where stakeholders can share reports and research findings on climate and health, and on biodiversity and health. Human health is inseparable from the health of our ecosystems, and biodiversity is essential to safeguarding human health,” said Mammador.

The WHO, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, is also hosting a Health Pavilion at the COP29 which aims to “ensure health and equity are placed at the centre of climate negotiations”, according to WHO. 

“It will offer a rich two-week programme of events showcasing evidence, initiatives and solutions to maximize the health benefits of tackling climate change across regions, sectors and communities,” said Neira.

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