WHO and the global community must integrate climate change into health priorities, develop climate-resilient health systems, and mobilise sustainable financing to address significant gaps and protect vulnerable populations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified climate change as the greatest health threat facing humanity three years ago, and the urgency has only increased. The upcoming World Health Assembly can turn climate-related health rhetoric into action by adopting a resolution on the climate-health challenge and approving the WHO’s next global program of work, which elevates climate change as a critical health issue and outlines directives for member states. The current health systems are largely unprepared for climate impacts, as shown by a 2021 WHO survey revealing that only a minority of countries have assessed the climate resilience of their healthcare facilities or integrated climate data into health surveillance.
Recent global commitments, such as the Paris Agreement and the declarations from the G20 and COP28, underscore the need for concerted action on climate-health risks. The WHO’s fourteenth general programmme of work (GPW14) will guide strategic priorities and budget allocation, focusing on building climate-resilient health systems. However, addressing the significant financing gaps remains a challenge. The global community falls short in resourcing climate adaptation, especially for vulnerable communities. To mobilise necessary funding, innovative financing strategies, including debt-for-health swaps and public-private partnerships, are essential. The WHO and its member states must collaborate to integrate climate-health objectives into development assistance and build resilient health systems amidst converging global crises.
