With COP29 coming up this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, health is certain to be a major topic of conversation. Speakers in a recent webinar hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the COP29 chair emphasized the vital link between health and climate change. Raising awareness of the negative health effects of climate change and incorporating health into negotiating streams are the main goals of this year’s conference.
The WHO’s Director of Environment, Climate Change, and Health, Dr. Maria Neira, declared that “the climate crisis is a health crisis.” She emphasized the necessity of addressing the detrimental health implications of climate change and the significance of making sure that mitigation measures have a positive impact on health.
The WHO and Welcome Trust will host a Health Pavilion at COP29, which will include a Health Day on November 18 and a two-week schedule of events. The WHO’s COP29 Special Report on the Health Benefits of Climate Initiatives will be released.
Co-Lead of the COP29:
Elmar Mammadov, Co-Lead of the COP29 Global and Regional Initiatives and Action Agenda Team, clarified that “health will be integrated across various themes, emphasizing the need for equitable climate action that prioritizes vulnerable populations.”
The conference seeks to elevate health to the forefront of climate policy through programs like the Baku Initiative on Human Development for Climate Resilience, which kicks off Health Day, and the One Health approach, which emphasizes “the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health,” he said.
Discussions on the health of mothers, newborns, and children as well as the relationship between food, agriculture, and urban planning will also take center stage.
The diverse agenda reflects a growing recognition that health cannot be separated from climate action.
With health set to have a bigger spotlight at COP29, stakeholders are encouraged to engage in this vital dialogue. “We want to ensure that health remains a key argument for advancing climate action,” Dr Neira reaffirmed.
COP29 Health Pavilion:
WHO in collaboration with the Welcome Trust and the health community will be hosting the Health Pavilion at the COP29 UN Climate Conference, taking place in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. The Health Pavilion will convene the global health community and key stakeholders across various sectors to ensure health and equity are placed at the center of climate negotiations.
It will offer a rich 2-week program of events showcasing evidence, initiatives and solutions to maximize the health benefits of tackling climate change across regions, sectors and communities.
COP29 Health Pavilion will be located in the Blue Zone of the Baku Stadium. All in-person participants have to secure their badges to enter the Blue Zone by being part of their national delegation or any other official delegation.
One Health Approach:
The goal of One Health is to optimize and sustainably balance the health of people, animals, and ecosystems through a unified, integrated approach.
It acknowledges the tight connections and interdependencies between the health of people, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the larger environment, including ecosystems.
Although food, energy, water, health, and the environment are all broad subjects with sector-specific issues, cooperation between disciplines and sectors helps to safeguard health, address health issues like the rise of infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, and food safety, and support the integrity and well-being of our ecosystems.
One Health can cover the entire spectrum of disease control, from prevention to detection, readiness, response, and management, and contribute to global health security by tying humans, animals, and the environment together.
The strategy depends on effective and shared governance, communication, cooperation, and coordination and can be implemented at the local, subnational, national, regional, and international levels.
People can more easily comprehend the co-benefits, dangers, trade-offs, and possibilities to promote equitable and comprehensive solutions when the One Health approach is implemented.
COP29 aims to play a key role in advancing health-related commitments made in previous COPs by embedding health into climate action on a permanent basis.
This will be achieved through the establishment of a Coalition involving the presidencies of COP26 to COP30 and WHO (potentially involving COP23 Fiji Presidency).
The Coalition’s objectives are to mobilize collective efforts and funding to enhance climate and health initiatives, promote adherence to previous health-related pledges and commitments, and harmonize ongoing climate and health projects.
A High-Level Communique on One Health for Nurturing Human Development is expected to be adopted, advocating for the integration of One Health principles into COP processes and emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to addressing global health and environmental challenges. (This was integrated into the agenda following a One Health Symposium organized by WCO-AZE).
