Regional Consultations on Climate Change and Health

4 May – 5 October 2021

In April 2021, the WHO-Civil Society Working Group on Climate and Health, co-chaired by WHO and GCHA, together with the WHO Regional Offices and other health partners, hosted a series of six Regional Consultations on Climate Change and Health.

The Regional Consultations were intended to:

  1. solicit and elevate health sector recommendations on climate action;
  2. strengthen linkages between country, regional and global initiatives on climate change and health;
  3. collect a set of regional case studies highlighting leadership and innovation within each region; and
  4. continue to advance support for the WHO Manifesto for a Healthy and Green Recovery from COVID-19.

To this end, the regional consultations brought together representatives from organizations working on issues related to health, climate change, and sustainable development, as well as youth and indigenous organizations, and organizations working with other impacted and vulnerable communities. In addition, the consultations engaged national and local government representatives from ministries of health and other relevant ministries, and from regional governance bodies.

To maximize opportunities for relationship-building and deeper dialogue and consultation, the regional consultations engaged a smaller audience of representatives from the region’s key organizations.

These consultations build on the recent demonstration of health leadership in climate action, including the Healthy Recovery letter sent to leaders of the G20 countries by organizations representing 40 million health professionals; and the Race to Zero Dialogue on Climate and Health, and were part of a series of activities paving the way to COP26 and the 2021 Global Conference on Health and Climate Change.

In a year where action on climate change is crucial, these consultations provided an important opportunity for guidance from the health community to climate decision makers. Given the extraordinary pressures and demands on the health community during the ongoing pandemic, the aim of the consultations was also to provide an efficient opportunity for health organizations to engage and lend their weight to these discussions.

Programme

The Regional Consultations consisted of four-hour meetings to allow for consultative interaction in two major breakout sessions, as well as the sharing of case studies and participation in workshops. Live interpretation were provided in some regions for both plenary and breakout sessions.

The featured topics and speakers were developed in partnership with the respective WHO regional office and regional planning committees, comprised of representatives from 6 – 10 organizations, thereby ensuring the programme was tailored to the priorities and needs of each region.

Recordings of the Regional Consultations

In order to foster engaged conversation during these consultations, the number of live participants was limited. If you have any further questions, please reach out to the WHO climate team.

 

Read More

WHO Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate Change

Call for Case Studies on Climate Change and Health

WHO Manifesto for a Green and Healthy Recovery from COVID-19

COP26 Key Messages on Climate Change and Health

WHO's work on climate change and Health