WHO Technical Advisory Group on Embedding Ethics in Health and Climate Change Policy: meeting report, 7 February 2024

Overview

The World Health Organization recognizes climate change as the biggest health threat facing humanity. In furtherance of its mandate of “articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options”, WHO’s Health Ethics and Governance Unit has established a new and dedicated workstream on climate change, health and ethics.

Through this work, WHO is committed to working with Member States, United Nations and other international agencies, and the wider global health and research community to deliver a range of supporting tools and materials to help navigate ethical issues across the health (and health research) and climate change fields, and to embed them effectively in relevant policies. The Technical Advisory Group on Embedding Ethics in Health and Climate Change Policy (TAG-Ethics & Climate Health) was established in December 2023 to advise and support this initiative.

On 7 February 2024, 11 members of the TAG-Ethics & Climate Health held their first meeting. The objectives were to introduce themselves to each other and the project team; to review initial scoping materials and identify omissions; to discuss methodologies; and to start thinking about appropriate case studies.