Proposal for a global action plan The Climate Change and Health Plan (2025-2028) aims to address the global health crisis caused by climate changeThe plan was developed following extensive consultations with Member States, civil society organisations, experts and WHO staff. It was prepared in accordance with resolution WHA77.14.

Key points of the plan:

• Goals and principles: The plan builds on the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Key principles include adaptability, a holistic approach, community-based approach, human rights, environmental justice and gender equality.
• Three main areas of activity:
  • Leadership, coordination and advocacy: Integrate health into national and global climate programs. WHO should play a leading role in implementing the plan. Member States should support implementation and coordination with WHO.
  • Evidence and monitoring: Create a robust evidence base that is directly linked to policy, implementation and monitoring. Support research and development for the detection, prevention and treatment of climate-sensitive diseases.
  • Country-level action and capacity building: Support climate change adaptation efforts to address health risks and support mitigation efforts that maximize health benefits. Ensure that health systems and health facilities are climate resilient, low-carbon and environmentally sustainable.
• Monitoring and evaluation: Coordination and monitoring of the plan will take place internally within the three levels of WHO. Regular meetings with leading international agencies are to ensure strategic alignment.

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Glossary of Key Terms

• Adaptation: Adaptation to existing or expected effects of climate change. In the context of health, this means implementing measures to minimize the negative impacts of climate change on population health.
• Mitigation: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In the context of health, this may include reducing the carbon footprint of healthcare facilities.
• Global Action Plan: In this context, it is the WHO plan (2025-2028) to address the impacts of climate change on health, which defines goals, objectives and proposed actions.
• UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change): The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international treaty that sets a framework for international cooperation to address climate change.
• Paris Agreement: An international agreement under the UNFCCC that aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.
• Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Nationally Determined Contributions, in which each country defines its goals and plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement.
• Health in All Policies: An approach that emphasizes that health is affected by policies across all sectors and requires coordination and collaboration between different government agencies.
• One Health: A concept that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health. In the context of climate change, this means a coordinated approach to addressing the impact of climate change on all three.
• Planetary Health: A concept that focuses on the connection between human health and the health of the planet, emphasizing that human health depends on the health of ecosystems.
• REACH Agenda (Research for Action on Climate Change and Health): WHO research agenda aimed at linking evidence to implementation measures in the field of climate change and health.
• Net Zero: The state where greenhouse gas emissions are balanced by their removal from the atmosphere, achieving zero net contribution to global warming.
• Climate-resilient health systems: Health systems that are able to anticipate, absorb, adapt and transform the negative impacts of climate change so that they are able to function effectively even in changing climate conditions.