Climate Change and Health Key Priority in Strategic Program of Work 2025-2028: WHO

In a landmark decision, the World Health Organization (WHO) has integrated climate change response into its General Program of Work for 2025-2028, recognizing the escalating threat posed by climate change to global health. This strategic move showcases WHO's commitment to addressing the profound impact of climate change on health and prioritizing comprehensive interventions to mitigate its effects.

Dr. Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Health at WHO, emphasized the significance of this strategic shift, stating, that the body wholeheartedly embraces that GPW 14 has climate change and health as one of the WHO strategic priorities and acknowledge the profound impact of climate change on global health. Dr. Neira highlighted the imperative of protecting vulnerable populations, enhancing health system resilience, and promoting sustainable practices to safeguard both people and the planet.

In response, WHO aims to lead a comprehensive global health community response to the climate crisis, emphasizing evidence-based interventions to build climate-resilient health systems and promote environmentally sustainable practices. This initiative seeks to protect health amidst climate challenges, foster synergies between climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, and prioritize vulnerable populations.

Under the strategic objective of climate change and health, WHO will focus on two key areas:

Bolstering Climate-Resilient Health Systems: WHO will mobilize its capacities in health promotion, universal health coverage, and emergencies to ensure comprehensive health protection from climate-related risks.

Promoting Lower-Carbon Health Societies: WHO will guide progress towards health systems that are climate-resilient and low-carbon, advocating for actions across energy, food, transport, and urban systems to improve health and mitigate climate change.

These actions align with broader goals of scaling up primary health care, achieving universal health coverage, and advancing health-enhancing climate resilience and mitigation efforts at national and global levels.

By prioritizing climate change and health, WHO underscores the critical intersection of these issues with global public health. This strategic focus for 2025–2028 represents a decisive step towards healthier populations and a healthier planet, reaffirming WHO's commitment to addressing the most pressing challenges of our time.

(Source: World Health Organization)