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Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health
Climate change has significant repercussions for health, causing mortality and morbidity due to air pollution, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, storms, and floods, disruptions to food systems, and increased incidence of zoonoses, food, water, and vector-borne diseases, as well as mental health issues. These impacts are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable populations. At the same time, climate action generates significant health benefits and cost savings, providing additional rationale for ambition.
Recognizing both this opportunity and the severe health impacts, COP Presidencies have worked since COP23 to integrate health into the climate change agenda.
- COP23, hosted by Fiji, launched a special initiative on climate and health in Small Island Developing States, hosted the first event on health and climate change at a UNFCCC COP, and invited the first health report to the COP process.
- The "COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health: The Health Argument for Climate Action," launched in Glasgow, and the COP26 Health Program paved the way for the establishment of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), now the largest intergovernmental coalition in the space with over 90 commitments from countries.
- COP27 in Egypt introduced the Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN), aimed at catalyzing, mobilizing, connecting, and advocating for integrated climate and nutrition action.
- At COP28 in the UAE, the inaugural Health Day and COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health, signed by 151 Parties, further elevated the role of health in the climate change agenda and secured a global commitment to addressing climate-related health impacts. Health was also adopted as an integral part of the Global Goal on Adaptation / UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience under the formal negotiations.
The focus on climate and health continues into COP29 through the “Investing in Human Development, Health and Jobs for Climate Resilient Future” initiative, which was launched within the framework of COP29 Human Development/ Health/ Education/ Children and Youth Day on 18 November 2024. The initiative aims to ensure that investments in education, skills, health, and well-being for people over a lifetime, enabling societies to realize their full potential.
As part of this Initiative, COP29 marks the establishment of the Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health, uniting global stakeholders to institutionalize health within climate agenda. Formed by the five COP host countries: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – host of COP26, the Arab Republic of Egypt – host of COP27, the United Arab Emirates – host of COP28, the Republic of Azerbaijan – host of COP29 and the Federative Republic of Brazil – host of COP30, and WHO, the coalition aims to ensure that health remains central in the global climate agenda.
Recognizing the importance and growing number of initiatives and efforts, the Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health aims to help harmonize and synergize existing climate and health-related initiatives and build on commitments from previous COPs and other global events and agreements, such as the WHA77 Resolution on Climate Change and Health and COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health. The Coalition seeks to:
- Strengthen the inclusion of health in the climate agenda.
- Encourage future COP Presidencies to prioritize health as the crucial part of their Action Agenda Initiatives, including in partnership with the UNFCCC Secretariat.
- Convene multistakeholder meetings during COPs and in the interim periods to ensure continuity of initiatives and discussions from previous COPs.
- Serve as an umbrella platform for establishing an ongoing dialogue among existing and future health and climate initiatives to help facilitate synergy and complementarity and develop common policy and analytical approaches for climate and health work.
- Review progress from COP to COP regarding pledges and financing commitments taken by MDBs, countries, and other development and global health actors, encouraging accountability and adherence to promises made.
- Provide a venue for various initiatives (multilateral, country-to-country, philanthropy-led) to showcase their results, identify best practices, and offer recommendations based on results.
- Amplify the voices and perspectives of civil society, philanthropic organizations, academia, and most affected communities, in health discussions at COPs, ensuring all opinions and concerns are heard.
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