| Thursday, 07 November 2024 MEDIA ADVISORY World Health Organization, key health initiatives at COP29 The 29th United Nations annual climate conference (COP29), taking place from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, marks a significant milestone in the global effort to integrate health and climate action, building on commitments made at previous COPs and pushing forward the health agenda to protect health in the face of climate change. The World Health Organization (WHO) will be at COP29 with the Health Pavilion and high-level events and initiatives, to emphasize the urgent need for integrating health into climate policies and promote the health argument for bold, ambitious and urgent climate action by national negotiators. New reports highlight the importance of climate action to improve health and wellbeing The COP29 special report on climate change and health – Health is the argument for climate action and the Quality criteria for integrating health into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), released on 07 November, stress the importance of positioning health at the core of all climate negotiations, strategies, policies and action plans, to save lives and secure healthier futures for present and future generations. Key media moments and resources - Virtual press conference: WHO at COP29 and launch of the reports, was held on 07 November; speakers were Dr Maria Neira, Director of the WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health; Dr Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Team Lead, Climate Change and Health, WHO; Dr Vanessa Kerry, WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health; and Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of Programs at The Rockefeller Foundation. The recording can be accessed here: video and audio.
- WHO at COP29 curtain-raiser press release, 07 November 2024
- Joint WHO/UNICEF/Lancet Countdown press conference, 14.00 AST (11.00 CET, 10.00 GMT) on 12 November, UNFCCC Media Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan (livestreamed on UNFCCC channels). Speakers: Dr Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO; Abheet Solomon, Senior Advisor, Environment, UNICEF; and Maria Walawender, Climate Change and Health Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown
- WHO experts are available for interviews, please send your requests to smailbegovica@who.int and mediainquiries@who.int. For interviews with the experts from the WHO Western Pacific Region, including Regional Director Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala please contact dojcanoval@who.int
- WHO press releases/departmental news stories will be sent to the WHO media list and posted on https://www.who.int/news. The releases to be issued following key events 18, 19 and 20 November would include a release on Baku COP29 advances health-climate commitments with new coalition (18 November), ATACH key outcomes (19 November) and COP29 Multisectoral Actions Partnership (MAP) to foster climate-resilient, sustainable, and healthy cities (20 November).
- WHO daily highlights will be sent regularly to our media list and posted on UNFCCC pages
- More information about health-related events at COP29 will be available in COP29/UNFCCC daily updates
COP29 health highlights Through various health initiatives, COP29 will advance previously made global health commitments and reinforce the critical inclusion of health within the climate agenda. Further details, including events to be held during the World Leaders Climate Action Summit (12 and 13 November) can be found at the Health at COP29 webpage. - The COP29 Health Pavilion, 11-22 November 2024, Blue Zone, Baku Stadium. Hosted by WHO in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust and the health community, the Health Pavilion will once again will offer a rich two- week programme of events to showcase evidence, initiatives and solutions to maximize the health benefits of tackling climate change across regions, sectors and communities. All events at the COP29 Health Pavilion events will be live-streamed and are open to the media to join.
- The Health Argument for Climate Action, focusing on maternal, newborn, and child health, a WHO and UNICEF high-level event will take place at 16.45 AST (13.45 CET, 12.45 GMT) on 12 November, Health Pavilion (Room SE4). WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden will host the event which is open to journalists with a valid Blue Zone accreditation. It will also be livestreamed on WHO pages.
- COP Presidencies bringing Health at the Centre of Climate Agenda, World Climate Action Summit High-Level Party Event hosted by WHO, Spain, Azerbaijan, COP 29 Presidency will be held on 13 November, 17:30 – 18:45 AST in Meeting Room 23. This is an in-person only event.
- Integrating health into Nationally Determined Contributions: healthy NDCs, hosted by WHO, Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) and UNDP on 13 November, 11:00-12:30 AST, NGIC/UNDP Blue Zone Pavilion
COP29 Health Day, 18 November The day will be dedicated to human development, children and youth, health and education. Key health initiatives will include: - Investing in Human Development for Climate Resilience, high-level COP29 Presidency event will take place from 09:30-11:30 AST in Nasimi Room. Azerbaijan, the UN agencies co-leading this initiative (WHO, ILO, UNICEF, and UNESCO), and several multilateral development banks (MDBs) will adopt a Joint Statement and the Baku Principles of Human Development for Climate Resilience.
- High-level Roundtable on Climate and Health (14:00-16:00 AST, Hirkan Room) will focus on ensuring continuity and synergy across climate and health initiatives, particularly emphasising implementing commitments. Highlights:
- Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health, co-led by the UK, Egypt, UAE, Azerbaijan, and Brazil, in partnership with the WHO, to strengthen partnerships, scale up innovative climate-health financing, and operationalize solutions to enhance health resilience in the face of climate change.
- Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP) will be operationalized. Established at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in June 2023 by WHO, Islamic Development Bank, African Development Bank and European Investment Bank, HIIP aims to make over €1.5 billion available for health financing through concessional loans and grants.
Other health events of interest See https://cop29.az/en/programming for additional information. - Achieving transformative climate action through gender-responsive, rights-based economic approaches, UN event on human rights, Tuesday, 12 November, from 13:15-14:45 AST in Side Event Room 3
- Turning ambition into action: scaling up adaptation finance for achieving the Global Goal on Adaptation, hosted by COP29 on 13 November, 14.30-16.00 AST, Meeting Room 21
- Enhancing Climate and Health Action in Pacific Island Countries and Territories, 15 November at the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, on the Pacific nations’ unique vulnerabilities to climate change and its impacts on health, and innovative solutions and ways to amplify youth voices to address these pressing challenges. The event will feature Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific and is open to media.
- High-level Roundtable on One Health for Nurturing Human Development, 15:30-16:30 AST, Nasimi Room on 19 November, the COP29 Food, Water and Agriculture Day
- The Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) will host a full day of events at the COP29 Health Pavilion (Blue Zone)
- The "Baku Urban Partnership Process" will focus on fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration for climate-resilient and healthy cities, with a declaration adopted at the 3rd Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change at COP29 on 20 November
- The Ministerial Meeting on 20 November, COP29 Urbanization, Transport, and Tourism Day, will feature a high-level plenary and thematic roundtables on urban climate resilience, covering topics such as green construction, transport infrastructure, and climate finance
- Nature, Health, and Resilience/Agriculture in Cities roundtable on 20 November will address extreme heat, promote nature-based solutions, and enhance urban agriculture for improved health and resilience.
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