European Regional Dialogue: accelerating action on climate and health
About this event
At this historic moment, when global actors are increasingly recognizing the links between climate change and health, WHO is bringing health leaders to the forefront of the debate at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) to give them the voice they need and deserve. To this end, the first-ever Health Day and Climate-Health Ministerial at a UN Climate Change Conference will be held on 3 December.
Countries in the WHO European Region are moving faster to take action on climate change to protect our health and that of future generations. Through this European Regional Dialogue, which brings together health leaders from the Region and beyond, we aim to unpack the different dimensions of the climate change and health agenda, focusing on regional policy and political commitments, recognizing the power of new partnership opportunities, and learning from national ambitions for climate action. Our aim is to empower the health community by making its voice heard to ensure that health is well-anchored in the climate change agenda and to pave the way for strong and straightforward policies at the national and local level. We must act now, we must act together.
The outcomes of the European Regional Dialogue will provide important input to the COP28 Climate–Health Ministerial, which will take place immediately after the Dialogue.
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Objectives of the Dialogue: • Enhance understanding and commitment. To emphasize to COP28 delegates the links between climate change and health and to encourage commitment to immediate action. • Showcase leadership. To highlight the exemplary role of countries in the WHO European Region in advancing climate action to protect the health of current and future generations. • Accelerate action and policy insights. To prioritise the acceleration of climate action through regional multilateral commitments facilitated by novel partnerships. • Drive collaboration and policy implementation. To inspire delegates to work together and take concrete steps to implement climate and health commitments at all levels of governance. |
Provisional session structure
The Dialogue is organized by three main scenes:
Scene 1: Climate crisis is a health crisis. The scene will start by highlighting that the climate crisis is a health crisis – here and now. It will feature a vision and strategic outlook for climate change and health and well-being, and position and contextualize existing regional commitments, such as the climate and health commitments laid down in the Budapest Declaration. It will also inform on forthcoming global initiatives, such as the new World Health Assembly resolution on climate and health, while also elaborating on how the climate crisis amplifies other crises.
Scene 2: Partnership opportunities. The scene will emphasize the need for regional and cross-regional collaboration and partnerships as essential building blocks for advancing climate and health goals. The European (EHP) Partnership for Health Sector Climate Action and the upcoming Transatlantic partnership on climate change and health across WHO European and American regions will be featured in the scene.
Scene 3: Countries’ priorities and action. High-level delegates from Member States will be invited to share their priorities and national initiatives and success stories in national policymaking and action. The scene will be concluded by a response reflection by a youth delegate.
