By Abdullahi Lukman
The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Government of Brazil and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), will host the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health in Brasília from 29 to 31 July 2025.
This high-level event, serving as an official pre-COP30 meeting, aims to drive global action on the health impacts of climate change.
The conference will bring together ministers, scientists, civil society representatives, and international organizations to identify concrete health-focused climate strategies.
Key expected outcomes include inputs to the Belém Health Action Plan, national commitments under the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), and scientific contributions to inform health-based climate policy.
It will also mark the second official meeting of ATACH, a global platform involving over 90 countries and partners.
“The threat is no longer theoretical – it is a lived reality,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director of WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.
WHO has emphasized for over 25 years that climate change poses a direct risk to global health, with current impacts already undermining health systems and contributing to millions of deaths through extreme weather, air pollution, and rising temperatures.
Brazil’s Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, stressed the urgency of inclusive, people-centered solutions, especially for vulnerable populations.
“This conference is a response to the COP30 Presidency’s call for a global task force to build a health action plan with real, innovative solutions,” he said.
The event will also include the launch of WHO’s 7th Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM), focusing on migrant health in the context of climate change.
While the event is by invitation only, plenary sessions will be live-streamed to ensure global participation.
WHO urges all countries to ramp up investments in climate-health adaptation and resilience, highlighting that protecting public health must remain central to climate negotiations.
