COP28: Hope for global health sector in climate change discourse

According to the COP28 president in his maiden speech during the official opening of COP 28, a climate change crisis has brought about health concerns which need to be addressed urgently.

The Health and Climate Change crisis conversation will therefore take centre stage for the first time in the 27-year history of Conference of Parties on climate change (COP), with a  day dedicated on the theme Health/Relief, Recovery, and Peace on December 3 in Dubai-UAE.

The day will be hosted by the COP28 Presidency along with the World Health Organization (WHO), and will see the very first climate-health ministerial day which will be attended by global health ministers and other stakeholders attendance.

“The science has spoken,” Dr. Sultan Al Jaber told delegates. “It has confirmed the moment is now to find a new road, a road wide enough for all of us, free of the obstacles and detours of the past. That new road starts with a decision on the Global Stocktake, a decision that is ambitious, corrects course and accelerates action to 2030.”

The African Climate Change and Health stakeholders started the Health inclusion talk early 2023.