The Health Argument for Climate Action: Special Focus on Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health

The climate crisis is a health crisis - and progress on children's health globally is in danger of being reversed. 

A lack of progress in reducing emissions and building adaptive capacity threatens both human lives, the human right to health and the viability of national health systems. Additionally, the same human activities that are destabilizing the Earth’s climate also contribute directly to poor health. Children have unique vulnerabilities that make them more susceptible, directly and indirectly, to climate-related hazards compared to other populations: they breath more rapidly, they have poorer thermal regulation, and their bodily systems shaping their immunity and cognitive function are still developing. 

At COP29 in Azerbaijan, WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden will be hosting a dialogue along with passionate government leaders and youth advocates to explore the health argument for climate action, why it should always center its focus on maternal, newborn and child populations globally, and how child and youth can contribute to informing critical climate and health policies, advocacy, and progress. They will also speak to the role of health determined sectors and how children's environmental health can be prioritized through existing collaborative platforms.

Please note that this event can only be attended in person in Zone B (Blue Zone) at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. To do so, attendees will need to possess the required clearances and/or conference badge. To apply for a badge, please find more information at https://unfccc.int/cop29/ifp#Registration