Countries across the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region are facing growing health impacts from climate change − including from extreme weather events, changing disease patterns and increasing pressure on health systems. Strengthening the climate resilience and environmental sustainability of health systems is critical to protecting health and delivering on the vision of WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14) − to promote, provide and protect health and well-being for all.
Many Western Pacific Member States have made national and global commitments to advance climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems, including through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Yet implementation remains complex, with competing priorities, resource constraints and capacity challenges.
The Inaugural Western Pacific Action Forum on Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Health Systems, to be held in Singapore, will provide a platform for Member States to exchange experience, strengthen technical and policy capacity, and identify practical approaches to accelerate action.
The Forum will also serve as the regional platform for the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH). It will support engagement in global workstreams, foster peer learning, and elevate the Western Pacific Region’s contribution to shaping coordinated, impactful solutions at the climate and health nexus.
The general objective of this Member State consultation is to strengthen coordination, technical capacity and practical support for the implementation of the ATACH commitments across the WHO Western Pacific Region, enabling countries to build climate-resilient and low-carbon sustainable health systems. Specifically:
(1) to strengthen political commitment and policy prioritization for building climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems across the Western Pacific Region;
(2) to build capacity and facilitate knowledge exchange on effective health system adaptation and mitigation measures aligned with national and UNFCCC commitments; and
(3) to catalyse regional engagement and leadership in ATACH.
