Health emerged as one of the major issues at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 22. Recognising the increasing risks that climate change poses  to global health, the conference highlighted the importance of integrating health considerations into climate policies.

A major highlight of COP29 was the establishment of the Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health. The new coalition, led by Azerbaijan and supported by previous COP hosts Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and upcoming host Brazil, is dedicated to ensuring that health remains a central focus at future UN climate summits. 

In a press conference after signing the "Letter of Intent", Azerbaijan’s Minister of Health, Teymur Musayev, emphasized the coalition's commitment to integrating climate and health policies into all areas of governance and development. 

“By signing the Letter of Intent, we commit to a shared vision of a world where climate and health policies are not isolated but integrated into all aspects of governance and development,” he said adding that the coalition was “not created for dialogue alone.” 

The Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) was launched at COP26 in Glasgow with the goal of making health systems more resilient to climate change. Now comprising 91 nations, including Azerbaijan, which joined at COP29 in Baku, the coalition represents half of the countries involved in UN climate summits. 

WHO hailed the letter of intent as a “significant milestone,” while its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said it “unites the visionary leadership” of COP host countries and shows “a collective will to prioritize climate and health now and for the future.”

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev called the coalition “another step towards synergistic action on climate and health.”

“Human health is the most compelling argument for climate action,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, said at an event on health and the climate at COP29 in Baku.

In the COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health published in October 2024, WHO warns that, "climate change and air pollution increase risks of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD's) and air pollution is linked to almost 7 million premature deaths annually.”

Last year at COP28 in Dubai, over 120 countries backed a Climate and Health Declaration, which was hailed as a "breakthrough" moment for health in climate talks. During the event, a two-week series of climate side events also took place at a large WHO Health Pavilion  in Dubai, showcasing the effects of climate change on food systems, air pollution, household pollution, energy, and biodiversity.

However, health-specific climate action remains severely underfunded. At COP29, health financing announcements amounted to a single $10 million grant from the Islamic Development Bank to the WHO. 

The intersection of HIV and climate change was also a key discussion point at COP29. Azerbaijan highlighted its success in combating HIV, including free antiretroviral therapy and strong partnerships with organizations like WHO. 

However, it was noted that climate-related disasters worsen health challenges by disrupting HIV care and prevention services, straining mental health, and exacerbating social vulnerabilities such as child marriage and violence.

According to a WHO report released ahead of COP29, meeting the targets set in the Paris Agreement could prevent two million deaths each year by addressing climate change and disease.

However, the challenge remains to ensure that commitments translate into effective action. Like previous COPs, COP29 once again "set the stage" for future climate-health initiatives at COP30 and beyond.

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