The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Government of Brazil and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), will host the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health in Brasília, Brazil, from 29– 31 July 2025. This critical event is an official pre-COP30 meeting and comes at a pivotal time as climate change increasingly threatens global health. It offers a key platform for advancing bold and equitable climate-health solutions. The Conference is also the second meeting of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and health (ATACH).
For over 25 years, WHO has warned that climate change poses a direct threat to human health," said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at WHO. "The danger is no longer theoretical – it is a lived reality. Climate change is fuelling a health crisis and threatens to undo decades of global health progress.
Conference goals
The Brasília Conference will help chart a clear course toward COP30 and beyond.
Main expected outcomes include:
- concrete inputs to the draft Belém Health Action Plan, a roadmap for embedding health into global climate policy;
- national commitments under ATACH to support the implementation of the Belém Health Action Plan;
- defined pathways for promoting health as a core pillar of climate action in the lead-up to COP30; and
- scientific deliverables to support health-informed climate policies and implementation.
"The impacts of climate change affect primarily the most vulnerable, who are an absolute priority for the Brazilian government. That's why we are building concrete solutions, with social participation and a commitment to the planet's future" said Alexandre Padilha, Minister of Health, Brazil. "This conference is a response to the call from the COP30 Presidency for a major global task force that brings together different sectors to formulate the health action plan that Brazil will present in Belém, proving that it is possible to integrate health and climate with real, innovative solutions that have a direct impact on people's lives."
WHO is working closely with the COP30 Presidency to ensure that health remains central to all climate negotiations. The Conference will spotlight strategies for building resilient health systems, promoting sustainable and low-carbon health systems, and reinforcing the link between climate, biodiversity, air quality, and public health.
After years of commitments, the moment for action is now. WHO is calling on all countries to dramatically scale up investments in climate-health mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
Attendance at the event is by invitation only. More details can be found on the event page .
"To address the consequences of climate change and promote health and well-being for all, it is essential to place populations and territories in situations of vulnerability at the centre of our actions, since they bear the brunt of climate impacts but are the least responsible for it," said Dr Gerry Eijkemans, Director of PAHO's Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity.
High-level participants from across the globe
The Conference will bring together ministers, scientists, civil society, and international organizations from around the world, and will also serve as the annual in-person meeting of the WHO-hosted Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), the largest platform bringing together over 90 countries and partners aiming to advance climate change and health implementation at country level. It will be held in-person in Brasília, with main plenary sessions live-streamed for global participation.
WHO emphasizes that human health, the environment, and the climate are inseparably connected, and failure to act decisively on climate change could lead to widespread health catastrophes. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and worsening air pollution already cause millions of deaths and undermine global health systems. But coordinated action can still reverse this trajectory.
The WHO will launch its 7th Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM) report - focused on the health of migrants in the context of climate change - on Tuesday, 28 July.
