Achieving this outcome will require close intersectoral coordination to design health and other sector policies that reduce waste generation and health-related environmental challenges, maximize health benefits, and reduce health disparities. It is essential that the health sector have the human, technological, and financial capacity to fully understand the current and future health impacts of various slow-onset and extreme environmental conditions and phenomena and take adaptation and mitigation action to promote low-carbon, climate-resilient health systems, developed with social participation and tailored to the needs of populations in situations of vulnerability. Specifically, the following actions will be implemented:

1. Position health-related environmental challenges centrally in the health sector and other sectors’ agendas and promote investment to address their health impacts by strengthening intra- and intersectoral governance mechanisms and galvanizing political and social support, including through the participation of communities and civil society, especially civil society organizations representing populations in situations of vulnerability.

2. Strengthen the health sector’s capacity for adaptation and climate resilience, including to address climate-sensitive diseases and health conditions, by building capacities, improving programs, and coordinating with other sectors to anticipate, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the health impacts of slow-onset and extreme environmental conditions and phenomena, while protecting populations in situations of vulnerability and small island states.

3. Improve actions to develop low-carbon, climate-resilient health systems. This will also contribute to the achievement of health co-benefits and the reduction of health disparities in societies.

4. Improve the development and implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies that protect health and reduce health disparities by strengthening the generation, communication, and use of evidence that considers the differential risks of different population groups.

Key Interventions

• Strengthen countries’ capacities to anticipate, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the health impacts of environmental challenges, including air pollution.
• Support the development and revision of norms, legislation, strategies, and plans to prevent exposure and protect health from the risks of environmental challenges, including air pollution.
• Provide technical cooperation to design and implement low-carbon, environmentally sustainable, and resilient health care facilities, and systems.
• Develop and strengthen countries’ capacities to establish and operationalize intersectoral governance mechanisms to adapt and mitigate the health risks of environmental challenges.
• Strengthen health surveillance systems and promote the integration of environmental, health, and sociodemographic data to support evidence-based decision-making.
• Provide direct support to countries for the preparation and implementation of projects related to the intersection of the environment and health.