"In the run-up to COP28, the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the global health community, is raising its voice to ensure that the impact of climate change on health takes center stage in the negotiations. It is imperative to broaden the focus to human health in global discussions, leaving no room for excuses, and compelling negotiators to recognize that they bear the responsibility for the well-being of our most invaluable asset: the health of populations worldwide," the statement read.
WHO considers it essential that COP28 attendees understand that climate change is "a direct threat to global health that can no longer be ignored or downplayed."
"Leaders must deliver in Dubai, providing the strong health outcomes their peoples expect and their economies urgently need. We must change the conversation and demonstrate the massive benefits of bolder climate action on our health and well-being," WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said.
Extreme weather events, increasingly frequent and destructive, including droughts, floods and heatwaves, put additional pressure on health infrastructure around the world, the statement read.
"As the climate crisis jeopardizes lives and livelihoods, global food systems struggle to sustain a growing population, and compromised water sources compound the challenges. In parallel, climate change is catalyzing a surge in infectious diseases like dengue and cholera, endangering millions," WHO said.
"Therefore, the countries of the world need to take joint action to mitigate the impact of climate change on health systems and "build a sustainable future for all," the statement further read.
COP28 is scheduled to take place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12.
The Paris Agreement on climate change was signed by 195 members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2015. It envisages keeping the rise in mean global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably limiting the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In early November, US-based climate research group Climate Central said that Earth had experienced the hottest 12-month stretch in recorded history from November 2022 to October 2023. Over that period, average temperatures in 170 out of 175 examined countries surpassed 30-year norms, while only two — Iceland and Lesotho — saw temperatures below the norm, it added.