COP30: PAHO Director call countries to implement the Belém Health Action Plan to build more resilient, inclusive health systems – PAHO/WHO

For COP30 Health Day, Dr. Barbosa highlighted the importance of social participation and innovation to help health systems adapt to environmental challenges.

Belém, Brazil, November 13, 2025 (PAHO)— The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, celebrated the launch of the Belem Action Plan for the Adaptation of the Health Sector to Climate Changeand called on countries to implement it through concrete measures to achieve more resilient and low-emission health systems, with a focus on vulnerable populations and the promotion of social participation.

“Today I call on the Ministers of Health to support and integrate the Belém Health Action Plan in their national climate strategies,» the PAHO Director said in a Health Day keynote speech at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place from November 10 to 21 in Belém, Brazil. He also called on «development partners and financial institutions to help close resource gaps and build the resilience of health systems.»

Dr. Barbosa highlighted that the Amazon forest environment of COP30 “reminds us of the urgency of climate action and the imperative of health equity.” For this reason, the PAHO Director also called on “civil society and local communities to participate in decision-making, and on policymakers to ensure that equity and the voices of marginalized groups and indigenous peoples guide our response.”

“The climate crisis is, fundamentally, a health crisis,” added Dr. Barbosa, “the most vulnerable countries and communities will bear the heaviest burdens of climate change,” he warned.

The Director of PAHO pointed out that implementing the three pillars of the plan—surveillance and monitoring; evidence-based policies and capacity development; and innovation and production—will give the Region of the Americas “a framework to strengthen health systems and generate resilience.” For this reason, Dr. Barbosa considered the Belém Action Plan a roadmap “to protect lives and promote equity in a changing climate.”

The Belem Health Action Plan was developed with the technical support of PAHO and is aligned with the Policy for Strengthening Equity-Oriented Health Sector Action on Climate Change and Health, an initiative approved by PAHO Member States in 2024.

Leadership of the Americas

The Director of PAHO emphasized the leadership demonstrated by the countries of the Americas in the implementation of a wide range of measures related to climate and health. Dr. Barbosa cited PAHO’s support for “integrated health monitoring platforms in cities like Rio de Janeiro to forecast extreme heat and air quality events” and the expansion of the Smart Hospitals Initiative “to ensure continuity of care during emergencies.” He also highlighted the organization’s work in “coordinating technical cooperation and promoting capacity development to strengthen climate and health governance.”

Dr. Barbosa referred to the tangible effects of climate change that already impact the Region: “We are no longer talking about distant or possible threats.” Noting that in 2024, the Americas experienced the warmest year on record, heat-related deaths have increased 23% since the 1990s, now reaching an average of 546,000 per year. In 2024 alone, 154,000 people in the Region died from exposure to smoke from wildfires. The Region also suffered the largest dengue outbreak in history, and “just a few weeks ago, Hurricane Melissa reminded us why health adaptation can save lives,” he stated.

This situation, Dr. Barbosa concluded, «demands a bold, coordinated response rooted in justice. The Belem Health Action Plan, which was launched today, is a key step in that direction.» The PAHO Director reaffirmed the organization’s commitment “to support all countries, in the Americas and around the world, to turn commitments into actions: building a future in which health systems resist climate crises, climate action protects lives, and equity guides every step of our response.”

Resilience of health systems

The work of PAHO Member States focuses on generating evidence and early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases, strengthening the health workforce, improving health care facilities to be low-carbon and climate resilient, implementing interventions to protect health, and providing equitable, clean, healthy, and sustainable environments for communities; and prepare health-focused climate investment plans.

PAHO’s Smart Hospitals program is a pioneering initiative aimed at improving health facilities to withstand disasters with green technologies and operational improvements. This initiative has improved hospital resilience in more than 70 health facilities in seven Caribbean countries. Sites that have been retrofitted with smart energy and water solutions have achieved between 30% and 60% savings in operating costs. When Hurricane Melissa recently devastated parts of the Caribbean, Jamaica’s Smart Hospitals, supported by PAHO, continued to operate and provide life-saving care when other facilities and infrastructure failed.

PAHO also supports multi-level strategies at the subregional, national and local levels. This includes the Caribbean and Andean Action Plans on Health and Climate Change, 15 National Health Adaptation Plans, 285 climate-resilient water security and sanitation plans benefiting more than 85 million people across the Region, and collaboration with 74 cities and metropolitan areas to assess the health impacts of air pollution. The Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities Movement (HMCC) now affiliates more than 4,000 municipalities that promote health, well-being and environmental policies through intersectoral and participatory approaches.

In collaboration with its partners, PAHO has trained more than 12,000 health professionals to improve their ability to anticipate the health effects of climate change, provide more effective care, and proactively prepare health services for climate-related events. Expanding emergency preparedness training for healthcare workers and leaders is critical. Despite growing awareness, less than 1% of global climate financing is currently allocated to health systems resilience, leaving much work to be done to protect communities from climate events.