HEALTH, RELIEF, RECOVERY & PEACE DAY

3 DEC

THE FIRST-EVER HEALTH DAY IN COP HISTORY SHOWED THE COP28 PRESIDENCY’S COMMITMENT TO HOLISTIC ACTION ADDRESSING HUMANITY’S PRIORITIES.


Climate change is the greatest threat to human lives, health, livelihoods, and well-being in the 21st century and amplifies peace and security issues. Responding to the needs created by climate change in many contexts is already beyond the means of national and international humanitarian actors, threatening to overwhelm health workforces and infrastructure with health-related costs estimated at $2 billion to $4 billion annually by 2030. At the same time, climate risks are concentrated among the most underprivileged communities, many of whom are vastly under-resourced in terms of resilience building and adaptation, undermining development and communities, many of whom are vastly under-resourced in terms of resilience building and adaptation, undermining development and stability. stability. On this Health and Relief, Recovery & Peace Day, Parties and Non-State Actors highlighted these key issues and the solutions that will protect those impacted by climate change, humanitarian and health challenges.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS


  • Building on the World Climate Action Summit launch of the “UAE Declaration on Climate and Health ”, the day saw the first-ever Climate-Health Ministerial. Over 110 health ministries, including 49 Ministers of Health, shared experiences and best practices. They built convergence on shared priorities and a path forward to overcome existing barriers to mainstream health in the climate discourse. Progress check will take place at next year’s World Health Organization (WHO) General Assembly.

  • At the Reaching the Last Mile Forum, $777 million was pledged to accelerate progress against Neglected Tropical Diseases, including $100 million announced by the UAE, as well as contributions by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Belgium, and the US, among others.

  • The “Charter on Finance for Managing Risk: Getting Ahead of Disasters”, championed by the UK Government and the IFRC’s Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), was signed by 39 countries and partner agencies, coordinated by Samoa and the UK, with UAE support. Signatories, the Green Climate Fund, and Plan international, among others, outlined a vision to facilitate pre-arranged finance and defined a set of key principles to act ahead of disasters, advance adaptation efforts, and improve delivery systems to mitigate risks and protect the most vulnerable. Additionally, $221 million was pledged to disaster preparedness, risk insurance, and anticipatory action through contributions from the UK, Norway, France and the European Union.

  • 74 countries and 40 organizations endorsed the landmark COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery & Peace. The Declaration unites affected countries and finance and resource providers around the commitment to accelerate climate action and resourcing to people, communities and countries threatened or affected by fragility or conflict, or facing severe humanitarian needs.

  • The Islamic Development Bank announced $1 billion in climate finance for member countries affected by fragility and conflict. It will be directed towards an initial package of programming, finance and capacity strengthening solutions to close the climate action gap to fragile and frontline communities. Contributions were also made to the UN Climate Security Mechanism, and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund.

  • Over 530 companies, 86 cities, and 74,100 regions are implementing resilience actions across 164 countries, as highlighted by the Race to Resilience 2023 Progress Report. Together, Race to Resilience initiatives have pledged to enhance the resilience of 3.17 billion people by 2030,mobilizing substantial financial resources, amounting to nearly $40 billion. This effort not only benefits people but also nature, covering 5.48 million hectares.

  • A year after its launch at COP27, the Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda has established eight Task Forces, including over 50 government, cities and regions, businesses, and civil society partners to implement high impact adaptation solutions across food, nature, health, and infrastructure systems.

GLOBAL STOCKTAKE RESPONSE:


The day brought Health and Relief, Recovery & Peace to the center of climate action, putt ing lives and livelihoods in focus. It mobilized political support and significant funding to accelerate efforts to address the impacts of climate on health (including neglected tropical diseases) and built momentum for addressing the needs of communities in fragile and conflict-affected settings in the response to the Global Stocktake.

HEALTH

COP28 was a watershed moment for climate and health, mobilizing more than 100 countries, finance institutions and high-level leaders for the first-time ever at COP to put human health at the center of climate action.

KEY MOMENTS

Framing Health Day, 125 countries endorsed the COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health, a statement of ambition and hope that includes a set of shared priorities and a path forward to overcome existing barriers to mainstream health in the climate agenda. Individual country commitments and announcements on climate and health were also included in an Annex to the Declaration, showcasing concrete action from governments to safeguard health.
110 health ministries, including 49 Ministers of Health, attended the first-ever climate-health ministerial at a COP in a breakthrough moment for climate change and health, demonstrating their commitment to place health at the center of climate action.
High-level events with finance leaders detailed new financial commitments, as well as the first broadly aligned common understanding of climate-health finance principles, and an aligned Investment Framework, facilitated by the COP28 UAE Presidency.
Solution Space showcases: The COP28 ‘Climate-Health Solution Space’ was launched. It provides a comprehensive view of the solution landscape, showcasing 20 to 30 proposals to inspire action on climate-health interventions, building on the finance principles outlined by finance leaders.
G20-COP28 Vision: The G20 with COP28 outlined a shared vision of global priorities for a coordinated health response to climate change.
The Reaching the Last Mile Forum focused on the health impacts of climate change in its traditional work on infectious disease and last-minute communities, announcing significant new funding.
The Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda accelerated actions from governments, businesses, and investors for improved health through adaptation. It includes the delivery of multi-sectoral heat plans for populations at risk of being exposed to extreme heat, and the building of early warning systems that anticipate reactions for priority climate-sensitive diseases.
Businesses covering over half of the pharma and medtech sector by revenue are now members of the Race to Zero campaign, and all 78 health care institutions in the Race to Zero are committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

RELIEF, RECOVERY & PEACE

KEY MOMENTS

74 countries and 40 organizations endorsed the landmark COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery & Peace. The Declaration unites affected countries and finance and resource providers around the commitment to accelerate climate action and resourcing to people, communities and countries threatened or affected by fragility or conflict, or facing severe humanitarian needs. The Islamic Development Bank announced $1 billion in climate finance for member countries affected by fragility and conflict to an initial package of programming, finance and capacity strengthening solutions to close the climate action gap to fragile and frontline communities. Contributions were also made to the UN Climate Security Mechanism, and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund.
A Charter on Getting Ahead of Disasters signed by 39 countries and partner agencies outlined a vision to facilitate pre-arranged finance and outlined a set of key principles to act ahead of disasters to protect people’s lives, livelihoods, and dignity. $221 million was pledged to disaster preparedness, risk insurance, and anticipatory action through contributions from the UK, Norway, France and the European Union.
The Early Warning Systems for All initiative event presented progress made at the country level, shared lessons learnt and demonstrated how partnerships and innovation are advancing the full early warning to early action chain. Sweden, Denmark and France pledged a total of$20 million to the initiative.
High-level roundtable session with Official Development Assistance providers held a roundtable on policies and investments to scale up support in fragile and conflict-affected countries for climate, development, and humanitarian relief benefits. The roundtable united OECD DAC members around an outcome document stipulating their commitment to increase and tailor financing to address climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental fragility in fragile contexts.
A series of high-level events outlined shared visions and launched initiatives related to climate, peace and security in the Horn of Africa, transboundary adaptation in the MENA region, the acceleration of renewable energy in fragile settings, and human mobility on the climate frontlines.

OTHER HIGHTLIGHTS

Suez Canal and Scatec signed $1.1 billion green methanol MoU: Egypt's Suez Canal economic zone and Scatec ASA have signed a memorandum of understanding worth $1.1 billion to supply ships with green fuel, according to a Suez Canal statement.
Indonesia, Asian Development Bank, and plant owners agreed to shutter first coal-fired power station early: At COP28, Indonesia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have agreed a provisional deal with the owners of the Cirebon-1 coal-fired power plant to shutter it almost seven years earlier than planned. The deal, announced during the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, is the first under the ADB's Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) program, which aims to help countries cut their climate-damaging carbon emissions.
Zambia Launched Mini-Grid Initiative in Collaboration with Rockefeller Foundation at COP28: On the sidelines of the COP28, President Hakainde Hichilema revealed Zambia’s ambitious initiative to deploy mini-grids across the nation.
OIKN launched the RLDC Zero Emissions Roadmap: Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) officially launched the Roadmap to a Zero Carbon Emission City of Nusantara Regionally and Locally Determined Contribution (RLDC), the first time a city in Indonesia has had an RLDC.
Climate & Health Initiative launched by India Presidency and ADB: India Presidency and ADB with the support of the G20 Incoming Brazil Presidency launched the Climate & Health Initiative while welcoming the reference to WHO Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate Change & Health.
UAE to export cloud-seeding technology to water-scarce countries: The UAE will actively share its knowledge and experience in rain-enhancement technology to help address water scarcity in many parts of the world. This was shared by Omar Al Yazeedi, deputy director general of the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).
Women & Climate Security Funding Initiative: Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund.
Dubai Cares launched the Global Education Solutions Accelerator: Dubai Cares unveiled its “Global Education Solutions Accelerator” (GESA) to collectively identify and implement solutions that best address education transformation challenges and ambitions and allow them to leverage rewired education systems as a core enabler for sustainable development.
Taskforce on Net Zero Policy launched at COP28: Leading representatives from within the community of international regulators and experts announced their participation in a new taskforce with the aim of aligning global policy with net zero.
The Technology & Innovation (T&I) Hub Stage focused on the role of technology in countering disasters induced by climate change and aiding the provision of health care. Ministers and other leaders discussed the power of technology for climate and health resilience. Among others, the conversation featured Dominica’s inspiring journey in the aftermath of cyclone Maria.
COP28 start-up village, a dedicated space showcasing approximately 200 climate tech start-ups, opened.
COP Connect by C3: C3, Dubai-based impact-focused startups accelerator, hosted a COP Connect event on the theme of “Connecting Changemakers - Building the World of Tomorrow”. The event brought together about 150 climate tech ecosystem players, including influential thought leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, academia, government/civil society and corporates.