The United Nations (UN) agencies issued a Call for Action today, underscoring the urgent health risks faced by pregnant women, babies, and children in the wake of climate catastrophes.
This plea precedes the global Conference of the Parties (COP28) negotiations on climate change scheduled in Dubai.
Entitled ‘Protecting maternal, newborn, and child health from the impacts of climate change,’ the document highlights a critical gap in many countries’ climate change response plans.
The omission of maternal and child health, according to the UN, is a glaring oversight emblematic of the insufficient consideration given to the needs of women, newborns, and children in climate change discussions.
Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director General for Universal Health Coverage, Life Course at the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasized the severe consequences that pregnant women, babies, and children face due to climate change events.
He stressed the necessity of consciously safeguarding children’s futures by taking immediate climate action to ensure their health and survival, with a focus on recognizing their unique needs within the climate response.
The statement points to various global climate disasters, such as wildfires, floods, heatwaves, and droughts, displacing populations, devastating crops and livestock, and exacerbating air pollution.
An increasingly warming world is facilitating the spread of diseases like cholera, malaria, and dengue, posing grave threats to pregnant women and children who are particularly vulnerable to these infections.
Research indicates that the harm can commence in the womb, resulting in complications during pregnancy, preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth.
Children, in particular, face lifelong consequences, impacting the development of their bodies and brains. Omar Abdi, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Programmes, highlighted that climate change actions often overlook the unique vulnerability of children’s bodies and minds to pollution, deadly diseases, and extreme weather.
He emphasized the collective responsibility to prioritize children in urgent climate action, beginning at COP28.
The Call to Action proposes seven crucial steps to address these escalating risks, including sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, climate finance initiatives, and the explicit incorporation of the needs of pregnant women, babies, and children in climate and disaster-related policies.
Additionally, the agencies advocate for increased research to better comprehend the impacts of climate change on maternal and child health.
This Call to Action was jointly released by WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA in an online launch event. It coincided with an advocacy brief from the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH), outlining specific recommendations for various stakeholders, including governments, global financing mechanisms, donors, the private sector, and civil society.
These recommendations aim to ensure better consideration of the health needs of women, children, and adolescents in climate policies.
The COP28 meetings, commencing at the end of November for two weeks, will mark the inaugural Day of Health, recognizing the intricate links between the health of people and the planet.