The 2024 Forecasting Healthy Futures (FHF) Global Summit was held on June 18-20 in Baku, Azerbaijan, which is held annually in the run-up to COP.
The purpose of the global summit is to unite the climate and health communities to discuss climate change and its consequences for human health, as well as to identify opportunities and strategies for joint action, "From Awareness to Action." The summit gathers world leaders in the fields of health, climate, and development.
This year, the FHF Global Summit convened diverse stakeholders from the climate and health communities, harnessing the knowledge and expertise from multiple disciplines to explore transformative new partnerships and initiatives and catalyze a collective movement “from awareness to action” on climate change and its impact on human health.
On the first day, Kelly Willis, Managing Director of Forecasting Healthy Futures organizations, Yalchin Rafiyev, COP Lead Negotiator, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO), and COP28 Director-General Majid Al Suwaidi made opening remarks.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the participants via a video link. Addressing the participants, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that WHO works closely with Azerbaijan and welcomes the inclusion of health in COP29. "We can only effectively combat climate change through joint action," he added.
The second day of the event was addressed by the Ambassador of the WHO Director General for Climate Change and Health, Vanessa Kerry, Executive Director of the largest health donor in the world - the Global Fund Peter Sands, Global Director for Health, Nutrition, and Population of the World Bank Juan Pablo Uribe, member of the COP29 Advisory Board, former President of Malawi Joyce Banda, Director General of the organization "Malaria No More" Martin Edlund, and Head of the Global Climate and Health Program of the World Bank Tamer Rabie.
On the last day of the event, Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Health, Nadir Zeynalov, spoke about climate and human health. Furthermore, there was a COP Dialogue on Sustainable Development between representatives of COP26, COP27, COP28, and COP29.
COP consultants held round tables to discuss the most important issues at the intersection of climate and health.