Enviro News Asia, Fiji – The World Health Organization (WHO) and Pacific leaders have urged that the health sector be given a stronger role in global climate action at the Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. The preparatory forum comes ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), which will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, next month.
The urgency is underscored by a WHO review of 76 hospitals in 14 Pacific island countries. It found that 62 percent of the health facilities were less than 500 meters from the sea or a river, leaving them highly exposed to flooding, storm surges and sea level rise.
WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Saia Ma’u Piukala said Pre-COP31 was an important moment for the Pacific, bringing global climate discussions to a region that has long been at the forefront of the climate crisis. Climate change, WHO says, is fueling extreme weather, food and water insecurity, and the spread of infectious diseases, all of which disrupt essential health services.
Beyond building climate-resilient infrastructure, WHO stressed the need to channel climate financing directly to the most vulnerable communities. Mark Jacobs, WHO Representative to the South Pacific, said funding was crucial to supporting local communities’ capacity for mitigation and adaptation at the grassroots level.
COP31 will run from Nov. 9 to 20. WHO has said it will work with partners to put health at the heart of the climate discussions, including by advancing climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems. The organization says it will keep supporting member states in building low-carbon health systems that protect people from the climate crisis. (*)
