UN Agencies Highlight Climate Threats to Pregnant Women and Children

Dubai – As the global Conference of the Parties (COP28) negotiations on climate change approach in Dubai, United Nations agencies are drawing urgent attention to the severe health risks climate catastrophes pose to pregnant women, babies, and children.

According to Kenya News Agency, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), there is a critical need to protect maternal, newborn, and child health from the impacts of climate change. This call was made alongside an advocacy brief by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) during an online launch event.

The WHO statement emphasizes the lack of focus on maternal and child health in many countries’ climate change response plans, labeling it as a significant oversight in the climate change discourse. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director General for Universal Health Coverage, Life Course at WHO, stressed the existential threat climate change poses, particularly to pregnant women, babies, and children. He called for immediate action to safeguard their health and survival.

UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Programmes, Omar Abdi, highlighted the unique vulnerabilities of children to pollution, diseases, and extreme weather, emphasizing the need to center them in climate action. Abdi pointed out that the climate crisis is a direct threat to children’s fundamental right to health and well-being.

Diene Keita, the Deputy Executive Director for Programmes at UNFPA, stressed the importance of incorporating gender equality into global climate solutions, focusing on the distinct health needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls. Rt Hon Helen Clark, PMNCH Board Chair and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, echoed the sentiment, underlining the importance of integrating women, children, and adolescent health needs into climate responses as a moral imperative and an effective strategy for resilient societies.

The Call-to-Action outlines seven urgent actions to address these risks, including sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, specific inclusion of the needs of pregnant women, babies, and children in climate policies, and more research to understand the impacts of climate change on maternal and child health.

The WHO reports that the harm from climate change can begin even in the womb, leading to various health complications. The COP28 meetings, scheduled between November 30th and December 12th, will feature the first-ever Day of Health to acknowledge the deep connections between human and planetary health.