Road to COP30: Kenya to adopt new global action plan amid climate crisis
President William Ruto addresses the COP27 meeting.
Kenya, a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will this November join the rest of the world in adopting the Belem Health Action Plan (BHAP) at the world’s biggest climate meet which commences on 10th November 2025 to 21st in Belém, Brazil.
The UN body has 198 Parties, consisting of 197 States and the European Union.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), BHAP will be one of the key strategic frameworks of this year’s Conference of Parties meeting (COP30), emphasising health systems, adaptation, equity, climate justice, and social participation.
Set to be launched on the COP30 Health Day on November 13 this year, the Health Action Plan is designed to mobilise the global community toward building climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems.
“Health will be featured prominently in the COP30 Action Agenda as one of the 30 key objectives,” WHO explained in an official statement.
“Recognising health as both a frontline impact area and a transformative lever for broader social and economic resilience, COP30 will highlight the urgent need to integrate climate considerations into health policies, financing, and infrastructure worldwide.”
So, what exactly does BHAP contain?
The health action plan proposes adaptation measures that simultaneously address socioeconomic, gender, racial-ethnic, nutritional, and health care access inequalities, all of which are exacerbated by the climate crisis.
These measures, according to the official document, must align with the concept of climate justice, which recognises that the impacts of climate change—such as extreme weather events, sea level rise, and resource scarcity—disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations.
Climate justice, WHO explains, advocates for equitable solutions that prioritise these populations, fairly distribute the costs and benefits of climate action, and account for historical and structural inequalities, promoting a more inclusive and sustainable response to the climate crisis.
“[It will] guide the implementation of adaptation policies by promoting accountability and oversight mechanisms established within Ministries of Health or National Health Authorities. The Plan reinforces the full, equitable, and active participation of civil society, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, older adults, migrants and refugees, indigenous peoples, and traditional communities, as well as other groups in more vulnerable situations, ” the document highlights.
BHAP further proposes action lines, adaptation measures and development of climate resilient health systems.
“The objective is to strengthen health surveillance and monitoring systems to effectively detect, prevent, and respond to climate-related health threats. This includes developing and implementing early warning systems based on climate data and projections, real-time data collection and analysis from multiple sources, and improving epidemiological tracking to assess, anticipate, and mitigate the health impacts of climate change, ” the action plan explains while also disclosing how Parties will improve climate-informed health surveillance and early warning systems.
“[It will] implement integrated methodologies linking environmental, meteorological, and climate monitoring data with health surveillance systems to enhance early detection, risk interpretation, and anticipation of climate-related public health threats,” the action plan further states. “This may involve partnerships among health institutions, meteorological agencies, universities, and research centres.”
The action plan also states that these methodologies should produce timely and actionable information for early warning systems, addressing not only extreme climate events but also emerging or increasing risks of climate-sensitive diseases.
“Public health institutions must invest in data infrastructure, real-time analysis capabilities, and effective protocols for cross-sectoral information sharing. It is equally critical to actively involve and train the health workforce and community-based surveillance mechanisms, particularly at the local level, to improve engagement with potentially affected populations, expedite data collection, maintain community-level monitoring, and ensure a rapid and efficient response.”
Climate-fuelled disease outbreaks
The action plan urges Kenya and other UNFCCC member states to identify a priority list of climate-related risks and diseases and develop strategies to address them.
BHAP urges member states to “foster research and development of technologies and approaches for detecting, testing, treating, and mitigating climate-sensitive conditions, including those linked to pollutants that exacerbate global warming, and support the most vulnerable communities in implementing adaptation strategies focused on equity, social participation, and strengthening local resilience capacities and mechanisms.”
It also calls for strengthening health system readiness through emergency planning, training, and simulation exercises. It states that members should “maintain strategic reserves of essential supplies, including vaccines and medicines, to enable rapid and effective responses to climate-related health threats and improve resilience in the face of potential system and service overloads.”
“[It should also] develop contingency plans for maintaining the production, distribution, and monitoring of strategic stocks of supplies, vaccines, and medicines for climate-adapted health systems, services, and programmes, considering national threats, risks, and vulnerabilities.”
BHAP also urges Kenya and other Parties to integrate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into climate adaptation in the health sector by first recognising that climate change impacts on mental health are significant and tend to intensify.
“This should be a continuous component of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery strategies. Also, develop and implement Psychological First Aid (PFA) programmes for health professionals and affected communities,” the action plan states while also reminding governments to prioritise funding and technical support for these actions, especially in high-climate vulnerability contexts.
PS Mary Muthoni
Ms Mary Muthoni, the Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, said that Kenya recognises the urgent need to mitigate, adapt and ensure a resilient human health and sustainable development for a healthy future.
“We take pride in having been part of the countries that developed the endorsed 77th World Health Assembly Resolution on Climate Change And Health,” she told the Nation while lauding BHAP.
“Building on the commitment from the 26th climate change conference of parties (COP26) and the momentum from COP28 as well as COP29, we commit to taking concrete actions to address the climate and health agenda.”
PS Muthoni added that Kenya already has its National Climate Change and Health Strategy in place for the period 2024-2029.
“In addition, we have conducted climate change and health Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessment, developed the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP), developed guidelines for environmentally sustainable and green healthcare system. Furthermore, we have initiated strengthening of the capacity and awareness of health professionals including community health promoters in order to address the issue of climate illiteracy,” she said.
“We are also keen to strengthen the translation of research into policy and actions as well as transfer of knowledge and skills between research institutions, and continued mobilisation of adequate resources to implement the priorities.”
At COP26, Kenya, along with other 52 African Nations, fully committed to the COP26 Health Programme on Building Climate Resilient and Sustainable Low Carbon Health Systems, the PS added.
