WMA Brings the Voice of Physicians to COP31 Climate Negotiations
6 November 2026
The World Medical Association (WMA) will send a delegation to the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye (9–20 November), to follow the negotiations and advocate for stronger action to protect health from the growing impacts of climate change.
Representing physicians from around the world, the WMA will engage with policymakers, partners and civil society to emphasise that climate change is not only an environmental challenge but one of the greatest threats to human health. It will call for health to be integrated across climate policies and national commitments, for the distinct rights and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples to be recognised in climate and health policy, and for resilient, sustainable and equitable health systems. The WMA’s advocacy is guided by its Declaration of Delhi on Health and Climate Change, revised by the 77th WMA General Assembly in Rotterdam in October 2026.
Dr Jung Yul Park, President of the World Medical Association, said: “Climate change is no longer a distant threat facing only future generations. It is a health emergency affecting patients today, in every region of the world. At COP31, physicians will speak with one voice: protecting the climate is protecting health, and every climate decision should be judged by its impact on people’s health and lives.”
Based on the latest evidence presented in the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change Report, the WMA calls on governments to recognise the serious health consequences of climate change and to pursue a rapid and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels, with a just transition for affected workers and communities. It urges them to strengthen adaptation and preparedness, protect the populations most at risk, and provide climate finance that includes dedicated support for resilient health systems. Health can no longer be an afterthought; it must be fully reflected in global climate negotiations and their implementation.
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