October 27, 2021

You Are Invited to

Help Bring One Health
to the

(a hybrid side event at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference)

Saturday, November 6, 2021

9:00 AM – 5:30 PM GMT
5:00 AM - 1:30 PM Eastern



What is the 2021 Global Conference on Health and Climate Change?

The 2021 Global Conference on Health & Climate Change will convene on the margins of the COP26 UN climate change conference. The aim of this side event conference is to call on governments, businesses, institutions and financial actors to drive a green, healthy and resilient recovery from COVID-19. The Conference will support and highlight countries’ ambitious and just Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the 2015 Paris Agreement that promote and protect health. It will also mobilize the rapidly growing movement of health professionals around the world who are now driving ambitious climate action. It will include two interactive segments dedicated to roundtable discussions for those attending in person, and two breakout sessions for those attending virtually.

Those breakout sessions and any chat boxes available during the conference are your opportunity to insert or emphasize One Health in the conversations.

The 2021 Global Conference on Health & Climate Change is organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), in close collaboration with the Glasgow Caledonian University and its Centre for Climate Justice, the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Wellcome Trust. See the Conference Agenda.


What is COP26?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. Parties are the signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994 which has 197 Parties (196 countries and the EU). The 2021 Conference of the Parties will be held in Glasgow, Scotland October 31 to November 12. It is hosted by the UK, in partnership with Italy, and will be the 26th meeting of the Parties, which is why it's called COP26. See COP26 explained.

United Nations climate change conferences are among the largest international meetings in the world. The negotiations between governments are complex and involve officials from every country in the world as well as representatives from civil society and the global news media. See:

Note: For the first time ever, this year WHO is hosting a Health Pavilion at the COP26. That would be a great place for One Health supporters to meet. If you are attending in person and want to hook up with other One Health champions at the Health and Climate Change Conference, contact sstates@phipps.conservatory.org

Why should I take time to attend on a Saturday?

The world is just beginning to wake up to the One Health concept and the 'Ray of Hope' that working across disciplines can provide to address many of our most 'wicked' global Challenges. (See the last several issues of the One Health Happenings newsletter). Climate change is just one arena that is desperately begging for a One Health approach. By attending this conference, talking about One Health in breakout sessions and by submitting One Health messaging in any available chat platforms, you can help familiarize attendees with One Health. Breakout sessions are titled:

  • Transport & Cities; Food Systems & Biodiversity; Finance; Energy & Air Pollution; Adaptation & Resilience
  • Health in all Climate Policies – driving transformational synergies for health, equity and sustainability

We hope to 'see' you there.

Respectfully,
Cheryl Stroud, DVM, PhD, Executive Director
cstroud@onehealthcommission.org

This invitation is shared by:
  • the One Health Commission, a US based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, E.I.N. 27-0799294, working locally, regionally and globally, dedicated to implementing One Health and One Health actions around the world....and
  • the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dedicated to inspiring and educating all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advancing sustainability and promoting human and environmental well-being through action and research.
One Health Commission | Phone: +1.984.500.8093| www.onehealthcommission.org