Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration

We work to prevent disease and promote health by addressing key areas of environmental health including climate change, clean energy; air quality; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); and chemicals and radiation. Health threats are addressed through a One Health approach....

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Technical areas of work

Air Quality, Energy and Health

Chemical Safety and Health

Climate Change and Health

Health and migration

One Health Initiative

Radiation and health

Water Sanitation and Health (WASH)

Settings & populations

Highlights

9 – 20 November 2026

COP31 Health Pavilion

thermometer on orange sky background

Flagship Initiative against extreme heat and related environmental health risks in workplaces and major events

News

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28 October 2026

Departmental update

Climate change is a growing health emergency, Lancet Countdown warns

15 October 2026

Departmental update

Countries move to accelerate action against lead poisoning

Departmental update

Advancing inclusive pandemic prevention, preparedness and response for migrants, refugees and displaced populations

30 September 2026

WHO releases new guidance to prevent heat-related illness at mass gatherings

Events

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23 – 27 November 2026

Seventh WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health

13 November 2026 14:00 – 15:00 Turkey Time

COP31 event: The climate–mobility–health nexus: research as a bridge to coordinated action

9 – 20 November 2026

COP31 Health Pavilion

Speech

22 October 2026

WHO Director-General's keynote address at the WHO–Republic of Korea Partnership Forum – 22 October 2026

Commentaries

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20 November 2025

World Toilet Day: Protecting health through safe sanitation

Videos

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Bruce Gordon

15 October 2026

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2026 - From Detection to Prevention

Beat the Heat: Protecting health from extreme heat

Managing heat risks at mass gatherings

Our strategy

WHO global strategy on health, environment and climate change: the transformation needed to improve lives and wellbeing sustainably through healthy environments

The new strategy is timely – it responds to and is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the GPW13.

Calls for

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Expression of interest

Call for consultant: lead poisoning and poison centres

18 September 2026

Call for consultant

Call for consultant – WHO Academy and capacity building

Publications

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Ten years of the Paris Agreement: a global review of health in nationally determined contributions

This WHO report reviews the integration of health into the third generation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs 3.0), the national climate plans...

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2025 wsh annual report cover

Safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) remained fundamental to health, disease prevention, resilience and equity in 2025, but the global context for...

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Prevention and management of heat-related illness at mass gatherings: developing evidence-based communication messages

Extreme heat is an important environmental and public health hazard. Exposure to high heat can cause heat-related illnesses and injuries and worsen underlying...

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COP31 Briefing

This briefing sets out WHO’s climate change and health priorities for COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, taking place 9 - 20th November. First,...

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Infographics highlight

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Telling people "drink water" isn't enough - they need safe water within reach

Telling people "drink water" isn't enough - they need safe water within reach

Extreme heat at mass gatherings can cause heat-related illnessese...

Extreme heat at mass gatherings can cause heat-related illnesses...

Most heat-related illnesses at mass gatherings can be prevented

Most heat-related illnesses at mass gatherings can be prevented

Extreme heat at mass gatherings can be a serious danger

Extreme heat at mass gatherings can be a serious danger

Tools

AIDE-MÉMOIRES: Briefs by environment, climate change and health topic for country action

Essential information to support action

Air pollution and health training toolkit for health workers (APHT)

A set of materials designed to enable health workers, in both the clinical and public health fields, to understand the health risks of air pollution and identify risk reduction measures.

Climate change and health toolkit

A comprehensive set of guidance, tools and training manuals on a wide range of topics on climate change and health

Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment

Global repository of interventions for creating healthier environments and improving health. It provides an overview and easy access of 500 actions, and a framework for thinking about health and environment interventions.

Dashboard Migration Experiences Screenshot

Dashboard on Global Experiences in Promoting Refugee and Migrant Health

This dashboard illustrates the positive steps taken by countries all over the world towards better health outcomes for the 1 billion people on the move.

Graphic banner of the Health and Environment scorecards

Health and environment country scorecards

The Health and environment scorecards aim to provide a quick snapshot of where countries stand on managing six major environmental threats to health: air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate change, exposure to chemicals, radiation, and occupational health.

SunSmart Global UV App

Free application for mobile devices that describes the level of solar UV radiation at a specific location. It also provides time slots when to apply sun protection measures, in an effort to reduce the global burden of skin cancer and UV-related eye damage.

screenshot-map-who-ilo-rectangle

WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury

The WHO/ILO Joint Estimates quantify the number of deaths and amount of health loss (disability-adjusted life years or DALYs) caused by occupational risk factors.

Children under solar panels

WHO Manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19

WHO prescriptions for a healthy, green recovery from COVID-19 that will help steer governments towards a healthier, fairer, and greener world.

Campaigns and initiatives

thermometer on orange sky background

Flagship Initiative against extreme heat and related environmental health risks in workplaces and major events

Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH)

BreatheLife: A global campaign for clean air

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

WHO – WMO Joint Climate and Health Programme

Q&As

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Guidelines for drinking-water quality

Air pollution: Reducing short-lived climate pollutants

Climate change: Land degradation and desertification

One Health

Refugee and migrant health

Fact sheets

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Heat and health

Wildfires

One Health

1 September 2025

Refugee and migrant mental health

12 October 2023

Climate change

Stories and facts in pictures

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22 October 2026

Making the invisible visible: Ethiopia steps up action to prevent lead exposure

A young Ghanaian advocate involved in community outreach

A Caribbean veterinarian on the front lines of climate and animal health

Tanzania scales up action to protect people from extreme heat and solar UV with the Beat the Heat Initiative

Health topics

More tools

Related content

Chemical safety

Children's environmental health

Environmental health

Health impact assessment

Occupational health

Radiation emergencies

Refugee and migrant health

Doctors attend to patients in the COVID-19 ICU of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. They are among the first Filipinos to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country

Occupational hazards in the health sector

Child climbing

Introduction to Children's Environmental Health

Two little girls making hearts with their hands

Training modules and instructions for health care providers

Children’s environmental health

Occupational health