On November 9, 2026, Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) formally endorsed the key messages of the “Protecting Health and Lives Through Ambitious Negotiation Outcomes: Recommendations for COP31.” Convened by the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) and prepared with input from partners across the international health and climate community, the document sets out recommendations for the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It calls on Parties to recognize and act to protect and promote health across the negotiations.

COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026. Notably, COP31 will see the formal start of the second Global Stocktake, the process that assesses collective progress under the Paris Agreement and informs the next round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Health has gained ground in the UNFCCC process over recent years. The Belém Adaptation Indicators adopted at COP30 include health indicators, and the COP31 Presidency has made “Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems” one of the priority themes of its Action Agenda. The task for COP31 is to turn these references to health into climate action that protects health at scale.

The recommendations stress that delivering health-protecting climate action requires coordination among ministries responsible for climate, energy, agriculture, health, finance, and other sectors, together with the inclusion of health experts in UNFCCC decision-making. It also treats the meaningful engagement of rightsholders most vulnerable to climate impacts as essential for equitable climate action. Its recommendations cover the following areas:

• Global Stocktake
• Adaptation
• Mitigation
• Just Transition
• Loss and Damage
• Finance
• Science
• Agriculture
• Gender
• Conflict of Interest

The recommendations ask that health be integrated throughout the second Global Stocktake and that the process be informed by the best available science, particularly the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

HGPI’s Planetary Health Project provided feedback during the consultation process. It proposed recognizing climate impacts on working environments as a health risk, engaging young people as partners and agents of change, and addressing the effects of extreme heat and air pollution on maternal health. The project also called for closer coordination between health ministries and climate agencies, and planning for long-term, multi-year climate finance over short-term grants.

HGPI will continue to work with the international climate and health community toward COP31 and beyond, in support of outcomes that protect the health and well-being of populations.

The full text of the COP31 Health Community Recommendations and the list of endorsing organizations are available on the GCHA website.