We, the undersigned organizations, working in the field of infectious diseases research, innovation, and access to health technologies, jointly welcome the Belém Health Action Plan (BHAP) for inclusion of proposed actions on responding to infectious diseases. We would like to express our gratitude to the Brazilian government for their leadership to strengthen the health sector’s adaptation and resilience to climate change. We commend the vision behind the Plan and reaffirm our commitment to its objectives.
As organizations dedicated to improving global health, developing and ensuring equitable access to context-specific and climate-smart health tools, and addressing the burden of infectious diseases, including those affected by changing climatic conditions, we recognise that climate change is not only an environmental crisis but a major health emergency, placing significant stress on health systems. Its impacts on disease transmission and vulnerable populations demand urgent, coordinated, and equitable action. We would like to thank the Brazilian government for taking on board our comments submitted in August 2025.
The BHAP provides a comprehensive framework to guide such action, through three interconnected lines of work:
- Surveillance and monitoring;
- Evidence-based policy strategy and capacity building; and
- Innovation, production, and digital health.
We welcome the emphasis on fostering inter- and transdisciplinary research and the development of technologies; and supporting approaches for health promotion, prevention, early detection, testing and treatment of climate-sensitive diseases. Development of health tools to prevent and respond to climate sensitive diseases is key in responding to outbreaks, and vital to saving lives, protecting the vulnerable, and building resilient communities and health systems.
We also strongly support the BHAP’s cross-cutting principles of:
- Enhancing health equity and climate justice, ensuring that climate adaptation measures address health inequities and inequalities; and
- Strengthening leadership and governance on climate and health, with meaningful social participation from communities and civil society, guided by principles of accountability and transparency.
Our collective experience in developing and delivering innovative solutions for dengue, malaria, chikungunya, leishmaniasis, and other climate-sensitive diseases positions us to contribute meaningfully to the implementation of the BHAP. We stand ready to provide any technical and policy assistance to national governments and look forward to continued collaboration.
We commend the Government of Brazil, the WHO, and all partners involved for their leadership in advancing this forward-looking and inclusive plan. We call for countries to implement the Action Plan in an equitable manner. Together, we share the vision of a climate-resilient health sector, where innovation and equity go hand in hand.
Signatories:
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)
- Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
- Unitaid
