Health | About us |Background and Mandate
Background and Mandate
WMO and the World Health Organization (WHO) have had longstanding collaboration since 1952. The Joint Office for Climate and Health was established in 2014 in response to increasing demand from the health community for improved access to climate and weather products, including regional climate predictions, hazard warnings, and seasonal outlooks needed to understand and manage health risks related to weather and climate and to cope with a shifting burden of disease due to climate change. The Joint Office serves as the primary interface for the partnership, and for health actions under the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS).
WMO Resolution 3 (EC-70) on Integrated Health Services in 2018, and Resolution 33 (Cg-18) on Advancing Integrated Health Services in 2019, set forth the need to enhance WMO activities on integrated health, environment, and climate science and services.
In 2018, a Collaboration Framework Agreement between WHO and WMO reinforced the commitment to work together to assess and prevent health risks influenced by climate, weather, water, and environmental conditions.
The WHO/WMO joint programme of work on climate, environment, and health (2019-2023), was endorsed by the WMO Congress in June 2019, focuses on priorities to:
- promote the alignment of relevant policies and raise awareness of environmental and climate-related risks and solutions to protect human health;
- promote the generation and application of scientific evidence;
- develop appropriate technical mechanisms and partnerships to facilitate the development, access to, and use of data and tailored information products on weather, climate, and environmental hazards to health;
- develop and disseminate technical and normative guidance, scientific publications and tools, and other actions to support capacity development;
- monitor progress on the access and use of reliable and relevant weather, climate, and environmental information.
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