Protecting the health of vulnerable people from the humanitarian consequences of climate change and climate related disasters

The aim of the paper is twofold: first, it documents the range of risks that climate change poses to human health associated with humanitarian emergencies; and secondly, it proposes policy directions to manage the health humanitarian impact of climate change for consideration by the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC, the health sector and by the humanitarian community.

This paper has been developed within the framework of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Task Force on Climate Change by the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with IOM/WV/UNHCR/IFRC and in consultation with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction system.