A WHA79 Side Event | 20 May 2026 | Hotel InterContinental Geneva
If you are attending the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, we invite you to join Peking University’s Institute of Global Health and Development, Africa CDC, and the Joep Lange Institute’s Centre for Global Health Diplomacy for a high-level dialogue at the intersection of climate, health, and finance.
On 20 May, “Investing for Climate and Planetary Health: Strategies and Tools” will bring together ministers, multilateral leaders, and financing experts to examine where investment is flowing — and where it must go. The session takes place at the Hotel InterContinental Geneva from 08:30 to 10:20, with a networking breakfast from 07:30.
WHAT THE SESSION WILL COVER
The relationship between climate, ecological systems, and human health is no longer theoretical — it is showing up in outbreak patterns, in health system strain, and in the growing gap between what governments plan for and what climate-driven health risks actually demand. And yet investment flows remain fragmented, siloed across climate finance, development assistance for health, and national budgets that rarely speak to one another.
This session is designed to surface those gaps across three interconnected segments:
- The investment landscape. A high-level dialogue between Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya and a senior health minister, moderated by Christoph Benn, opens the session by mapping where money is flowing — and where it should be — and making the case for going beyond GDP-based measures in planetary health planning.
- From vision to action. A 50-minute panel discussion moderated by Ilona Kickbusch brings together voices from health ministries, the Green Climate Fund, Germany’s BMZ, and the Global Fund to examine what strategic investment in planetary health actually requires, how to align national health planning with planetary health imperatives in low- and middle-income country contexts, and what a meaningful commitment from leaders could look like — in the short and long term.
- Tools for smarter decisions. The session closes with a presentation of the Planetary Health Axis System (PHAS), an AI-driven decision-support tool developed by Peking University to help governments and funders align priorities across climate, health, and equity dimensions.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The session is open to WHA delegates, civil society observers, and invited guests. It is particularly relevant for those working at the intersection of health financing, climate policy, and multilateral negotiations — including representatives from national ministries, development banks, global health institutions, and research organisations.
No registration required — seating is on a first-come, first-served basis
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
- Networking breakfast: 07:30
- Session: 08:30 – 10:20
- Venue: Hotel InterContinental, Geneva (Room Paris)
For inquiries: Haddy Faye (h.faye@joeplangeinstitute.org) or Rafael García (r.garcia@joeplangeinstitute.org)
