When flash floods tore through Kenya's Mai Mahiu region in April 2024, WHO-trained Rapid Responders were on the ground within days, evaluating the damage and helping communities recover. It's exactly the kind of work that a renewed partnership between the Netherlands and the World Health Organization aims to support.
The Netherlands has committed another 500,000 euros—roughly $540,000—to WHO in 2024, building on a collaboration that began in 2023. The two organizations have been working together to help countries prepare for the health impacts of climate change, from heatwaves and floods to disease outbreaks that spread more easily in warmer, wetter conditions.
The funding supports WHO's Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, a group that helps countries build healthcare systems strong enough to handle these shifting threats. So far, the partnership has helped nations in Africa, Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean improve their early warning systems for climate-related health risks. This means when a heatwave or flood is coming, health officials can act faster to protect people.
In 2024, the Netherlands and Peru together pushed for a major resolution at the World Health Assembly, the global health community's largest annual meeting. The resolution called for a stronger WHO action plan on climate change and health, urging countries to integrate climate concerns into their healthcare planning. The last resolution on this topic was passed in 2008, so this update reflects how much more urgent the issue has become.
This partnership matters because climate change doesn't just mean hotter summers. It means more disasters, more disease, and more pressure on hospitals and clinics. The Dutch Global Health Strategy 2023–2030 recognizes this connection and positions the Netherlands as a leader in pushing for action.
Looking ahead, WHO estimates its climate and health work will save 7.5 million lives over the next four years. As global leaders prepare for climate negotiations at COP29 in Azerbaijan later in 2024, both organizations say they'll keep pushing to make sure health stays at the table.
"We're committed to building resilience in the most vulnerable regions and helping countries create healthcare systems that don't make climate change worse," a WHO spokesperson said.