The high-level meeting, held on 25 June 2026, was jointly hosted by the French Republic’s Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy, and People with Disabilities and the World Health Organization (WHO) under France's G7 Presidency. The event brought together health ministers, senior government officials and international partners to chart the next phase of action through the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).
The gathering took place against the backdrop of an intense heatwave sweeping across France and other parts of Europe, reinforcing concerns about the increasing health consequences of climate change.
Dr Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Head of WHO's Climate Change, Air Quality and Energy Unit, said the extreme temperatures were part of a broader global trend linked to human activities.
"We're all experiencing this heatwave, but it isn't just a one-off event," he said.
"It's absolutely clear that these kinds of events we are now experiencing around France and around the world are part of the pattern of what we have done by putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels."
The meeting opened with remarks from Antoine Saint-Denis of the French Ministry of Health, followed by a video message from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Representatives from the presidencies of COP30, COP31 and COP32 also addressed participants, while G7 delegates highlighted successful national initiatives and reaffirmed commitments to integrating health priorities into climate policies.
Officials stressed that stronger collaboration across governments and sectors would be essential to tackling the health challenges posed by rising global temperatures.
Dr Aziz Alper Biten, Director-General for EU and Foreign Affairs at Türkiye's Ministry of Health, described ATACH as an important platform for turning global commitments into practical action.
"ATACH has become a unique global platform that translates high-level climate and health commitments into concrete actions," he said.
A key point of discussion was France's "One Health & Beyond" Declaration, introduced earlier this year to ensure health considerations are embedded in climate governance frameworks, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and the Global Stocktake process under international climate agreements.
Participants agreed that adopting the One Health approach—which recognises the close relationship between human, animal and environmental health—would strengthen national climate strategies and improve preparedness for future health emergencies.
The meeting also featured updates on ATACH's progress and discussions on its upcoming operational strategy, which will be circulated among members for consultation before its planned publication at the end of August.
Health ministers from Timor-Leste, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Côte d'Ivoire, Paraguay, the Philippines and Senegal shared experiences on climate financing, transforming health systems and reducing carbon emissions across healthcare supply chains.
Representatives from civil society, youth organisations and international partners—including Health Care Without Harm, Médecins Sans Frontières and Lancet Countdown—also participated in discussions focused on expanding cooperation and embedding climate-health action across multiple sectors.
French Minister of Health, Families, Independence and People with Disabilities, Dr Stéphanie Rist, said the ongoing European heatwave underscored the urgency of translating discussions into concrete action.
"The exceptional heatwave currently affecting France and several European countries serves as a reminder of the urgency of our meeting."
She added:
"Our discussions have enabled us to go further, moving from acknowledging the urgency to establishing a diagnosis, and from the diagnosis to identifying priorities and the means to act. All health systems are already facing the consequences."
ATACH, whose secretariat is hosted by the WHO, now brings together more than 100 countries and over 100 partner organisations committed to strengthening national responses to climate change and health. The alliance works to support governments in building climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable health systems, while fostering collaboration among ministers, policymakers and global partners to accelerate progress.