The Belém Health Action Plan for the Adaptation of the Health Sector to Climate Change
Environmental Health & Climate ChangeGlobal Health NewsInternational Plan, Policy & GuidelinesPublic Health NewsPublic Health UpdateWorld News

The Belém Health Action Plan for the Adaptation of the Health Sector to Climate Change

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

During COP30, Brazil unveiled the Belém Health Action Plan, marking the first international climate adaptation framework dedicated specifically to the health sector. The plan provides a comprehensive set of actions to help countries strengthen health systems in response to the growing and tangible impacts of climate change—impacts that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities.

Main objective

Strengthen the health sector’s adaptation and resilience to climate change by advancing integrated surveillance and monitoring systems, accelerating capacity-building, promoting evidence-based policy implementation, and fostering innovation and sustainable production. This Plan takes into account the diverse needs and national contexts of health systems worldwide, and recognizes the importance of cross-sector collaboration to accelerate mitigation efforts that generate health co-benefits.

Global Target of the Plan

The global objective of this Plan is to integrate the BHAP into UNFCCC progress reporting under the Global Stocktake and other relevant mechanisms. By COP33 (2028), during the next Global Stocktake, all Endorsing Parties will be invited to report on their progress in implementing the actions outlined in the Belém Health Action Plan, aligned with the GGA indicators and any other nationally appropriate indicators.

Cross- cutting principles
  • Enhancing Health Equity and the concept of ‘Climate Justice’
  • Leadership and Governance on Climate and Health with Social Participation

Action lines and proposed measures for adaptation and the development of climate-resilient health systems

Action line 1: Surveillance and monitoring
1.1. Improve climate-informed health surveillance
1.2. Identify a priority list of climate-related risks and diseases
1.3. Improve health risk management in climate events and emergencies

Action line 2: Evidence-based policies, strategies and capacity building
2.1. Harmonize climate–health adaptation concepts
2.2. Promote multisector policies with health co-benefits
2.3. Integrate mental health into climate adaptation in the health sector
2.4. Promote adaptation policies to support populations in situations of vulnerability
2.5. Protect and promote workers’ health in the context of climate change
2.6. Strengthen the health workforce to address climate change challenges
2.7. Promote community resilience to climate change

Action line 3: Innovation, production, and digital health
3.1. Strengthen climate-resilient infrastructure and services
3.2. Evaluate and innovate adaptation policies in the health sector
3.3. Foster just transition in health sector adaptation
3.4. Enhance the resilience of health supply chains
3.5. Strengthen strategic stockpiles and equitable access to essential health products.

Download: The Belém Health Action Plan for the Adaptation of the Health Sector to Climate Change

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Call for Abstracts! Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia 2025: Towards Impact at Scale
Call for Proposal, EOI & RFPConferenceInternational Jobs & OpportunitiesPublic Health EventsPublic Health OpportunitiesPublic Health Opportunity

Registration Now Open: Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia 2025 – Towards Impact at Scale!

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia (D4N) 2025 Conference will take place from December 2–4, 2025 in Kathmandu (and online). Registration is now open for this regional event, which focuses on advancing large-scale, evidence-driven solutions to South Asia’s persistent nutrition challenges.

Co-organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR, and a broad consortium of regional and global partners, D4N 2025 aims to help South Asian countries move from policy commitments to coordinated, impactful implementation.

1761629464945
Registration Now Open: Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia 2025 – Towards Impact at Scale!

Expected participants

The conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, development agencies, and other stakeholders from across the eight South Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Discussions will focus on pathways to scale within health systems, agrifood systems, education, social protection, market systems, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Cross-cutting themes include equity, climate-related vulnerabilities, and measurement and evaluation.

In-person registration will remain open until venue capacity is reached, while virtual registration will stay open until the event begins. Participants are also encouraged to join the official D4N2025 WhatsApp group for updates.

Topical areas

The six topical areas below recognize that diverse systems must be leveraged to deliver actions for nutrition impact at scale. Building on the Nutrition for Growth Summit, D4N2025 will focus both on major systems/sectors and on areas that need attention to strengthen nutrition impact at scale.

  • Health systems
  • Agrifood systems
  • Social protection systems
  • Education systems
  • Market systems
  • Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems

Across all systems, cross-cutting areas include:

  • Measurement, monitoring and evaluation
  • Enabling environments that support the delivery of nutrition actions at scale
  • Equity considerations: intersectionality, gender and social inclusion
  • Impacts of climate and other shocks

Registration

Registration form

Please stay tuned to https://bit.ly/D4N2025 for conference updates. For any questions, please contact IFPRI-D4N-CONF@cgiar.org.
#D4N2025
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World Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) Day 2025: Short of Breath, Think COPD!
Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs)PH Important DayPublic HealthPublic Health InformationPublic Health Update

World Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) Day 2025: Short of Breath, Think COPD!

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

World Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) Day is coordinated by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in partnership with health professionals and patient groups worldwide. The day aims to increase awareness about COPD, promote knowledge sharing, and explore strategies to reduce its global burden. Since its launch in 2002, World COPD Day has grown into one of the most significant global events dedicated to COPD awareness, with activities held in more than 50 countries each year.

WorldCOPDDay

The theme for 2025, “Short of Breath, Think COPD,” highlights the importance of recognising COPD early. Despite being the third leading cause of death globally, COPD is frequently underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Although it is a common, preventable, and treatable condition, many people do not receive timely or appropriate care.

Early and accurate diagnosis can greatly improve symptoms, lung function, and overall quality of life. COPD should be suspected in individuals with shortness of breath, persistent cough, sputum production, recurrent respiratory infections, or exposure to risk factors such as tobacco smoke, household air pollution, or occupational hazards.

Key facts

  • COPD is the third leading cause of death globally, responsible for 3.5 million deaths in 2021 — about 5% of all deaths worldwide.
  • Almost 90% of COPD deaths in people under 70 occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
  • It is the eighth leading cause of poor health, measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
  • The economic burden of COPD could reach $4.8 trillion by 2030.
  • In high-income countries, tobacco use causes over 70% of COPD cases. In LMICs, smoking accounts for 30–40%, while household air pollution is a major contributor.
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains the leading cause of death in Nepal (GBD 2023).

Diseases information

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable lung condition characterized by breathlessness, chronic cough, and sputum production. COPD is a common lung condition that limits airflow and makes breathing difficult. It includes diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. People with COPD may experience shortness of breath, persistent cough (with or without phlegm), wheezing, and fatigue due to lung damage or mucus buildup.

Causes

COPD occurs when the airways become narrowed due to lung tissue destruction, mucus blockage, or airway inflammation.
It usually develops gradually and is linked to several risk factors:

  • Active or second-hand tobacco smoke
  • Workplace exposure to dust, fumes, or chemicals
  • Indoor air pollution from biomass fuels (wood, dung, crop residues) or coal used for cooking or heating
  • Early-life factors such as poor fetal growth, premature birth, or frequent childhood lung infections
  • Childhood asthma
  • Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic disorder causing early-onset COPD.

COPD should be considered when a person has these symptoms. Diagnosis is confirmed through spirometry, a test that measures lung function. In many LMICs, limited access to spirometry leads to cases being missed.

Symptoms

Common symptoms include:

  • Breathlessness
  • Long-term cough, sometimes producing phlegm
  • Fatigue

Symptoms can worsen suddenly in episodes known as flare-ups, which typically last several days and may require extra treatment.

 It’s important for health providers to look for the following risk factors: 

  • Age ≥ 35 years 
  • Exposure to risk factors (tobacco smoke, household and outdoor air pollutions, occupational exposures 
  • Genetic factors 
  • Prematurity and early life disadvantage factors 
  • Respiratory symptoms 

Key message

  • Although there is currently no cure for COPD, steps to help improve diagnosis can have a positive impact on future health.
  • Patients and families can help advocate for more research and better access to care, including routine spirometry screenings and telehealth access for patients in remote settings.
  • In addition, providers and policy makers can work together to improve access to spirometry and advocate for its use as a general health marker in all stages of life.
  • Health systems can work to increase academic training programs specializing in respiratory health, as well as improve training in COPD diagnostic criteria, including the use and interpretation of spirometry. 

Source of information & further readings:

#WorldCOPDDay #SpeakUpforCOPD

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Global Tuberculosis Report 2025
Communicable DiseasesFact SheetHealth in DataPublic HealthPublic Health Update

Global Tuberculosis Report 2025

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, revealing that tuberculosis (TB) continues to be one of the leading infectious causes of death worldwide. In the past year alone, the disease claimed more than 1.2 million lives and affected approximately 10.7 million people. While progress has been made in areas such as diagnosis, treatment, and innovation, ongoing gaps in funding and unequal access to care risk undermining the achievements made in the global effort to end TB.

Key facts

Global progress and success stories

  • Between 2023 and 2024, the global rate of people falling ill with TB declined by nearly 2%, while deaths from TB fell by 3%. These reductions signal a continued recovery of essential health services following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Some regions and countries show sustained progress, demonstrating that strong political commitment and investment address this ancient disease. Between 2015 and 2024, the WHO African Region achieved a 28% reduction in the TB incidence rate (number of people falling ill with TB per 100 000 population per year) and a 46% reduction in deaths. The European Region saw even greater declines, with a 39% drop in incidence and a 49% reduction in deaths.
  • During the same period, over 100 countries achieved at least a 20% reduction in TB incidence rates, and 65 countries achieved reductions of 35% or more in TB-related deaths. These countries have attained the first milestones of the WHO End TB Strategy.
  • However, ending TB globally will require accelerated progress in countries with the highest burden. In 2024, 87% of the global number of people who developed TB disease was concentrated in 30 countries. Just eight of them accounted for 67% of the global total: India (25%), Indonesia (10%), the Philippines (6.8%), China (6.5%), Pakistan (6.3%), Nigeria (4.8%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9%) and Bangladesh (3.6%).

Major advances in TB diagnosis and treatment

Timely treatment for TB has saved an estimated 83 million lives since 2000. Between 2023 and 2024, progress continued in TB diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, reflecting the impact of sustained efforts and innovation in countries. Key achievements include: 

  • In 2024, 8.3 million people were newly diagnosed with TB and accessed treatment, representing about 78% of the people who fell ill with the disease during that year;
  • The coverage of rapid testing for TB diagnosis increased from 48% in 2023 to 54% in 2024;
  • Treatment for drug-susceptible TB remained highly effective, with a success rate of 88%;
  • The number of people developing drug-resistant TB each year has been declining with over    164,000 people receiving treatment in 2024. The latest data show an improvement in the treatment success rate, to 71%, up from 68% the previous year;
  • In 2024, 5.3 million people at high risk of TB received preventive treatment, up from 4.7 million in 2023.

Social protection and multisectoral action key to address the drivers of the epidemic

For the first time, WHO has reported on progress toward the social protection target established at the second UN High-Level Meeting on TB in 2023, using data compiled by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Among the 30 high TB burden countries, social protection coverage remains highly unequal, ranging from 3.1% in Uganda to 94% in Mongolia. Notably, 19 countries report coverage rates below 50%.

The report also highlights data on the major risk factors driving the epidemic such as undernutrition, HIV infection, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol use remain. Confronting these drivers, alongside structural determinants such as poverty, requires coordinated multisectoral action.

Funding gaps endanger progress and research

Despite many gains, global progress levels remain far from meeting the End TB Strategy targets. A major obstacle is global funding for TB, which has stagnated since 2020. In 2024, only US$5.9 billion was available for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment-just over a quarter of the US$22 billion annual target set for 2027.

Cuts to international donor funding from 2025 onward pose a serious challenge. Modelling studies have already warned that long-term cuts to international donor funding could result in up to 2 million additional deaths and 10 million people falling ill with TB between 2025 and 2035.

Further readings:

Related posts

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Postdoctoral Fellowship
Implementation ResearchInternational Jobs & OpportunitiesPostDocPublic Health OpportunitiesPublic Health Opportunity

Postdoctoral Fellowship

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Institute for Implementation Science and Health seeks energetic, confident, hardworking, and committed candidates to work on an implementation research project that aims to enhance maternal health outcomes by integrating mobile technology for the monitoring and management of non-communicable diseases during pregnancy in Nepal. Interested candidates who meet the requirements listed below must email their application, CV, and other related documents to career.iish@gmail.com by November 30, 2025.

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Full-time contract

Position available: One

Position Summary: The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will contribute to an implementation research evaluating an mHealth intervention to manage non-communicable disease during pregnancy. The Fellow will engage in rigorous, policy-relevant research with an international, multidisciplinary team spanning public health, clinical medicine, information technology, and health systems research. This is a two-year position, based in Kathmandu, with travel requirements to eastern Nepal. 

Key Responsibilities:

  1. Program evaluation Lead or support implementation evaluation using RE-AIM and complementary frameworks
  2. Coordination and oversight of data collection across study sites in Nepal.
  3. Conduct quantitative analysis of clinical outcomes (blood pressure, blood glucose, perinatal indicators) and qualitative analysis of implementation data (interviews, focus groups).
  4. Lead mixed-methods integration, synthesizing clinical, process, and contextual data to generate comprehensive insights.
  5. Contribute to ongoing development, refinement, and evaluation of the MOM-HD mobile platform.
  6. Prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and present findings at international conferences.
  7. Support capacity building of Nepali research staff and students in implementation science and mHealth evaluation methods.
  8. Assist in preparing grant reports, policy briefs, and future funding proposals.

Required Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Public Health, Global Health, Implementation Science, Epidemiology, Health Systems, or related field.
  • Strong skills in quantitative and/or qualitative methods, with working knowledge of mixed-methods approaches.
  • Proficiency in statistical or qualitative analysis software (e.g., Stata, R, NVivo, Dedoose).
  • Evidence of scientific writing ability through peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Prior experience with implementation science frameworks (RE-AIM, CFIR) or economic evaluation methods.
  • Experience conducting research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
  • Familiarity with digital health systems, data management platforms (e.g., REDCap, DHIS2, ODK), and user-centered design.
  • Excellent teamwork, leadership, and cross-cultural communication skills.

Professional Development Opportunities:

Mentorship in Implementation Science, mHealth evaluation, and Maternal-Child Health research from senior investigators in Nepal and collaborating international institutions.

Opportunities to lead manuscripts, grant proposals, and contribute to policy and implementation toolkits.

Networking and training opportunities through global health consortia and implementation research networks.

Application Requirements:

Interested candidates should submit:

  • Statement of purpose (maximum 2 pages) highlighting relevant experience in implementation science, mHealth, and maternal health.
  • Current Curriculum vitae (CV).
  • PhD and Masters Certificates
  • Contact information of three professional references.
  • Candidate’s first author publications (minimum 1)

Equal Opportunity Statement: The project and host institutions are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Qualified candidates from all backgrounds, including underrepresented groups in global health research, are strongly encouraged to apply.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT-IISH

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WHO issues guidance to address drastic global health financing cuts
Global Health NewsHealth Financing and EconomicsPublic HealthPublic Health NewsPublic Health UpdateWorld News

Responding to the health financing emergency: Immediate response and longer-term shifts

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released new guidance for countries on ways to counter the immediate and long-term effects of sudden and severe cuts to external funding, which are disrupting the delivery of essential health services in many countries.

The new guidance, called “Responding to the health financing emergency: immediate measures and longer-term shifts”, provides a suite of policy options for countries to cope with the sudden financing shocks, and bolster efforts to mobilize and implement sufficient and sustainable financing for national health systems.

Key policy actions for Immediate health financing measures

  • Increase and protect budget allocations to respond to urgent health needs
  • Protect priority population groups and services
  • Accelerate options to enhance domestic sources of funding
  • Address inefficiencies resulting from parallel and uncoordinated funding flows

Rapid analytics to support policy actions

  • Map external funding volume, channels and use as a basis for reprogramming
  • Evaluate fiscal and budgetary context to align with reprioritized funding needs
  • Rapidly review covered services and provider payment systems and methods as a basis for aligning to new financing realities and service delivery models
  • Review PFM rules and processes to identify improvements that maximize budget execution and align existing budget allocations with reprioritized services and functions

Key policy directions for Medium- to longer-term health financing shifts

Fiscal capacity and revenue raising

  • Augment domestic fiscal capacity to ensure sustained reliance on domestic public funding for health
  • Ensure budget prioritization for health within public spending
  • Refine terms and conditions for external funding

PFM, funding flows and accountability

  • Update budget allocation mechanisms and align budget structure to reprioritized service needs
  • Improve expenditure management processes to make health spending more agile and responsive to the needs of service providers
  • Support the incorporation of off-budget external funding flows into domestic PFM processes
  • Enhance expenditure tracking and accountability with the help of digital tools

Pooling arrangements

  • Reduce fragmentation, or mitigate its consequences, through more coherent funding flows across health programmes and coverage schemes
  • Increase resource pooling among separate health coverage schemes to improve system efficiency and equitable resource distribution across different population groups and territories

Strategic purchasing

  • Strengthen provider payment systems
  • Align contracting, benefit design and the governance of purchasing with policy objectives
  • Strengthen purchasing arrangements using digital technologies
  • Regulate and support alignment of the role of private sector providers and private sector capital

Priority setting and benefit design

  • Review and align the benefit package and benefit entitlement to health services
  • Build capacity for and institutionalize evidence-informed priority setting and health technology assessment (HTA) to maintain sectoral efficiency and equity

Supportive analytics and capacity-building

  • Expenditure tracking and analysis
  • Evidenceinformed deliberative priority setting and HTA
  • Fiscal analysis
  • Investment appraisal and evaluation
  • PFM performance review
  • Technical efficiency assessment
  • Strategic purchasing
  • Equity analyses
  • Financial protection
  • Effects of digital technologies on health financing functions

Download: Responding to the health financing emergency: immediate measures and longer-term shifts

WHO
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Nepal: Information sheet on climate change, air pollution, and health
Environmental Health & Climate ChangeFact SheetGlobal Health NewsHealth in DataNational Health NewsPublic HealthPublic Health NewsPublic Health Update

Nepal: Information sheet on climate change, air pollution, and health

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The 2025 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change has been published, revealing that the health impacts of climate change have reached unprecedented and alarming levels. The annual report, produced by a global collaboration of experts, tracks progress on the relationship between climate change and public health.

The report further stresses that the health impacts of climate change and opportunities for climate action must be understood at the country level to protect health, reduce inequities, and maximise associated health co-benefits. Country information sheets developed in collaboration with UNDP, and supported by WHO and GCHA, focus on the health and climate impacts of air pollution and aim to support national policy engagement through key data and insights.

Nepal: Information sheet on climate change, air pollution, and health: Key findings

  • Ambient air pollution from human activities was responsible for more than 35,000 deaths from particulate air pollution (PM2.5) in Nepal in 2021. Of these deaths, 27 percent came from fossil fuel burning, with 12 percent from coal burning alone, and a staggering 47 percent from biomass burning.
  • The estimated economic value of these premature deaths was US$3.5 billion. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports for Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 3.9.1 (Mortality from air pollution) that deaths attributable to ambient air pollution in Nepal represent 21 percent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 19 percent of Ischemic stroke, 27 percent of ischemic heart disease, 31 percent of lower respiratory infections, and 15 percent of lung cancer deaths.
  • Most of these deaths can be prevented by shifting to renewable energy sources that avoid the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, while reducing GHG emissions.
  • Air pollution from the use of fossil fuels in the transport sector was responsible for 4,300 deaths in 2021, 12 percent of all air pollution-related deaths
  • Nepal has the opportunity to prevent each year over 16,000 deaths caused by exposure to household-derived outdoor air pollution, by promoting the transition to clean renewable energies in the household sector.

Data source: Nepal Information Sheet

Download: NEPAL INFORMATION SHEET

https://lancetcountdown.org/2025-report/
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Taking a strategic approach to urban health: a guide for decision-makers
EnvironmentEnvironmental Health & Climate ChangePublic HealthPublic Health NewsPublic Health ProgramsPublic Health UpdateResearch & Publication

Taking a strategic approach to urban health: a guide for decision-makers

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new guide for decision-makers titled Taking a Strategic Approach to Urban Health, offering practical strategies to advance a new phase of urban health action. This guide responds to the growing need for integrated approaches that address health challenges while promoting overall well-being in urban contexts. It represents the first comprehensive framework to support governments in strategically planning urban health, ensuring that evidence effectively informs policy and practice.

The guide was released on World Cities Day. Currently, more than 4.4 billion people—over half of the global population—live in urban settings, and this figure is projected to reach nearly 70% by 2050. Cities are where health, inequality, environmental, and economic factors intersect, creating both significant challenges and opportunities for progress. However, the most serious health burdens are often concentrated in slums and informal settlements, where residents experience unsafe housing, poor sanitation, food insecurity, and increasing exposure to floods and extreme heat. At present, around 1.1 billion people live in such conditions, a number expected to triple by 2050. (WHO)

Purpose and scope of the Guide

This Guide has five objectives:

  • to provide conceptual clarity, defining urban health and its scope
  • to make a compelling case for strategic action
  • to offer broad practical recommendations for those looking to take a strategic approach
  • to suggest a roadmap for implementing this guidance
  • to illustrate strategic action through concrete examples.

The Guide targets public-sector policy-makers and practitioners at national and subnational scales – but its insights are relevant to all urban health stakeholders. Building on prior WHO work, it profiles the political and policy context for urban health, explicitly emphasizes complexity science, highlights enabling frameworks for sectoral action, and proposes unified urban health strategies.

A strategic approach to urban health: Recommendations

The Guide presents three overarching ways that governments can act more strategically for urban health.

1) Recognizing and managing complexity

    • Train urban health practitioners and policy-makers at all levels to understand and manage the impacts of complexity on urban health.
    • Extend monitoring and evaluation processes to capture unanticipated results of urban health policy and practice.
    • Anticipate intended and unintended results using scenario-based modelling.
    • Design decision-making and implementation processes to operate more effectively in the face of complexity.
    • Adopt adaptive governance and build adaptation into interventions, policies and strategies.


    2) Leveraging entry points

    • Build and maintain awareness of the landscape of political, policy and public opinion at city, national and global scales.
    • Document and track local cross-cutting initiatives relevant to urban health at project, programme and policy scales.
    • Prepare for the emergence of entry points by scoping and planning urban health strategy in anticipation of opportunities for implementation.
    • Ensure that entry points are a stepping stone for broader action.

    3) Strengthening the means of implementation
    Governance    :

    • Establish a whole-of-government political mandate for urban health.
    • Define urban health responsibilities clearly and create accountability.
    • Establish or strengthen coordination mechanisms.

    Financing

    • Expand assessment of the costs and benefits of urban health action.
    • Restructure financial mechanisms to support strategic urban health policy and practice.
    • Increase the scope, resilience and sustainability of urban health financing.

    Human, institutional and systemic capacity

    • Conduct iterative assessment of capacities and capacity needs.
    • Integrate capacity development as a standard component of urban health practice.
    • Account for capacity assets, deficits and needs in designing urban health policy and practice.


    Data generation and management

    • Strengthen urban health data systems by expanding data coverage, types and sources.
    • Adopt best practices for managing urban health data.
    • Adopt a high-value set of urban health indicators.

    Evidence-based decision support

    • Institutionalize evidence-based policy and practice in urban health.
    • Support the application of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary insights to decisionmaking.
    • Increase local capacity and external links for evidence-based decision-making.
    • Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system.

    Related: Urban Health Promotion Center Establishment & Operation Guideline 2074

    Innovation

    • Cultivate an innovation ecosystem for urban health.
    • Create dedicated spaces for urban health experimentation.
    • Develop processes to identify and scale up promising novel solutions.

    Partnerships

    • Where appropriate, adopt a partnership model to deliver urban health needs.
    • Foster an environment that encourages collaboration.
    • Provide resources to support effective urban health partnerships.

    Participation

    • Institutionalize participation as a key value and component of public-sector action for urban health.
    • Improve communication around urban health.
    • Encourage nongovernmental actors to participate in urban health.

    Developing comprehensive strategies: The culmination of the strategic approach is a comprehensive strategy that elevates urban health as a societal goal and provides the authorities, mechanisms and resources needed to attain and sustain it.

    Read more: WHO

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    Fact SheetHealth in DataNeglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)Public Health UpdateReportsResearch & Publication

    Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) 2025

    by Public Health Update
    written by Public Health Update

    Overview

    World Health Organization (WHO) releases the third global report tracking progress toward the 2030 targets outlined in Ending the Neglect to Attain the Sustainable Development Goals: A Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021–2030. The report highlights a broad spectrum of activities, achievements, and challenges related to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) across all six WHO regions.

    It presents epidemiological and programmatic data mainly from 2023, collected and analyzed in 2024. Where available, data from 2024 have also been included; in instances where 2023 data were not accessible, earlier information is used. The report further summarizes major developments from 2024 and features key events from the early months of 2025.

    Progress update

    • In 2023, an estimated 1.495 billion people required interventions against NTDs, 122 million fewer than in 2022 and a 32% decrease from the 2010 baseline.
    • Between 2015 and 2021, the disease burden dropped from 17.2 million to 14.1 million DALYs, while NTD-related deaths decreased from an estimated 139 000 to 119 000. The number of people affected by NTDs declined from 1.9 billion in 1990 to just over 1 billion in 2021.
    • In 2023, 867.1 million people were treated for at least one NTD, 99% of whom received preventive chemotherapy. 
    • By the end of 2024, eight countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Plurinational State of Bolivia and Uruguay) had interrupted domiciliary vector transmission of Chagas disease in their entire national territory or in defined areas.
    • Improvements were observed across several cross-cutting areas, including enhanced integration in the implementation of preventive chemotherapy, the broader adoption of integrated strategies for skin-NTDs, the increased inclusion of NTDs in national health strategies, plans and essential service packages, and the wider adoption of guidelines for management of NTD-related disabilities.
    • Nevertheless, progress slowed or stagnated in several key areas: in reducing deaths from vector-borne diseases, in expanding access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), in protecting population from catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures, in ensuring complete reporting on all NTDs and in collecting gender-disaggregated data.

    Read more: Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) 2025

    WHO
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    Monitoring progress on UHC and the health-related SDGs in the South-East Asia Region: 2025 update
    Global Health NewsHealth in DataPublic Health UpdateSustainable Development Goals (SDGs)Universal Health Coverage

    Monitoring progress on UHC and the health-related SDGs in the South-East Asia Region: 2025 update

    by Public Health Update
    written by Public Health Update

    Overview

    The World Health Organization South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) has released its tenth annual report, Monitoring Progress on Universal Health Coverage and the Health-Related Sustainable Development Goals in the South-East Asia Region – 2025 Update. The report offers an in-depth analysis of regional and country-level progress on health-related SDG indicators, along with five additional indicators from WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13).

    Covering all 10 Member States, the report compares achievements against global targets using the latest available data. It highlights areas of significant advancement as well as critical gaps that demand accelerated action to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the health-related SDGs by 2030.

    This year’s thematic focus is “Progress on the decade for strengthening the role of the health sector for improving civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) in the South-East Asia Region (2015–2024)”. The report details how countries have enhanced the completeness of birth and death registration, improved cause-of-death reporting, and reinforced health sector linkages with CRVS systems through the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.

    A notable feature of the 2025 report is the enhanced set of country profiles, offering evidence-based insights on UHC, SDG progress, and CRVS system development. These profiles serve as valuable tools for policymakers, helping Member States track outcomes, identify persistent challenges, and prioritize actions to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda.

    — WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO)

    Download: Monitoring progress on UHC and the health-related SDGs in the South-East Asia Region: 2025 update

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