WHO Seeks Experts for Regional Climate Health Group in South-East Asia

The World Health Organization's South-East Asia Regional Office is seeking experts for its Regional Expert Group on Environmental Determinants of Health and Climate Change to address critical challenges faced by densely populated and climate-vulnerable countries in the region. These countries confront severe climate impacts such as cyclones, floods, droughts, and rising sea levels, which threaten public health and sustainable development. Meanwhile, the World Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling climate change and gender issues in the Pacific, focusing on climate-resilient infrastructure and boosting women's workforce participation despite reduced aid from the United States. It is relocating leadership closer to the Pacific to oversee a $3.4 billion aid program aimed at supporting vulnerable island nations with economic and environmental challenges. In Australia, UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged the government to adopt ambitious emissions targets by 2035 and accelerate the shift to clean energy to safeguard regional stability and demonstrate leadership ahead of the COP31 summit. Failure to act decisively on climate change risks harming living standards and destabilizing neighboring regions vulnerable to climate impacts.