CARICOM endorses new Action Plan on Health and Climate Change developed with PAHO/WHO support

(PAHO) Ministers of Health of CARICOM Members and Associate Member States have endorsed the Caribbean Action Plan on Health and Climate Change (2026–2031), a new regional framework developed with the support of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) to help countries strengthen resilient and sustainable health systems and protect communities from the growing health impacts of climate change.

The endorsement took place during the 53rd Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development, Health (COHSOD-Health), held at PAHO Headquarters in Washington, D.C., ahead of the 63rd PAHO Directing Council.

Across the Caribbean, climate change and environmental hazards are increasingly affecting health through hurricanes, extreme heat, flooding, droughts and shifting transmission patterns of vector-borne diseases. Hurricanes have damaged hospitals, health centers and outposts, disrupting essential health services, while changing environmental conditions continue to affect the spread of diseases such as dengue.