Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 10, 2025— Ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Forecasting Healthy Futures hosted its third annual Global Summit in Rio de Janeiro to urge action in climate change and health financing, and surface some of the most pressing challenges and promising pathways forward to protect health in a changing climate.
FHF Summit 2025 offered a critical opportunity for local and global stakeholders in climate and health to gather for discussions— both in Rio de Janeiro and virtually. Under the banner “Ecosystem Solutions for Health,” the 3-day event brought together a diverse group of more than 300 leaders representing government, private sector, NGOs, global finance institutions, higher education, and more than 43 countries. This year's interactive agenda featured new health sector evidence in support of urgent climate and conservation action and showcased promising new examples of nature-based and other solutions that can safeguard planetary and human health.
Forecasting Healthy Futures is a global consortium of organizations committed to protecting global health gains from the impact of climate change. Since 2020, thanks to funding from the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity and other consortium members, FHF has worked collaboratively to drive innovation and investment in new strategies to build climate resilience in the world’s most vulnerable countries. This year’s FHF Summit was generously sponsored by Pathfinder, Oxitec, and Takeda.
FHF Summit 2025’s keynotes and panels included senior representatives from the COP30 planning teams, as well as the World Bank, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Gates Foundation, the Global Fund, Fiocruz, Microsoft, along with dozens of other climate and health experts from NGOs, private sector, and academia. FHF also partnered with Accenture to bring new research to the Summit, covering multinational corporations’ engagement in climate and health.
“We all know that climate change is no longer a distant threat—it’s a daily reality for millions,” said Kelly Willis, Global Lead for Forecasting Healthy Futures in her opening remarks. “What’s clearer than ever is that climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are deeply interconnected. The good news is that we are starting to respond with the urgency and unity this triple threat to our health demands.”
“Through discussions on health equity, adaptation, finance, evidence gaps, and shared COP experiences, we are willing to work together to strengthen the foundation for health-centered climate action, which will define the path forward for adaptation within COP30 and beyond,” said Agnes Soares da Silva, Director of Environmental Health Surveillance and Worker Health, Brazil Ministry of Health.
The three days of the Summit focused on innovation in health adaptation solutions, opportunities to integrate health in multilateral and national policy, and strategies to successfully advocate for more urgent climate action The Summit’s final day was structured as a joint symposium co-hosted by Asian Development Bank (ADB), focused on promising trends toward adequate and equitable climate financing for those countries most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change and biodiversity degradation.
“We need to find a new mechanism — we need to be more judicious and build up this grant financing with the concessional financing which MDBs bring, come up with a new model, align with country priorities, and make this possible. COP will be a great occasion to align on this,” said Dinesh Arora, Principal Health Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“I want to recognize the importance of events such as this, that stimulate the exchange of our shared experiences,” said Dr. Daniel Buss, Unit Chief, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). “This kind of dialogue is what generates new ideas, and new solutions that push us forward together… to incorporate health and health economic benefits in everything that we do. Because all sectors have a role to play in promoting and preventing disease and promoting health.”
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Photos from the Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit can be found here.
NOTE: About Forecasting Healthy Futures
Forecasting Healthy Futures is a global coalition of leading organizations committed to mobilizing the political will, financial resources, and innovative solutions needed to protect global health gains from the threats posed by climate change.
For more details: forecastinghealthyfutures.org
Contact: info@forecastinghealthyfutures.org
