The Lancet, 404, 2402-2405
Nov 29, 2024
Implementing the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health
Liz Willetts, Remco van de Pas, Katie Woolaston, Nathan J Bennett, Neil M Vora, Dharmesh Shah, Amba-Rose Atkinson, Anna Stewart-Ibarra
For the first time in the history of global biodiversity governance and global health governance, countries negotiated and adopted a Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) in 2024. The 6-year process to develop and agree to this Plan culminates decades of progress to advance the broad interconnections between biodiversity and health into international decision making. By adopting the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, parties acknowledged that biodiversity and health interlinkages encompass physical and mental health, communicable and non-communicable disease, health emergencies, social determinants, and food and water security. In the Plan, parties agreed to strengthen and enable health and environmental coordination across national ministries, disciplines, and sectors. The Plan contains 91 intersectoral health actions to incorporate into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) in alignment with the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework.