Extreme heat and MNCH: moving forward with priority programme and financing actions

By WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, PMNCH, High Horizons, European Union, and Innovate UK

Rising global temperatures are putting pregnant and postpartum women, newborns, young children, and the health workers who care for them at increasing risk. Studies show that pregnant women who experience heat exposure face higher risks of preterm birth, stillbirth, low birthweight, birth defects, gestational diabetes, and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Yet the impact of extreme heat on MNCH remains critically overlooked in heat health action plans and climate policy.

This session, organized by WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA through a grant received by WHO as part of the HIGH Horizons project, will share recent data and identify priority actions to integrate MNCH into climate change and health efforts across policy, programming, and monitoring. Using interactive formats, it will bring together decision makers, health workers, and advocates to explore what can be done at every level of the health system.

The session will move through four interconnected themes:

• Understanding why heat exposure matters for MNCH 
• Practical tools and country examples for programme managers,  
• Financing options, and 
• Pathways for integrating MNCH into broader national and global climate action.