Our health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked. The imperative to focus on creating healthy
societies on a healthy planet is crystal clear. 

The 2022 World Health Day theme centres on the link between the health of our planet and the health of
humans, animals, plants – all living creatures. Rising temperatures, floods and extreme rainfall are
impacting the lives of millions of people, creating humanitarian emergencies, depriving people of homes
and livelihoods and driving forced migration and displacement. Climate change will have a serious impact
on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Heat worsens maternal and neonatal health outcomes, with
research suggesting that an increase of one degree Celsius in the week before delivery corresponds with
a six percent greater likelihood of stillbirth. When a climate-related disaster strikes, women and girls are
also at greater risk of gender-based violence.

At the same time, human-caused health threats like air pollution, ecosystem degradation, and the
production and consumption of tobacco are exacerbating damage to our planet. Tens of thousands of
tons of extra medical waste from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic have put tremendous strain on
health care waste management systems, threatening human and environmental health. Global food
security faces the most severe challenges in years. Food loss and waste, pests and diseases, natural
disasters, loss of biodiversity and habitat destruction, and conflict – are major impediments to meeting the
world population’s ever-growing food needs.
As Georgia strives to address the economic and social crisis brought on by the pandemic, World Health
Day serves as a reminder that innovative ideas and new ways of working are needed to ‘build back
better. We need to transform agri-food systems, promote sustainable agriculture, forestry and fishery
practices, and make a systemic shift towards green energy and net-zero emissions. We need a world that
is cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable. Humans contribute to environmental degradation through unsustainable behavioural patterns.

We must be part of the solution in addressing the single biggest health threat that humanity faces – the climate
crisis.

The United Nations reaffirms its strong commitment to assisting Georgia to build a resilient and healthier
society. On this World Health Day, we are calling on everyone to reimagine a world where clean air, water
and food is available to all, where economies are focused on planetary and human health and well-
being, where healthy, people-centred cities, villages and communities create conditions for people to lead
better lives.
Let us all protect our health – and our planet. There is no Planet B.

See the Campaign website: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2022