Key points
- COP31 opens on Monday 9 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, with a dedicated Health Day — four high-level panels and a ministerial roundtable on resilient and dynamic health systems (WHO, 6 November 2026).
- The Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience launches on Health Day: a voluntary, non-binding initiative to turn climate-health evidence and country experience into policies and measurable actions, coordinated through ATACH after COP31.
- Health is formally on the COP31 action agenda for the first time, as Priority Theme 8 — 'dynamic and resilient health systems'.
- Nothing about the two weeks' outcomes is decided yet: this guide is dated 7 November 2026, two days before Health Day, and reports what is planned, not what happened.
Direct answer: On Monday 9 November 2026, COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, with a dedicated Health Day — four high-level panels and a ministerial roundtable on resilient and dynamic health systems. The Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience launches the same day. This guide was published on 7 November 2026, two days before Health Day, and describes what is planned. It does not report outcomes, because none have happened yet.
What happens on Health Day
Health Day is the opening day of COP31, Monday 9 November 2026, developed jointly by the COP31 Presidency with support from WHO. It brings together ministers, country delegations, technical experts and civil society representatives to advance solutions where environment, climate change, air pollution, energy and health meet, and to set the agenda for the two weeks of discussions that follow.
The day includes four high-level panel discussions and a ministerial roundtable focused on building resilient and dynamic health systems. Sessions cover dynamic and resilient health systems, digital health for climate action, climate-sensitive health technologies, humanitarian aid, and climate-health financing. WHO’s Health Pavilion hosts over 60 events across the conference, and WHO will support activities on all 12 thematic days, working with countries to keep health central to climate policy, financing and implementation.
Health is a priority in the COP31 Presidency’s Action Agenda, where “dynamic and resilient health systems” is Priority Theme 8. It is the first time in COP history that health has formally sat on a COP action agenda — confirmed by Türkiye, the COP31 host, at the World Health Assembly in May 2026.
The Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience
The Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience (AIR) launches on Health Day, 9 November 2026. It is a voluntary, non-binding initiative for sharing knowledge and experience on health resilience, launched by the COP31 Presidency. Its purpose is to translate scientific evidence, international experience and good practices into concrete policies and measurable actions, promote the sharing of successful practices among countries, and strengthen the resilience of health systems to climate-related risks.
The initiative is a response to a gap WHO’s 2025 global survey found: countries report that the knowledge of what works for climate and health exists, but implementation and financing lag behind it. AIR works by sharing case studies, documenting experience, peer exchange facilitated by ATACH, and synthesising cross-cutting lessons. After COP31, the experience pool, peer learning and practical resources will be shared and cultivated through ATACH, carrying lessons forward across future COP cycles.
What COP31 inherits
COP31 does not start from scratch. As WHO puts it, “Antalya is the moment to implement the Belém Health Action Plan” adopted at COP30 — the first international climate-adaptation plan dedicated to health, endorsed by 33 countries and supported by 50 organisations as of May 2026. The day after Health Day, 10 November, is ATACH Day at the COP31 Health Pavilion, bringing together the members of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health — 100 countries and areas and over 95 partners — to join, renew and report commitments.
WHO’s messages at COP31 are threefold: climate change is already causing measurable harm to health, and its impacts fall unequally; health systems must be made climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable; and health is the strongest argument for climate action, with co-benefits from cutting emissions. Around 3.5 billion people live in contexts highly vulnerable to climate change, and over 90% of deaths from climate-related disasters in the past two decades occurred in developing countries. Air pollution, including from burning fossil fuels, kills around 7 million people globally each year. WHO also brings new economic evidence to Antalya: a technical analysis published 4 November 2026 found that six priority climate-health actions could save 1.6 million lives a year and return US$24 for every dollar invested.
What is still to be decided
Nothing about the two weeks’ outcomes is decided yet. The measure of Antalya for health, in WHO’s words, is whether commitments made since Glasgow and in Belém are implemented, renewed and reported. ATACH and the Antalya Initiative give countries the means to do that, during COP31 and beyond — but whether the conference delivers the finance and political will to match remains to be seen, and this page will need updating once Health Day and the negotiations have happened. The companion guide explains the COP process, the national plans and the Belém plan that COP31 is meant to carry forward.
Frequently asked questions
When is Health Day at COP31?
Monday 9 November 2026, the opening day of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. It includes four high-level panels and a ministerial roundtable on resilient and dynamic health systems.
What is the Antalya Initiative?
The Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience (AIR) is a voluntary, non-binding initiative launched by the COP31 Presidency on Health Day, 9 November 2026, to share knowledge and experience on health resilience and turn evidence into policies and measurable actions. It is coordinated through ATACH after COP31.
What does COP31 inherit from COP30?
The Belém Health Action Plan, launched at COP30, which COP31 is meant to implement — plus the 59 adaptation indicators adopted at COP30 and the ATACH network of 100 countries and areas.
Has COP31 decided anything on health yet?
No. This guide was published on 7 November 2026, two days before Health Day. The conference's outcomes are still to be negotiated, and this page reports what is planned, not what happened.