This is the second of three articles in our deep-dive series on the action plan. In this article, we provide an overview of BHAP, the second action line, and the opportunities it presents.

If you'd like to read about Action Line 1 and what it means for your organization, you can find it here.

Overview of the Belém Health Action Plan

The Belém Health Action Plan is a significant global effort to align health systems with the realities of a changing climate. It sets the objective that the health sector must strengthen its climate adaptation and resilience, aiming to anticipate and respond to climate-driven health risks, rather than react once harm has already occurred. 30 countries and and 50 organizations have endorsed the plan and will report on their progress in 2028.

BHAP is organized around three lines of action:

1. Surveillance and monitoring: understanding how climate is influencing health in real time
2. Evidence-based policies, strategies, and capacity building: strengthening institutions and decision-making
3. Innovation, production, and digital health: scaling the technologies and resilient systems needed for the future

Across all three action lines, the Plan emphasizes systems should be:

• Integrated: linking meteorological, environmental, social, and health datasets
• Interoperable: enabling information to move across agencies, sectors, and borders
• Inclusive and participatory: engaging communities, incorporating local and Indigenous knowledge, and centering vulnerable populations as cross-cutting principles
• Continuously evaluated: updated and refined as climate risks evolve and new data becomes available

Action Line 2: Evidence-based policies, strategies and capacity building

The second action line emphasizes implementation across policy and institutions. Where Action Line 1 prescribes a foundation of climate-health data, intelligence, and early warning systems, Action Line 2 focuses on how health systems act and build upon that evidence. It outlines the policy, governance, skills, stakeholders, and cross-sector coordination required for preventive, equitable, and just climate-health resilience.

To simplify the structure of this action line, we can group the measures into two categories: Policies and governance, and capacity building.

Policy and governance

Action lines 2.1-2.4

These measures identify the policy, strategic, and cross-sector developments required to integrate climate risks and considerations into health systems. They prescribe how countries and institutions should structure their climate-health response and who must be involved.

They call for:

• Creating standardized terms, frameworks, and indicators related to climate and health
• Integrating climate and health considerations into policies across sectors, including transportation, housing, energy, agriculture, urban planning, labor, community engagement
• Embedding mental health into climate adaptation in the health sector, and strengthening mental health systems and resources
• Designing policies that prioritize vulnerable populations and Indigenous Peoples through disaggregated data, equitable access, and inclusive programs

Capacity building

Action lines 2.5-2.7

These measures focus on strengthening the human and institutional capabilities needed to implement and act on climate-health policies and strategies effectively.

They call for:

• Protecting the health and safety of workers through updated occupational standards and climate-informed labor policies.
• Building capacity in the health workforce by integrating climate competencies into training, education, leadership, and professional development.
• Enhancing community resilience through participatory planning, local adaptation initiatives, early warning systems, and empowerment of Indigenous and local knowledge.

The objective is to equip health systems, workers, and communities with the skills, tools, and support needed to respond to emerging climate risks and build long-term resilience.

Opportunities ahead

Action Line 2 provides guidance for developing policies and strategies as a unified field of practice grounded in predictive analytics, preventive health, equity, and strong communities. The emphasis on a standardized terminology and frameworks creates opportunities to build stronger regional and global networks, making it easier to compare data, exchange knowledge, and collaborate across sectors and borders. The integration of mental health into climate adaptation also invites new research, innovation, and interdisciplinary efforts.

Lastly, this action line highlights the untapped potential of centering vulnerable communities and Indigenous Peoples in policy, strategy, and capacity building. Expand community engagement, give more resources to local organizations, and lower barriers to participation, and new forms of community resilience and solutions will emerge.

If you want to learn more about the opportunities of citizen science and community engagement, check out our blog about it here.