Energy is linked to many of the sustainable development priorities, including public health, gender equality, food security, clean water, education, economic growth, youth and women’s empowerment and climate action. The absence of clean and sustainable energy has a significant adverse impact on the health and livelihoods of the poorest populations. Around 2.3 billion people, mostly in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), still mainly rely on inefficient and polluting fuels and stoves for daily cooking, exposing them to health-damaging emissions that result in millions of premature deaths each year. Health and livelihood risks are greatest for women and children as they are often tasked with cooking and gathering fuel. The traditional use of biomass for cooking also puts the environment and climate at risk by contributing to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. Around 1 billion people worldwide, mostly in poor and rural communities, are estimated to be served by health care facilities without any electricity or reliable power supply, and only one in two hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa has a reliable electricity supply. Without adequate and reliable power, essential medical devices cannot function, basic amenities remain out of reach and delivery of health care services is of substandard quality. Unless rapid action is taken, the world will not meet its targets under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. In November 2018, during the first World Health Organization (WHO) Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, announced his vision to build a Health and Energy Platform of Action (HEPA) to enhance multisectoral collaboration between the health and energy sectors and mobilize the political and financial commitments needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 7. In response, WHO, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, in cooperation with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and other key stakeholders, launched HEPA in May 2019, with an initial focus on improving health through promoting clean fuels and technologies for cooking and accelerating access to electricity for health care facilities. Following this announcement, in July 2020, HEPA members worked together to develop a strategic workplan with five overarching objectives to strengthen the cooperation between the health and energy sectors and elevate energy access as a key development priority area for public health, gender equity, climate and sustainable development more broadly (see Box 1). HEPA has gained significant momentum since its establishment in 2019. By October 2022 the platform had over 20 member organizations. All members are committed to working together and synergizing efforts on the ground to accelerate universal electrification of health care facilities and clean cooking. This HEPA action report summarizes the key activities and results achieved and highlights activities under each of HEPA’s five objectives.

WASH in health care facilities is essential for quality care – on this there is universal consensus. Many countries are taking action, but more collaborative, focused and expansive effort and investments are needed. This report focuses on global and national efforts and progress to improve water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), cleaning and health care waste management in health care facilities. It builds upon the first update of progress published in 2020. In addition, in response to demands from countries and health actors on providing a consolidated package of information and interventions on climate-resilient and sustainable infrastructure services in health care facilities, data on electricity and examples of electrification are included. It includes a summary of country progress in implementing national actions (“practical steps”) articulated in the 2019 World Health Assembly Resolution on WASH in health care facilities, drawing on data from a “country tracker” and provides insights on successful approaches and challenges from country experiences in improving and sustaining WASH in health care facilities. The main audiences for the report are national health authorities; those engaged in WASH and infection prevention and control (IPC) in health care facilities, including ministries of health, water, infrastructure, energy and financing; global and national WASH and health partners, including donors and health funders; and actors working on climate-resilient and low-carbon health care facilities and health systems.

This Primer is about the 'how' of primary health care (PHC) and brings together best practices and knowledge that countries have generated through 'natural experiments' in strengthening PHC with the best available research evidence. Despite the progress made towards PHC globally, the concept is still often misunderstood, even within the public health community. The Primer offers a contemporary understanding of PHC and more conceptual clarity for strengthening PHC-oriented health systems. It does so by consolidating both scientific evidence and an extensive sample of practical experiences across countries for the needed evidence to address practical implementation issues. The Primer is organized in three parts. Part I explains the PHC approach, its history, core concepts and rationale, and draws out lessons for transformation. Part II addresses operational and strategic levers that make PHC work. It covers governance, financing and human resources for health, medicines, health technology, infrastructure and digital health, and their role in implementing change. Part III concludes with a cross-cutting view of the impacts of PHC on the health system, efficiency, quality of care, equity, access, financial protection and health systems resilience, including in the face of climate change.

The Global Framework for Action 2024–2030 for water, sanitation, hygiene, waste and electricity services in all health care facilities (the “Framework”) serves to guide efforts to deliver safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health care waste management and reliable electricity in all health care facilities. The ultimate aim is to provide quality care for all. The Framework reflects a global consultative process and includes data and recommendations articulated in recent WHO/UNICEF global reports on WASH, waste and electricity in health care facilities. It also provides an operational roadmap for implementing the 2023 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on WASH, waste and electricity in health care facilities. The target audiences for this Framework include health leaders and programme managers at the global and national levels; policymakers; WASH, waste and energy leaders and technical experts; development partners and finance institutions; and actors and experts on gender equality, disability and social inclusion and climate; and, more generally, civil society. The Framework deals with the WASH, waste and electricity elements of the WHO comprehensive approach to build safe, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities.

This is the 2024 update of the Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment. The Compendium is a comprehensive collection of available WHO and other UN guidance for improving health by creating healthier environments. It provides an overview and easy access of more than 500 actions, and a framework for thinking about health and environment interventions. It covers a broad range of areas such as air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene, climate change, chemicals, radiation, or food systems. Guidance is classified according to principal sectors involved, level of implementation (national, community, health care), the type of instrument (taxes, infrastructure etc.) and the category of evidence. The Compendium compiles existing guidance from hundreds of documents in a simple and systematized format. To ensure the most up-to-date information is provided to the end users, the Compendium is updated on a regular basis and incorporates the latest major WHO or other UN guidance on health and environment. The target audience includes any decision-makers with relevance to health and environment, and those assisting them (such as mayors, staff in ministries, UN country staff etc.). The Compendium has been prepared by WHO in cooperation with UN Environment, UNDP and UNICEF.

An Introduction to Inclusive Healthcare Design is a comprehensive guide to the design and facilitation of safe, healthy, equitable, and inclusive healthcare settings across a variety of scales. The book informs healthcare professionals, healthcare administrators, planners, designers in the healthcare sector, design students, and faculty about best practices and considerations for inclusive design. The primary theme for the book is design for all – considering the design of healthcare spaces through the lenses of inclusivity and social equity. Part 1 presents the reader with an overview of the variety of locations and types of healthcare settings. Part 2 provides a comprehensive overview of the principles of equitable and inclusive healthcare design and considers how these principles can be applied to the range of settings laid out in Part 1. The authors consider inclusivity-supportive infrastructure in primary and ancillary spaces within healthcare settings. Part 3 envisions the future of inclusive healthcare design, considering the integration of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, as well as addressing the ever more relevant issue of healthcare provision in settings at risk of natural disasters.

This book reviews the strategies for the development of sustainable health promotion practices, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with case examples from the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning with a historical survey of the global agenda of health promotion over the past decades, the book analyses the evolving standards, goals and strategies of health promotion as well as the challenges encountered in implementing health promotion practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both social and environmental determinants of population health are examined here. Contributors have assessed socio-economic inequalities present in health promotion practices and highlighted the need for balance between economic development and financial sustainability in health services and educational programming. A framework for improved lifelong population health for all is also suggested. This review of social, economic, environmental, and ecological contexts in health promotion will be of interest to policymakers, academics, and practitioners. In particular, scholars of health policy and health promotion, as well as public administration and development studies, will find this a useful volume.