Opening Remarks by Dr Adham Ismail, officer in charge WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region at the COP31 Side Event: Adaptation without a baseline: climate change and health in[...]

13 November 2026

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, partners and friends,

Good morning.

Earlier this year, more than 22 million pilgrims were expected to gather in Iraq for Arbaeen, facing extreme summer heat.

WHO projected daytime temperatures of around 45 degrees Celsius, with nights remaining above 30 degrees along parts of the pilgrimage routes.

Our pilot heat-health risk assessment identified 10 of Iraq's 18 governorates as being at high risk of heat-related illness.

Working with Iraq's Ministry of Health and local partners, WHO supported emergency preparedness, strengthened surveillance and trained health workers.

We called for safe drinking water, shaded rest areas, cooling facilities and early warning systems. More than 300 volunteers were trained to share preventive health messages.

But here is what makes Iraq's experience particularly relevant to today's discussion.

Despite knowing how extreme the temperatures could become, Iraq lacked much of the health data needed to understand their longer-term consequences.

Its 2025 national climate report identified significant gaps.

For some health outcomes, only two or three years of records were available.

Data from three northern governorates were missing. And health outcomes could not be adequately linked to daily temperatures to establish the impact of extreme heat on illness and deaths.

Iraq knew the heat was coming. But it could not fully measure its consequences for people's health.

Yet action was possible.

Available evidence helped identify risks, guide preparedness and protect people.

The lesson is clear: we cannot wait for perfect data before acting to protect lives.

And nowhere is this more important than in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Across WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region, 117 million people need humanitarian assistance, nearly half the global total.

Conflict, displacement and damaged health systems have already left millions vulnerable.

Now, extreme heat, drought, flooding, and sand and dust storms are adding to the pressure.

Yet in many of these settings, the information needed to plan and finance climate adaptation is incomplete or missing.

How do we prepare for threats we cannot fully measure?

We must combine available health information with weather forecasts, satellite observations, local knowledge and emergency surveillance.

We must strengthen information systems while protecting people today.

And we must ensure that countries facing the greatest risks are not excluded from climate finance because their data are incomplete.

That is why we are here.

Together with the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, we will explore practical solutions, share country experiences and present a draft regional technical position for consultation.

Our objective is to turn incomplete information into informed decisions, and informed decisions into action that saves lives.

Because inadequate data are no excuse for an inadequate response.