MSF hosts landmark climate health roundtable: Uniting South Asia in response to climate-driven health emergencies

MÉDECINS Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors without Borders convened a pivotal two-day roundtable, 'Dousing the Blaze: Setting Priorities for Integrated Action on Health Impacts of Climate Change', on 21 to 22 April, 2025, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

- 

The event brought together more than 60 experts, policymakers, academics, frontline practitioners, and community leaders from across South Asia to craft a united and integrated response to the escalating health consequences of climate change.

Among the most significant outcomes of the roundtable was the establishment of a regional expert working group tasked with co-developing climate-health strategies and a position paper to be released in May 2025, ahead of COP30. MSF’s Medical Research Innovation and Social Mission team will also lead the creation of a regional repository of best practices and research to drive cross-border collaboration. Participants committed to forming a sustained regional advocacy network to influence national and regional policy, while a new community mobilisation framework will be co-developed to amplify grassroots voices and support local resilience strategies.

"The climate crisis is a health crisis. What we’re witnessing is not a distant threat but a present reality, one that is hitting the most vulnerable the hardest," said MSF South Asia Executive Director Farhat Mantoo. "From rising heat stress to food insecurity, the health effects of climate change are unfolding rapidly and disproportionately. As an organisation that has long worked in humanitarian emergencies, MSF sees these impacts daily in displaced communities, overwhelmed health systems, and neglected diseases made worse by environmental change. This roundtable is the beginning of a shared commitment to bold, collaborative action rooted in justice, equity, and solidarity. It’s about bringing science and lived experience together to co-create real, region-specific solutions that serve those most at risk-not just today, but for the generations to come."