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Extreme heat is an urgent global challenge, impacting health, economies, the environment and infrastructure. As heat impacts intensify around the world, the UN Secretary-General has called for urgent, coordinated action on extreme heat. Many organizations and actors are tackling heat risks, but efforts remain isolated and fragmented.

Today, one year after the United Nations Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat, the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN), together with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, is proud to launch three new resources that directly respond to the call.

Developed through their joint initiative Supporting Extreme Heat Risk Governance, these resources are part of a larger effort designed to help improve international and multi-sectoral coordination on heat risk reduction, helping countries and communities better prepare for rising temperatures:

“Extreme heat is exacerbating existing health inequities and undermining development gains around the world,” said Joy Shumake-Guillemot, GHHIN Coordinator and lead of the Climate and Health Joint Programme of WMO and the World Health Organization (WHO). “These resources aim to strengthen the foundation for coordinated, science-based action across countries, communities, and institutions.”

“If countries and institutions want to act swiftly and decisively to protect communities and economies, we must collaborate with and learn from one another as we develop systems for improving heat resilience,” said Ashley Ward, Director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, “These resources highlight what’s working, where the gaps are, and opportunities for more effective coordination.”

Learn more:

UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat

UN Heat Action Profiles