On the second day of the UNITE Global Summit 2026 in Manila, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health and the Parliamentarians for Climate (P4C) Network signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalizing a commitment to joint action at the intersection of climate and health.
P4C is a global parliamentary network of current and former parliamentarians committed to promoting environmental sustainability and climate resilience worldwide. The network was founded, in 2023, by UNITE Ambassador from Morocco, Hon. Dr. Ibtissame Azzaoui, with the vision of reducing climate injustice for a more equitable, safe and sustainable world.
What the MoU Commits to
The agreement sets out a framework for sustained collaboration across a range of activities. UNITE and P4C will work together to mobilise parliamentarians for joint engagement at the World Health Assembly and the UNFCCC COP (Conference of the Parties), two of the most important global forums where climate and health policy intersect, and where parliamentary voices have historically been underrepresented.
The partnership will also foster inter-parliamentary exchange, including a joint UNITE delegation to the P4C–KAS PolDiMed event in Italy in September 2026 marking the first concrete expression of the MoU’s commitments beyond Manila. Parliamentary advocacy will focus on the climate-health nexus, prevention of climate-sensitive diseases, air quality and non-communicable diseases, health system resilience, and pandemic preparedness and response.
Why This Matters Now
The signing comes at a moment when the urgency could not be greater. This summer, Europe has recorded its most severe heatwave on record. El Niño has returned. Climate-sensitive diseases are spreading into new geographies. And health systems, already strained by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and shrinking development assistance, are being asked to absorb impacts they were never designed to manage.
In a world where climate change, public health, economic pressures, and other global challenges increasingly intersect, policymaking cannot happen in silos. Parliamentary engagement across sectors is more important than ever to ensure that health and climate policies are aligned, evidence-informed, and supported by the financing and legislation needed to build resilience. In the face of increasingly complex and interconnected crises, this partnership reflects a shared commitment to exactly this.
“Climate change is not a future threat to health. It is an ongoing emergency that is already reshaping disease patterns, food systems, and the viability of communities around the world. This MoU is a commitment to ensure that the parliamentarians working on these issues are not doing so in isolation. UNITE and P4C, together, can build the political collaboration and knowledge-sharing that a joined-up climate and health response demands.”
— Dr. Ibtissame Azzaoui, Founder, Parliamentarians for Climate Network & UNITE Member, Morocco
“Since founding UNITE in 2017, I have believed that one of the most powerful forces for change in global health is a parliamentarian who is equipped, connected, and courageous. We are especially proud to be signing this partnership with Parliamentarians for Climate, a network founded by a UNITE member. It is a testament to the leadership, initiative, and commitment that exists across our own network, and to the role parliamentarians can play in building new platforms for collective action across sectors to improve lives for all. Climate and health issues are are inextricably connected and must be treated as such in parliaments.”
— Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, Founder & President, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health
