Kuala Lumpur Call to Action on Planetary Health

We can’t wait any longer – the time for action is now! 

That’s the key message from the Kuala Lumpur Call to Action on Planetary Health launched at the 2024 Planetary  Health Annual Meeting (PHAM) and summit in Malaysia last month. 

Organised by the Planetary Health Alliance, alongside Sunway University and the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, the meeting, with the theme ‘From Evidence to Action: Confronting Reality’,  was attended by about 1000 participants from 63 countries. 

The call to action aims to accelerate action in pursuit of the just, global transition needed to safeguard a liveable future for generations to come.

It also mobilizes a global community to carry out the steps outlined in the first-ever Planetary Health Roadmap and Action Plan, the culmination of a year’s worth of work by 100 contributors from around the world, including HPF’s Executive Director, Sione Tu’itahi who was a member of the editorial advisory group. 

Building off the 2021 São Paulo Declaration, the Planetary Health Roadmap and Action Plan is a compass for all of us to be both courageous and humble in communicating the urgency of change. 

People have the power to drive positive change. To ensure that Earth and its inhabitants can thrive in harmony, this  practical document shows us that we can nurture this growing movement and work to safeguard the health and well-being of all life on Earth.

 Sione who's a member of the PHA's Steering Committee said planetary health was the most significant determinant of the wellbeing of humanity today.

‘The Planetary Health Road Map is an important and timely tool for health promoters and other health workers to add to their repertoire of health promotion tools for addressing all determinants of health,’ he said. 

Conference a huge success 

Marie M Studer,  Executive Director | Planetary Health Alliance said the meeting was a tremendous success because of the tireless work of the teams at Sunway University and the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health.  

She said the PHA secretariat team was fortunate to work alongside dedicated colleagues over the past year. More than 100 presenters from diverse fields also participated in the meeting.   

This PHAM also included a 'wonderful' Malaysian media presence that has garnered over 10 million views online, said Marie.

'Conversations on social media about the meeting reached an additional 5 million views. This wouldn’t have been possible without the cultivation of media relations carried out by the team at Sunway in combination with an impressive program that had leaders from many sectors presenting.' 

The 2025 PHAM will be held at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.