Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to represent the new Planetary Health Initiative of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 in New Delhi – the first time the summit was hosted in South Asia.
Gathering over 4,500 participants from 54 countries, the meeting brought together health professionals, policymakers, private sector innovators, young activists, researchers, and civil society organisations. The theme, “Scaling Access to Ensure Health Equity,” anchored conversations that ranged far and wide – from air pollution and dengue outbreaks to digital health apps and millet farming.
As I stepped into the grand Bharat Mandapam – the same venue that welcomed world leaders for the G20 Summit in 2023 – I could feel the pulse of global dialogue in the air. The scent of masala chai and strong coffee hung in the humid air, blending with the early summer heat as delegates crisscrossed the packed hallways. The summit immediately took on a distinctly local flavour – vibrant, intense, and full of purpose.
Setting the stage for global health dialogue
Opening the summit, Balvir S. Tomar, the Summit’s International President, captured the spirit of the gathering: “Let’s craft a future where health is a universal promise, powered by science and guided by equity.” His words set the tone for the days ahead: health equity must move beyond rhetoric into tangible, inclusive action.
The conversations that followed were bold and expansive – tackling pollution, exploring the future of big data and machine learning in health, and highlighting the role of frontline workers and faith leaders in building resilient communities, among other topics.
Global health veteran Ilona Kickbusch noted, “Global health will move towards planetary health and equity.” Sitting amidst Delhi’s smog and heat wave, the urgency of this message was impossible to ignore.
The summit was not just another meeting; it felt like a pivot point. There was growing recognition that future health strategies must respect planetary boundaries, build community resilience, and innovate across disciplines to protect both people and planet.
Opening day buzz at Bharat Mandapam – venue of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025
Planetary health: no longer optional
If one thread stitched the summit together, it was the emerging consensus that the ailments of the planet are not just environmental issues anymore – they are health issues at the core.
Speakers repeatedly highlighted that air pollution now kills more people annually than malaria and HIV combined, while deforestation and habitat loss fuel the spread of new infectious diseases. Delhi’s choking air and record temperatures were not anecdotes; they were warnings.
The summit also saw the introduction of a new Planetary Health Roadmap by the Planetary Health Alliance, building on the Sao Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health, launched in October 2021. This new roadmap offers a framework for countries to integrate planetary health education into not only medical and public health curricula, but across disciplines including engineering, economics, public policy, and biomedical research. It calls for collaboration between ministries across health, environment, energy, and agriculture, and urges businesses to commit to operating in alignment with the planetary health principles.
Beyond education: communicating for impact
However, strengthening education and governance alone is not enough. The summit highlighted that communicating planetary health effectively to broader audiences is equally critical.
Collaborating with journalists and media professionals to explore the interconnectedness of human and environmental health in accessible ways was seen as essential. Storytelling was identified as a powerful tool to humanise data and make scientific findings relatable, while media campaigns and digital platforms were recognised for their potential to spread key planetary messages rapidly and widely.
Speakers underscored that effective communication is not just about publishing academic papers – it’s about fostering a more informed, engaged, and empowered society. The overarching message was clear: silos must be dismantled – not only between sectors, but between science and society. Addressing the 21st-century health threats require deep intersectoral collaboration, participatory governance, and people-centred storytelling.
The author with the rest of the delegation from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute
New solutions and ancient wisdom for a changing planet
The summit wasn’t just about grim forecasts. If planetary health was the diagnosis, innovation – in its many forms – offered potential cures.
New climate-smart tools for tuberculosis (TB) control – including portable, solar-powered TB diagnostic tools – demonstrated how technology can deliver care to remote and climate-affected areas. Another example was the AI-driven heatwave prediction systems, with pilots in Karnataka that use district and sub-district level data to forecast extreme heat events.
Not all innovation, however, is about high-tech gadgets – some solutions encourage us to revisit old wisdom. A conversation thread throughout the conference was the revival of millets for nutrition. These humble grains (like sorghum, finger millet, and pearl millet) have been staples in India and Africa for millennia, but in recent decades they were overshadowed by rice and wheat. Now, they are making a comeback as “climate-smart” crops and nutritious superfoods. One speaker captured it best, “Sometimes innovation looks like going back to our roots – in this case root vegetables and hardy grains.”
Mental health innovation wasn’t forgotten either. The founder of Wysa – an AI-powered mental health app – shared how scalable tech can offer emotional support amid rising climate anxiety and instability.
Yet speakers were clear: technology alone is not enough. Building true resilience demands fundamental changes – particularly from the private sector. Not just through corporate social responsibility, but through bold shifts in business models — supporting innovation for the last mile and financing climate-resilient health systems. As many emphasized, the path forward requires bold political will, public-private collaboration, and strong accountability mechanisms to ensure that innovation reaches and benefits those most affected by climate and health crises.
A call to action: from declarations to delivery
The World Health Summit in Delhi closed with a rousing call: global consensus, regional collaboration, and local action. In principle, the roadmap is clear – protect the planet to protect health, innovate inclusively, and shift power toward those closest to the frontlines.
But if the global health community learned anything from past declarations, it’s that slogans are easy. Action is harder. Without real, sustained investment, political will, and cross-sector accountability, even the most elegant roadmaps risk becoming redundant.
All in all, Delhi did give me hope. I hope that a new generation of leaders understand that no health system can be resilient on a dying planet. And that planetary health isn’t an add-on to public health – it is public health, in its truest sense.