Honourable Chair,
Distinguished Delegates,
The World Heart Federation welcomes the Director-General’s report and commends Member States for recognizing pollution, especially lead pollution, as a major threat to human health.
Lead exposure has well-established impacts on heart and brain health, yet remains insufficiently regulated in many settings. The report notes that 1.5 million lives – largely from cardiovascular disease – could have been saved in 2021 through cost-effective measures to reduce lead exposure, which disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, further entrenching health inequities.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, with air pollution as a major contributing risk factor. As such, we urge Member States to:
- Reduce air, water, and soil pollution through effective policy;
- Adopt the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (2021);
- Improve air pollution monitoring and modelling;
- Support a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty; and
- Increase investment in public education and research on air pollution and health.
Thank you.
