Katrín Jakobsdóttir appointed chair of new European committee on climate change and health under World Health Organization

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the former Prime Minister of Iceland, has been appointed as the chair of a new European committee focused on climate change and health under the World Health Organization (WHO). Notably, neither the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the Ministry of Health were involved in her hiring.

Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, announced last week that Katrín has accepted this leadership role. The ministries clarified that no agreements were reached regarding her appointment, and they will not contribute financially to the establishment of the committee or her chairmanship.

Furthermore, Kluge discussed the proposal with Willum Þór Þórsson, Iceland’s Minister of Health, who expressed his full support for Katrín’s appointment. The Prime Minister’s Office stated it has no involvement with the committee and does not bear any related costs. The Health Ministry emphasized that the initiative for this committee originated from the WHO and confirmed that it would neither incur expenses related to the committee nor enter any agreements regarding its formation.

The Foreign Ministry also reiterated that it had no part in Katrín’s appointment as the committee chair and highlighted that there are no special agreements anticipated with the WHO concerning this matter, nor is there expected expenditure related to the establishment of the committee or her role.