Art champions and health thinkers unite at COP28 for common good
The Jameel Arts & Health Lab's COP28 Healing Arts Week promoted a global dialogue about the role of the arts in human and environmental health through a series of panels and dialogues held at the Green Zone and the Blue Zone. During a reception hosted by Community Jameel and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Foundation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO, said: “The arts can be a powerful ally in our quest to improve health for all. I have seen the impact of the arts on community well-being, and I’m very pleased that this collaboration (with the Jameel Arts & Health Lab) will help us understand the science of that impact in order to improve the lives of people from all backgrounds.”
Nisha Sajnani, co-director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab, spoke at a panel moderated by Cléa Daridan, senior curator - cultural lead, Community Jameel, and Mikey Muhanna, founder and executive director, Afikra.
Nisha said: “We need to leverage available evidence on the health benefits of engaging in the arts to address the health impacts of climate change. The science tells us that artists and creative arts therapists are valuable partners in communicating the health impacts of climate change and facilitating reconnecting with one’s environment, and coalition building towards a culture of sustainability.”
The Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), New York University and CULTURUNNERS, have championed the role of the arts in tackling climate change and the global health crisis at COP28. From Dec. 1-3, the Lab presented COP28 Healing Arts Week, a global dialogue to promote the role of the arts in supporting human and planetary health. The programme included a high-level panel in the COP28 Green Zone, participation by Lab Co-Director Christopher Bailey in the COP28 Blue Zone, a youth-focused live dialogue at the Jameel Arts Centre, and a private reception hosted by Community Jameel and the WHO Foundation to recognise the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s work on arts, health and climate.
At the reception, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO said: “The arts can be a powerful ally in our quest to improve health for all. I have seen the impact of the arts on community well-being, and I’m very pleased that this collaboration (with the Jameel Arts & Health Lab) will help us understand the science of that impact in order to improve the lives of people from all backgrounds.” The Lab’s programme at COP28 represented the culmination of a three-month series of ‘listening sessions’ on the theme of arts, health and climate, which began with a roundtable at the Lincoln Center in New York City during UNGA Healing Arts Week, and included participation in MENA Climate Week and a panel within AEON Collective’s tree library as part of Healing Arts Arabia Week in Riyadh. On December 1, a live recording session of the Community Jameel x Afikra Conversation Series for COP28, which amplified the voices of those working at the intersection of the arts, health and climate action, was made available.
The panel discussion explored the impact of the arts on human and planetary health and the role of art in translating science into stories that shape values and shift behaviours. The event was moderated by Clea Daridan, curator at Community Jameel, and Mikey Muhanna, founder and executive director of Afikra. The panelists were Stephen Stapleton, CEO of CULTURUNNERS and co-founder of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab; Dr. Nisha Sajnani, Associate Professor at the Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development, New York University and Co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab; Nadia Christidi, PhD candidate at MIT, researcher, writer and arts practitioner; Uns Kattan, deputy director, Head of Learning and Research, Art Jameel and Dr. Marina Romanello, executive director of Lancet Countdown. “We need to leverage available evidence on the health benefits of engaging in the arts to address the health impacts of climate change,” said Dr. Sajnani.