Early Childhood Education
as the First Line of NCD & Climate Resilience Prevention
COP30 framework, aligned with the 4th Global Oral Health & Climate Action Plan
14 November 2025 · 15:00 CET · 09:00 EST · 06:00 PST · 22:00 ICT · 01:00 AEDT (next day)
Early Childhood Education will be explored as a strategic entry point for oral health within broader NCD prevention, public health, and community resilience agendas — and how this approach can contribute to achieving the WHO Oral Health Action Plan, the Bangkok Declaration, and the UN NCD Political Declaration (2025).
The session will present innovative approaches for integrating oral health into early childhood education settings and associated public health programmes. Case studies will describe how these approaches can help implement the three core domains of oral health (FDI): physiological, psychosocial, and disease/condition status, holistically and comprehensively. It will highlight how oral health is shaped by early childhood development and the need to position early childhood not as an educational issue alone, but as the critical arena to introduce preventive health, equity, and climate adaptation through whole-school, whole-community strategies.
The event will gather international experts to discuss how education can serve as a cornerstone of disease prevention, equity, and planetary health, contributing to the achievement of SDGs 3, 4, 5, 10, 13, and 17.
14 November 2025 · 15:00 CET · 09:00 EST · 06:00 PST · 22:00 ICT · 01:00 AEDT (next day)
Early Childhood Education will be explored as a strategic entry point for oral health within broader NCD prevention, public health, and community resilience agendas — and how this approach can contribute to achieving the WHO Oral Health Action Plan, the Bangkok Declaration, and the UN NCD Political Declaration (2025).
The session will present innovative approaches for integrating oral health into early childhood education settings and associated public health programmes. Case studies will describe how these approaches can help implement the three core domains of oral health (FDI): physiological, psychosocial, and disease/condition status, holistically and comprehensively. It will highlight how oral health is shaped by early childhood development and the need to position early childhood not as an educational issue alone, but as the critical arena to introduce preventive health, equity, and climate adaptation through whole-school, whole-community strategies.
The event will gather international experts to discuss how education can serve as a cornerstone of disease prevention, equity, and planetary health, contributing to the achievement of SDGs 3, 4, 5, 10, 13, and 17.
International Expert Session & Panel Discussion
- Dr. Elin Eriksen OdegaardProfessor of the KINDknow — Kindergarten Knowledge Centre for Systemic Research on Diversity and Sustainable Futures, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
- Isabelle FilliozatPhd, Psychotherapist, Author, Institute for Professional Development in emotional intelligence, psycho-social support and parenting, France
- Dr. Ursula StengerProfessor for Educational Science
with a focus on Early Childhood Development at the University of Cologne, Germany - Dr. Karen SpruytProfessor National Institute of Medicine and Health and the University of Paris, France
- Adele DiamondProfessor of neuroscience
at the University of British Columbia, USA - Silvia C. DubovoyOff-Site Affiliate Professor,
Loyola University Maryland, USA - Dr. Joel MonzeeDoctor of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology and Neuroscience, Canada
- Alison BaulosExecutive Director, Center for the Economics of Human Development, The University of Chicago, USA
- Dr Umakanth A. KatwaDirector, Sleep Center & Sleep Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital; Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, USA
Nov 14, 2025. Session Agenda within the COP30 Framework,
aligned with the 4th Global Oral Health & Climate Action Plan
aligned with the 4th Global Oral Health & Climate Action Plan
15:00 CET • 09:00 EST • 06:00 PST • 22:00 ICT • 01:00 AEDT
15:00 – 15:15
15:00 – 15:15
Conference opening
Early Childhood Education as the First Line of NCD & Climate Resilience Prevention.
Julian Fisher, Oral and Planetary Health Policies Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, University of Pennsylvania
Co-chairs: Elin Eriksen Ødegaard, Valentina Gecha
Julian Fisher, Oral and Planetary Health Policies Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, University of Pennsylvania
Co-chairs: Elin Eriksen Ødegaard, Valentina Gecha
15:15 – 15:35
15:15 – 15:35
To Heal the Planet, We Must First Heal the Human
The Role of Early Emotional Regulation and Daily Practices in the Prevention of NCDs and Planetary Harm
Isabelle Filliozat, Institute for Professional Development in emotional intelligence, psycho-social support, and parenting, France
Isabelle Filliozat, Institute for Professional Development in emotional intelligence, psycho-social support, and parenting, France
15:35 – 15:55
15:35 – 15:55
Empowering Early Childhood Education
for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Futures through embedded health practices
Dr. Prof. Ursula Stenger, University of Cologne, Germany
Dr. Prof. Ursula Stenger, University of Cologne, Germany
15:55 – 16:15
15:55 – 16:15
Embedding Movement, Play and Exploration
in Early Childhood Education Systems as Everyday Pedagogies for Public and Planetary Health
Prof. Elin Eriksen Ødegaard, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
Prof. Elin Eriksen Ødegaard, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
16:15 – 16:35
16:15 – 16:35
Why Attention to Executive Functions Early in Life is so Critical
for Disease-Prevention and Health Throughout Life
Prof. Adele Diamond, University of British Columbia, Canada
Prof. Adele Diamond, University of British Columbia, Canada
16:35 – 16:55
16:35 – 16:55
Neurophysiological and Psychosocial Determinants
of Early Childhood Mental Resilience and Oral-Health Behaviours in the Context of Climate Stress
Dr. Joël Monzée, Institute of Psychology and Neuroscience, Canada
Dr. Joël Monzée, Institute of Psychology and Neuroscience, Canada
16:55 – 17:15
16:55 – 17:15
The Environment as Blueprint
How First Relationships Shape the Brain for Oral & Planetary Health
Dr. Prof. Silvia C. Dubovoy, Loyola University Maryland, USA
Dr. Prof. Silvia C. Dubovoy, Loyola University Maryland, USA
17:15 – 17:35
17:15 – 17:35
Sleep Equity
The Overlooked Frontier in Child Health
Dr. Prof. Karen Spruyt, National Institute of Medicine and Health (INSERM) and the University of Paris, France
Dr. Prof. Karen Spruyt, National Institute of Medicine and Health (INSERM) and the University of Paris, France
17:35 – 17:55
17:35 – 17:55
From Reactive Treatment to Functional Early Detection
Positioning Sleep and Oral Function as Policy Imperatives for Early Risk Identification and Whole-System Transformation in the NCD Agenda
Dr Umakanth A. Katwa
Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Dr Umakanth A. Katwa
Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
17:55 – 18:15
17:55 – 18:15
The Economic Irreversibility of Delayed Action
Why Early Prevention Is Not a Moral Choice — but an Economic Law
Alison Baulos, Center for the Economics of Human Development, the University of Chicago, USA
Alison Baulos, Center for the Economics of Human Development, the University of Chicago, USA
18:15–19:00
18:15–19:00
Panel Discussion and Q&A Session
When we talk about Climate and Health, we usually ask:
— How is the climate threatening children?
This session reverses the lens:
— Which developmental foundations must children have to enable population-level resilience and prevent NCDs?
— How is the climate threatening children?
This session reverses the lens:
— Which developmental foundations must children have to enable population-level resilience and prevent NCDs?