Dakar — Greater than 80 well being and local weather change consultants, companions and civil society representatives at the moment agreed on a five-year strategic plan for the African area to help nations construct resilient and sustainable well being system and make well being an integral a part of negotiations on climate-change adaptation and mitigation.
Assembly in Senegal from 24 to 26 September 2024 for the Fifth Clim-HEALTH Africa assembly. The consultants additionally set in movement discussions and collaborations geared toward driving daring local weather actions to deal with Africa’s climate-induced well being challenges. Clim-HEALTH Africa is a consortium for Local weather and Well being bringing collectively African technical establishments and worldwide companions to information and strengthen the general public well being resilience of African nations and communities to local weather change. The community has been working with companions to assist predict, stop, and handle acute public well being results of local weather change in Africa via evidence-based climate-informed planning, capability constructing and skilled data sharing.
African nations are experiencing growing climate-linked emergencies. In 2023 alone, excessive climate occasions killed greater than 15 000 folks, with droughts affecting greater than 88 million folks throughout six African nations, in response to World Well being Group (WHO) knowledge. Nonetheless, solely 22 nations within the area have nationwide well being adaptation plans and fewer than 20% of the nations have well being talked about of their nationally decided contributions for lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions.
“Our area is dwelling to 6 nations of the highest ten most catastrophe affected nations on this planet, with heatwaves, floods, cyclones and wildfires affecting well being and livelihoods of thousands and thousands of individuals,” stated Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The finalization of a Clim-HEALTH Africa strategic work plan comes at a time when well being is receiving growing consideration within the world discourse on local weather change. The plan marks an necessary step within the continent’s local weather change advocacy drive, because it clearly defines how nations can develop nationwide well being adaptation plans, combine local weather change and well being challenges into nationwide programmes. The plan additionally ensures the supply of local weather and well being indicators that can tackle problems with early warning techniques.
With the rising want for nations to have climate-resilient well being techniques that may adapt to rising threats, whereas persevering with to satisfy present well being wants, understanding easy methods to optimize sources stays key. The Clim-HEALTH Africa assembly was a chance to strengthen consultants’ capacities in local weather negotiations within the bid to lift the voice of well being in worldwide local weather debates.
This assembly organized with help from Wellcome Belief and Spanish Authorities Company, builds on Clim-HEALTH Africa’s previous 4 gatherings. In 2017, a roundtable of Clim-Well being Africa consortium-initiated discussions round utilizing early warning techniques for climate-sensitive illnesses. A system which has thus far been applied in three pilot African nations to anticipate and quickly management some infectious illnesses like malaria.
The important thing shifts highlighted on this yr’s assembly embrace a concentrate on organising a coordination mechanism for contributing to world local weather and well being indicators work programme, constructing Africa well being negotiators’ capacities in local weather diplomacy and negotiations and planning for Clim-HEALTH Africa 5 years actions’ agenda.
“The African regional plan lays a robust basis for concrete steps that nations can take to deal with these challenges, assert Africa’s well being voice in local weather change boards and be resilient within the face of those rising challenges,” stated Dr Moeti.