November 5, 2024 (NAIROBI, Kenya): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) through its Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Program (HEPRRP) for the Eastern and Southern Africa (AFE) in collaboration with the East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA HC) are convening a consultative meeting to engage with the participating countries and other key stakeholders in designing approaches for the climate change and health nexus through the development of country plans for priority climate and health actions; development of IGAD Technical Assistance plan for individual countries and joint regional priorities in HEPPR MPA Program and to identify cross learning needs and activities to address the different priority needs.
The countries will also discuss the intersection and identify the impact of climate change on health systems and public health conditions in particular through sharing the current state of knowledge at country level (country context, policies, adaptation and mitigation strategies, challenges and opportunities). They will further develop/refine national plans and identify cross learning needs as well as identify countries priorities/needs for technical assistance support to be provided by IGAD for the climate and health nexus.
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major driver of public health crises leading to the emergence and spread of climate-induced diseases thus posing significant challenges to public health, affecting physical, mental, and social well-being across the East and Southern Africa (AFE) region. Climate change also impacts health conditions and outcomes and the health system, through both changes in temperature and precipitation as well as the increasing impact of climate change on extreme weather events, resulting in health emergencies.
Due to the intersection of climate change, climate variability, and health outcomes it necessitates a coordinated approach and cross disciplinary collaboration to develop resilience and mitigate adverse effects.
In response to these effects and challenges, the HEPRR MPA Program aims at strengthening the capacity of countries in East and Southern Africa to be able to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to health emergencies, including those triggered or exacerbated by climate change. By enhancing public health infrastructure, improving disease surveillance, and fostering regional and national collaboration, the HEPRR program seeks to build more resilient health systems that can withstand the impacts of climate change and protect the most vulnerable populations and develop effective strategies to protect public health and enhance resilience to climate change in the participating countries
During the opening, the IGAD Head of Mission to the Republic of Kenya on behalf of the Executive Secretary in her remarks highlighted that the link between climate change and health is on the global stage, backed by the World Health Organization and prioritized by the African Union and Africa CDC who are finalizing a continental climate and health strategy in addition to the UN General Assembly’s Political Declaration that emphasize the urgency of pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR), calling for cohesive action across all levels. This was further echoed by the COP28 UAE Declaration on climate and health, where for the first time health was a priority globally.
“Climate change impacts our health systems and public health at large. These impacts challenge every area within WHO’s health system framework—human resources, service delivery, products and technology, governance, and financing. They affect mental health, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, heat-related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, air quality, food and water security, forced displacement and many more”.
“As IGAD our strength is our ability to bring together diverse stakeholders, leveraging both political influence and strong convening power enabling us to foster effective regional collaboration and advance our shared health and climate goals strategize together, identify health priorities for climate resilience, and share experiences thus will be able a chance to map out the capacity and technical support needed to manage climate’s impacts on health” Dr. Adan added.
In reiteration, ECSA HC’s Dr. Jones Kaponda Masiye; the Manager Non-Communicable Diseases, Food Security and Nutrition on behalf of the Director General highlighted that climate change has brought disasters that have put continuous pressure health systems thus a driving force behind many health emergencies in the two regions leading to food insecurity leading to malnutrition, disease mutations necessitating a comprehensive approach to health emergency preparedness that includes climate resilience.
“Addressing these health impacts requires a multifaceted approach and development of strategies for addressing climate change and health that include public health planning, community resilience strategies, and more efforts to mitigate climate change. Without partners, member states may not respond to these disasters effectively single handedly, thus the need to assess the specific impacts on each country’s health system, recognizing that each nation faces unique climate challenges and focus on creating tailored national plans, identifying opportunities for cross-country learning, and understanding the particular needs of each country in terms of technical assistance and support, based on their climate-related priorities” Dr. Masiye expressed.
The World Bank was represented by Dr. Peter Okwero, the Senior Health Specialist and his remarks re-echoed the Bank’s commitment in partnering with IGAD and ECSA HC among others in driving the Climate Change Agenda considering that Climate Change is a reality that is being faced with serious impacts that are being witnessed on health and other sectors.
“I call upon the Member States to adapt to the change agenda and understand the underlying causes and respond to each of these by reviewing and redefining national climate resilience plans and strategies with feasible collective approaches and mitigation measures in the adaptation to climate change and its impacts. This will only be effective if there is stakeholder engagement from community, national, regional and international levels” Dr. Okwero added.
On behalf of the Africa CDC representing the Regional Director, Dr. Charles Akataobi Michael, Senior Technical Officer brought to light that although the African Region contributes the least to the cause of the climate change crisis (4% GHG emission), it bears the greatest burden of suffering with significant health impacts due to extreme weather events and natural disasters, including bushfires, flooding, and outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, including malaria, dengue, Zika, and Rift Valley fever that have further widened health disparities, increased poverty, and weakened further the healthcare delivery systems.
“Both urban and rural areas are experiencing increasing exposure to extreme heat and degraded air quality, with devastating complications to health and wellbeing. Furthermore, climate-driven drought is increasingly affecting subsistence agriculture, livestock, and commercial crops, with impacts on nutrition felt primarily by infants, small children, pregnant women and those already living on or below the poverty line” Dr. Akataobi further explained.
Through the Africa CDC “Climate Change and Health Strategic Framework” the framework will guide African Union Member States in enhancing climate resilience and mitigating health vulnerabilities and aims to strengthen health systems, improve disease surveillance, and foster sustainable public health outcomes that are resilient to climate change.
The meeting was officiated by Dr. Peter Cherutich, Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kenya on behalf of the Principal Secretary who informed the meeting that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250, 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress being direct damage costs to thus areas with weak health infrastructure will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.
“We express our commitment to health leadership as one of the HEPRRP participating countries, with our role being to ensure there is enabling environment for national, regional and global actors to collaborate, partner and implement together, the climate change and health actions. We are in full support of the approach to build sustainable international and regional partnership and cooperation, political engagement and enhanced health leadership on Climate and Health to continue building sustained international and regional cooperation, political engagement and enhanced health leadership on Climate and Health” Dr. Cherutich added.
Dr. Cherituch called on the Member States to sustain the engagement and partnerships with all development partners to bolster health leadership to prioritize climate and health actions, support and justify enhance the sector’s capacity to implement realistic climate actions as guided by the in- country climate and health frameworks, regional and global approaches including the WHO ATACH and the Santiago Framework on loss and damage putting the health sector at the center of climate action by the global health sector leadership.
The participating countries that include Ethiopia, Kenya within the IGAD region, and in the ECSA HC region are Sao Tome & Principe; Burundi; the Democratic Republic of Congo; Rwanda; Malawi and Zambia have outlined interventions to address the impact of climate change on health in the HEPRR MPA Program that is being funded by World Bank.
IGAD and ECSA HC serve as the regional entities implementing the regional components of the project, complementing country-level interventions with the aim of strengthening health system resilience and multi-sectoral preparedness and response to health emergencies in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The meeting is being attended by Ministries of Health; Environment; Health Policy and Planning, Emergency Preparedness and Response (Public Health); Project Coordinators, and Climate Change and Health Experts. Also in attendance are representatives of regional and international organizations such as Africa CDC, WHO AFRO, UNEP, WMO, ECSA-HC, World Bank Group, Wellcome Trust, IGAD Experts in Climate Science and Public Health and other relevant bodies.
