Climate Change and Health Trends in the WPRO

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Climate Change and HealthTrends in the WPRO

• WHO country office

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More Extreme Weathers
CC affects the fundamental requirements for
health clean air, safe drinking water,
sufficient and secure shelter
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Report of CC and Health in Mongolia
Increase in extreme weather events including dust
storm, desertification, heat and cold waves and
dryness are seriously affecting population health
in Mongolia with their probable effect on
cardiovascular and respiratory diseases of the
population.
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Regional Committee Meeting, September 2008

• WPR/RC59.R7 on protecting health from the effects
  of climate change
• Endorsed the Regional Framework for Action to
  Protect Human Health from the Effects of Climate
  Change in the Asia-Pacific Region
• Increase awareness of health consequences of
  climate change
• Strengthen health systems capacity to provide
  protection from climate-related risks, and reduce
  GHG emissions in health systems
• Ensure that health concerns are addressed in
  decisions to reduce risks from climate change in
  other key sectors

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Regional Framework on Climate Change and Health

• Regional framework provides guidance on WHO
  support to Member States in the following areas
• evidence and awareness
• strengthen health systems response
• health concerns in decisions of other sectors.
• WHO collaborates with Member States to
  implementing the regional framework.

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1. Increase awareness

• Studies on health implications of climate change
• Awareness programme and resource materials

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2. Strengthen health system responses

• Projected climate change risks incorporated into
  health policies, plans and programmes
• Strengthening infrastructure and interventions,
  e.g. surveillance, disaster management, early
  warning, local adaptations
• Climate change focal points and mechanisms in
  national health institutions
• Programmes to reduce GHG emissions by the health
  sector

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3. Health concerns in development decisions

• Strategies to incorporate projected climate
  change health risks into policies, strategies and
  measures of key development sectors (e.g.
  promotion of public and non-motorized transport
  and clean energy)
• Health sector participating in national
  communications to UNFCCC
• Health participation in the national climate
  change team

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Regional Framework on Climate Change

• 59th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for
  the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines 22 to
  26 September 2008
• Resolution on Protecting Health from the
  Effects of Climate Change
• http//www.wpro.who.int/rcm/en/rc59/rc_resolutions
  /WPR_RC59_R7.htm

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World Health Assembly, 2009

• WHO workplan on climate change and health,
• Requests WHO to
• Advocacy to raise awareness that CC is a
  fundamental threat to human health
• Partnership to coordinate with partner agencies
  with the UN system, and ensure that health is
  properly represented in the CC agenda
• Science and evidence to coordinate reviews of
  scientific evidence on the links between CC and
  health, and develop a global research agenda
• Health system strengthening to assist countries
  to assess their health vulnerabilities and build
  capacity to reduce health vulnerability to CC
• Requests Member States to
• Develop health measures and integrate them into
  adaptation plans
• Build the capacity of public health leaders
• Strengthen the capacity of health systems for
  disaster management
• Promote health sector engagement with other
  sectors to reduce risks

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WPRO Regional Working Group on Protecting Health
from Climate Change

• Western Pacific Regional Office has formed a
  working group
• infectious diseases
• food security
• food-borne diseases
• disaster management
• water-borne diseases
• vector-borne diseases
• chronic respiratory diseases
• mental health
• health-system strengthening.

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Next Steps Regional activities

• Compile and disseminate (1) technical guidelines
  for health vulnerability assessment, (2) good
  practices in adaptation and mitigation in health
  sector, and (3) examples of health protecting and
  promoting climate change related policies, plans
  and programmes of other sectors
• Identify, and develop a network of experts,
  collaborating centres, institutions that can
  serve as sources of expertise and knowledge on
  climate change and health

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Next Steps - Country support

• Assess health impact and vulnerability in
  countries
• Organize awareness programmes on health impacts
  of climate change
• Develop and implement national action plans on
  adaptation and mitigation in health sector
• Engage with other sectors (e.g. transport,
  energy, industry, urban development, water
  resource management, etc.) to address health
  concerns in their decisions on climate change
  mitigation and adaptation

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Country activities

• Spanish MDG funds
• Health sector adaptation capacity building
• China and the Philippines
• Korea and Japan (PTT) funds
• For developing policies and gaining better skills
  for research on adaptation, mitigation, and
  health risks assessment
• Cambodia, Mongolia and Samoa
• Collaboration with IDRC Canada
• Cost effectiveness and cost benefit analysis of
  CCH
• Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Papua New
  Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa,
  Viet Nam,

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WHO programme- From describing risks, to
highlighting vulnerabilities, to proposing
responses
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WHO Related Websites

• Climate Change and Human Health
• http//www.who.int/globalchange/climate/en/
• Publications on Climate Change and Health
• http//www.who.int/globalchange/publications/en/in
  dex.html

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The WHO response Underlying principles
There are two things that we can and must do to
respond to this challenge. First, we need to
strengthen public health systems, which are the
first line of defence against climate-related
health risks. Second, we need to remember that
prevention is just as important as cure. Many of
the actions that are necessary to reduce our
impact on the global climate can also reduce
pollution and save lives now. Dr Margaret Chan,
Director General, World Health Organization Statem
ent on World Environment Day, 5th June 2007.
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RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON
CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH30 July 2009,
Ulaanbaatar

• For the Government
• Appeal to countries, the region and the global
  community for joint efforts on climate change
  adaptation and mitigation
• Include findings of the health sector assessment
  on climate change and health in the Second
  National Communication to UNFCCC
• Expand collaboration with UN agencies, other
  international organizations, donors on adaptation
  to and mitigation of climate change and encourage
  wider participation of the private sector, NGOs,
  professional groups and the public
• Mobilize and seek financial resources, such as
  Climate Investment Funds led by the World Bank to
  implement the climate change adaptation
  strategies
• Participate in the inter-country study on health
  impacts of desertification in Mongolia, PRC,
  Republic of Korea and Japan with a view to
  develop and implement a joint plan to combat
  desertification
• Conduct National Summit on Climate Change every
  two years jointly with other agencies and
  stakeholders
• Establish a National Committee on adaptation and
  mitigation of climate change effects

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For the Ministry of Health

• Finalize a national strategy on Climate Change
  and Health, hold discussions with wide
  participation of stakeholders for its review and
  incorporate into the National Climate Change
  Adaptation Strategy and Programme
• Develop and implement local and site specific VA
  plans on CCH in the vulnerable areas of
  Mongolia
• Strengthen the health sectors capacity for
  preparedness, prevention and response to natural
  disasters and emergencies
• Develop and implement communication strategies to
  convey proper messages on CCH
• Establish technical working groups for
  non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular
  diseases, diabetes etc.) and CCH indicators and
  create a monitoring and surveillance mechanism

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For other relevant ministries

• Strengthen capacity of the meteorological sector
  in the field of comprehensive identification of
  climate change trends in Mongolia
• Set up a research center to conduct in depth
  survey on climate change
• Develop a surveillance methodology on climate
  change, train and build capacity of personnel in
  this field