28 October 2015
WHO Launches Framework for Building Climate Resilient Health Systems
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With increasing evidence of health risks associated with climate change, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a publication, ‘Operational framework for building climate resilient health systems.' The framework, geared towards public health professionals and health managers, is also meant to support decision-makers and development agencies working in the areas of nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency management, public health, health system strengthening and climate change adaptation.

World Health Organization (WHO)October 2015: With increasing evidence of health risks associated with climate change, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a publication, titled ‘Operational framework for building climate resilient health systems.’ The framework, geared towards public health professionals and health managers, is also meant to support decision-makers and development agencies working in the areas of nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency management, public health, health system strengthening and climate change adaptation.

After providing an introduction and background, the publication discusses the application of a resilience approach to health systems. It then relays 10 components of the framework that focus on: leadership and governance; health workforce; vulnerability, capacity and adaptation assessment; integrated risk monitoring and early warning; health and climate research; climate-resilient and sustainable technologies and infrastructure; management of environmental health determinants; climate-informed health programmes; emergency preparedness and management; and climate and health finance. This section is followed by a section on monitoring and a concluding chapter.

Responding to the demand from member States and partners “for guidance on how the health sector and its operational basis in health systems can systematically and effectively address the challenges increasingly presented by climate variability and change,” the report explains that the framework should be implemented in a flexible manner, taking into account differing country contexts, new evidence and lessons learned. [Publication: Operational Framework for Building Climate Resilient Health Systems]

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