Building climate-resilient health systems

Health is significantly influenced by the changing climate. Populations around the world struggle with food and water security, face the threat of outbreak of waterborne and vectorborne diseases, and experience increased pressure on scarce resources triggering climate-related migration and conflicts.

Nowhere can these threats lead to more serious consequences than in the Pacific Island countries and areas. The combination of extreme exposure to climate-related disasters, such as cyclones, floods, and droughts, and the long-term rise in sea level coupled with geographically dispersed populations in remote small islands with fragile health systems, means climate change is an existential threat to Pacific islanders.

WHO has been working with the vulnerable countries in the past decade to develop national climate change and health action plans based on the vulnerability and capacity assessments. With WHO support, the least developed countries (LDCs) in the Pacific and the Mekong areas are starting large-scale multi-year projects to build climate-resilient health systems. In addition, Pacific Island countries are working together to implement the Pacific Action Plan on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Initiative. Through the implementation of the Action Plan, Pacific Island countries will benefit from the stronger political, technical and financial support in protecting their citizens from climate-sensitive diseases and building climate-resilient health systems.