EU/CARIFORUM Climate Change and Health Project

Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean

Empowering Caribbean Action for Climate and Health

Project Objectives

To improve the capacity of Caribbean countries to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on health, using the One Health approach within the CARPHA's Caribbean Cooperation in Health, phase IV (CCH IV) framework.

The Problem

Regional health systems and populations remain highly vulnerable to impacts from climate change causing: extreme weather; negative effects on food and water security; impacts to health and wellbeing; lost/reduced work capacity – migration; economic impacts; and inability to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Solution

Using a one-health approach within the Caribbean Cooperation in Health Phase IV (CCH IV) Framework, this programme will contribute to reduced mortality and morbidity from expected health consequences of climate change in Caribbean countries.

The Benefits

Interdisciplinary/intersectoral approach
Health adaptation plans to advance national climate change and health prioritization and financing
Raised awareness in order to take action at the local, national and sub-regional level
Increased national and subregional capacity to measure the health co-benefits of climate mitigation

Benefits

Strengthening water, sanitation and food safety systems to be more resilient to climate change
National climate informed disease surveillance and modelling systems
An interdisciplinary cadre of climate change and health leaders from the Caribbean

Project Financing

A Grant Contract for External Actions of the European Union (EU) was signed between the Caribbean Region (CARIFORUM) and The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the implementation of the Action entitled ‘Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean’, with an implementation period of 60 months totalling €7M.

Beneficiary:

16 Member States of CARIFORUM and Cuba. Caribbean Forum of ACP States (CARIFORUM): Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago

Contribution to SDGs

Five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 3 Good Health and Well-being - 6 Clean Water and Sanitation - 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities - 13 Climate Action - 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Implementation Team

PAHO/WHO, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Additional partners are UNEP, FAO,UNFCC and PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers.

Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean

Project Objectives

Introduction

Executive Summary

The Problem: Climate change has had a significant impact on people’s health and well-being in the Caribbean region - disrupting physical, biological, economic, and ecological systems. These disturbances can exacerbate existing health inequalities and/or create new ones. Evidence and the recognition of climate and weather-related impacts on human health in the Caribbean has increased and Caribbean people have taken note of the abnormally hot days, floods, and repeated and prolonged droughts. It is further recognized how climate change negatively affects national socio-economic development. These events are impacting workers’ health, causing lost capacity and reducing labour productivity in vulnerable populations, already impacted by migration, and jeopardizing attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Objectives:

Strengthen the resilience of health services which, ultimately, aims at reducing the mortality and morbidity from the expected health consequences of climate change in the Caribbean countries.
Work in a collaborative manner across organizations and nations to develop innovative products, methods and actions to prevent negative health consequences
Prepare systems to better adapt to the current unprecedented changes in the CARIFORUM community

Overall objective: contribute to reduced mortality and morbidity from expected health consequences of climate change (CC) in Caribbean countries

Outcome specific objective: Using a One Health approach within the CCH-IV framework, Caribbean countries have increased capacity to adapt and reduce the effects of CC on public health

Outputs:

Adapt and pilot PAHO/WHO tools to estimate health benefits of mitigation policies and interventions, in selected countries.
Comprehensive Health Chapter in National Adaptation Plans (HNAP) for climate change prepared.
Improved surveillance capacity of/by professionals working in the health sector and health-determining sectors, including through the development of climate-informed integrated systems and protocols to monitor/forecast selected environmental determinants of health (e.g. heat, water and sanitation) as well as health diseases (zoonosis, vector borne and foodborne diseases)
Strong, effective Climate Change leadership among government officials, civil society, communities, environmental health professionals, and private sector through implementation of successful approaches, such as One Health.

Key Outputs and Actions

COMPONENT 1: ADAPTATION AND TEST OF PAHO/WHO TOOLS TO ESTIMATE HEALTH BENEFITS

Share, update or develop health situation profiles including, inter alia, the epidemiological profile, determinants of health, current national investments and recurrent costs in healthcare, financial gaps, coverage of the benefit packages, and cost-effectiveness of prevention schemes.
Conduct Health-Climate Change impact, vulnerability and capacity analysis.

COMPONENT 2: COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CHAPTER IN NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLANS

Support to countries for the preparation and publication of their health chapters in National Adaptation Plans for climate change, which have to be coherent and consistent with applicable health laws and regulations.

COMPONENT 3: IMPROVED SURVEILLANCE CAPACITY OF PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN HEALTH AND HEALTH-DETERMINING SECTORS

Strengthen inter-sectoral surveillance systems including the development of climate-informed integrated systems and protocols to monitor selected determinants of health (e.g. heat, water and sanitation) as well as health outcomes (zoonosis, vector borne diseases, foodborne diseases and antimicrobial resistance).
Improve routine data collection, systems analysis, and spatial-temporal relationship of weather, and climate variability and climate change environmental determinants of health.
Develop dedicated long-term surveillance capacity and instruments to strengthen in-country expertise to use, maintain and implement the climate resilient health systems including by developing or updating surveillance curricula (e.g. updating of monitoring aspects in UWI’s two-year curriculum in the One Health Leadership Series.

COMPONENT 4: STRONG EFFECTIVE CLIMATE CHANGE LEADERSHIP

Support high-level advocacy to CARICOM Councils for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), Trade and Economic Development (COTED), and others as relevant, to operationalize the One Health approach and The Safe Hospitals Initiative.
Conduct training of multi-sectoral stakeholders in “One Health” approach, “The Safe Hospitals Initiative” and other strategies, using the Climate Change and Health Leadership Series, to develop strong effective climate change leadership.

Key Outcomes & Targets

The programme is expected to attain the following targets by 2025:

Number of countries with estimates of health benefits of mitigation policies and actions and using these estimates for policy decisions
Number of countries with a comprehensive health Strategy and Action Plan in their National Adaptation Plans.
Number of countries with integrated (multi-sectoral-One Health) timely surveillance reports that include
climate sensitive diseases and conditions as well variability and climate change indicators, disaggregated by sex, age and vulnerable groups
Number of pilot projects implemented and reported upon by graduates from Climate Change One-Health leadership series
Number of regional policymakers advocating the One Health approach with support of this Action (disaggregated by sex and country).