Bonn — Africa contributes the least to international greenhouse fuel emissions, but it faces among the world’s most extreme climate-related well being impacts. A number of realities outline the continent’s local weather and well being panorama – elevated infectious illnesses, air air pollution, dying, disruption and stress on well being techniques by heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms.
Altering temperatures and, extra considerably, rainfall patterns are increasing the geographical vary and transmission dynamics of climate-sensitive illnesses similar to Malaria, Dengue fever, Cholera and different vector- and water-borne illnesses.
Local weather-induced droughts, floods, and altering rainfall patterns are decreasing agricultural productiveness and threatening meals techniques. This will increase starvation, undernutrition, stunting amongst youngsters, and vulnerability to illness. Based on archive.uneca.org, malnutrition stays one of many largest climate-sensitive well being dangers throughout Africa.
Thus, as African local weather negotiators intensify preparations for the sixty fourth periods of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Our bodies (SB64), a transparent message is rising from Bonn: local weather motion with out well being motion is now not an choice.
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Over two crucial days of engagement, African negotiators, well being specialists, technical establishments, and younger local weather leaders got here collectively to strengthen Africa’s negotiating positions and place well being firmly on the centre of the continent’s local weather agenda.
The Local weather and Well being Capability Constructing Workshop supported by the Worldwide Institute for Sustainable Improvement (IISD), and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) Lead Coordinators Assembly collectively famous the rising recognition that local weather change shouldn’t be solely an environmental problem but additionally considered one of Africa’s most urgent public well being threats.
For AGN Chair, Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, the connection is evident, and the required measures are equally pressing.
“Well being is the human face of the local weather disaster,” he advised negotiators and companions through the opening of the capability constructing workshop in Bonn. “If local weather negotiations are in the end about defending folks, then well being should stay on the centre of our efforts.”
Chair of AGN, Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, with Dr Lynn Wagner of IISD on the Local weather and Well being Capability Constructing Workshop. Credit score: Friday Phiri
Constructing a Stronger African Local weather and Well being Voice
Constructing on the launch of the first-ever African Negotiators Local weather and Well being Curriculum in 2025, by Amref Well being Africa, the local weather and well being capacity-building workshop introduced collectively representatives from WHO-AFRO, Africa CDC, Amref Well being Africa, the Worldwide Institute for Sustainable Improvement (IISD), technical specialists, and younger negotiators to deepen understanding of climate-health linkages and establish strategic entry factors throughout negotiation tracks.
Members examined methods to strengthen Africa’s place on adaptation indicators, climate-resilient well being techniques, early warning techniques, well being infrastructure, preparedness for climate-related emergencies, and financing mechanisms that may help well being adaptation efforts.
“Following the adoption of the Belém Adaptation indicators and the continued discussions underneath the Baku Adaptation Roadmap, Africa has a singular alternative to form how adaptation is measured, financed and carried out globally,” mentioned the AGN Chair. “We should be sure that well being indicators underneath the worldwide objective on adaptation are significant, context-specific, and attentive to Africa’s realities. We should additionally proceed pushing for adaptation finance that permits African international locations to construct climate-resilient well being techniques, strengthen early warning techniques, defend well being infrastructure, and improve preparedness for climate-related well being emergencies.”
The emphasis on institutional coordination mirrored a rising understanding that advancing Africa’s local weather and well being agenda would require sustained collaboration between negotiators, public well being establishments, technical companions, and civil society.
And the WHO-Africa Regional Group Lead on Local weather Change, Well being and Surroundings pledged coordinated stakeholder help for the local weather and well being agenda.
“On the WHO-Regional workplace, we’ve developed Africa-specific coverage and implementation frameworks in help of an Africa-wide coordinated local weather and well being agenda. Along with the Africa CDC and Amref Well being Africa, we’ve provided and proceed to offer technical help for the continent’s local weather and well being agenda. As we head to the African COP subsequent 12 months, we pledge continued help to the AGN, as Africa’s voice in local weather negotiations, to make sure that local weather and well being are usually not left behind.”
In the meantime, IISD Senior Director for Monitoring Progress Programme, Lynn Wagner, famous the necessity for coordinated local weather motion, declaring that “remoted motion is now not tenable as the worldwide group faces a number of and interconnected environmental and sustainable growth crises.”
IISD has been supporting the Buddies of Local weather and Well being initiative aimed toward fostering worldwide collaboration on local weather change and well being.
Unity and Coordination Forward of Crucial Negotiations
Whereas well being featured prominently in discussions, the AGN Lead Coordinators’ Assembly bolstered a broader strategic precedence; sustaining a unified African voice theme throughout all negotiating streams.
Convening lead coordinators for the varied thematic streams, the assembly targeted on aligning positions forward of what’s anticipated to be a pivotal negotiating session, forward of COP31 in November and, in the end, COP32 subsequent 12 months.
Drawing on priorities established through the AGN Technique Assembly in Accra earlier in March this 12 months, lead coordinators reviewed progress in implementing parts of the African Frequent Platform and assessed rising points throughout the negotiation tracks.
The AGN Chair referred to as for self-discipline, dedication, and coordinated motion.
“Our power lies in our unity and our means to talk with one voice,” he mentioned, reminding negotiators that Africa’s affect within the negotiations relies on collective preparation and strategic coordination.
The discussions intensified the interconnected nature of many agenda gadgets. Local weather finance stays Africa’s foremost precedence, however more and more, negotiators are recognising how finance choices have an effect on the varied thematic outcomes, notably, adaptation, which has been Africa’s fundamental agenda through the years.
Well being, Finance and the Highway to COP32
A recurring theme throughout each conferences was the necessity to translate recognition of climate-related well being dangers into tangible local weather finance help for African international locations.
Negotiators emphasised the significance of securing adaptation finance that permits international locations to construct climate-resilient well being techniques, strengthen illness surveillance and early warning techniques, defend well being infrastructure, and enhance preparedness for climate-related emergencies, as espoused within the Belem Local weather and Well being Motion Plan launched at COP30.
“Well being is already recognised throughout the funding frameworks and consequence areas of main local weather finance mechanisms, such because the Inexperienced Local weather Fund (GCF) and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Harm (FRLD),” mentioned David Kaluba, a Local weather Finance Lead Negotiator. “Nonetheless, the problem shouldn’t be solely the provision of financing home windows, however the restricted pipeline of country-driven health-focused proposals and funding demand. Most international locations have but to completely combine well being priorities into their nationwide local weather plans (NDCs), financing methods, and mission pipelines, leading to vital underutilisation of accessible local weather finance alternatives for well being system resilience, adaptation, and loss and injury responses.”
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Kaluba subsequently notes the necessity to generate ample country-level demand by proof era, growth of bankable local weather and well being funding pipelines, and strengthening of institutional capability to entry and soak up accessible financing.
A Defining Alternative for Africa
For a lot of contributors, this work extends past SB64. It varieties a part of a broader trajectory in direction of COP31 and in the end COP32, considerably seen as greater than a diplomatic milestone.
It represents a possibility for the continent to form the worldwide local weather agenda round African realities and priorities, together with local weather and well being.
As negotiations intensify, African international locations are in search of to make sure that local weather motion delivers significant advantages for folks on the bottom, and well being presents a strong lens by which to border that ambition.
Subsequently, as formal negotiations start on eighth June, one message is evident: defending the local weather in the end means defending human well being. And for Africa, this precept is changing into an more and more highly effective driver of its engagement within the international local weather course of.
The writer is the Local weather Change and Well being Advocacy Lead at Amref Well being Africa.
IPS UN Bureau Report
