Session Highlights - Future of health conference

Climate-Health Interlinkages – Nutrition and Food Security

This panel addresses the critical ways in which climate change impacts human health by affecting food systems and nutrition. Climate change leads to rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and erratic rainfall patterns, which disrupt agricultural systems and food production. The result is a growing challenge in maintaining adequate nutrition and food security, especially in vulnerable regions like sub-Saharan Africa.

Building Climate-Resilient Health Systems for Global Health Security

The health impacts of climate change are escalating, with heat-related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, and non-communicable diseases on the rise. This sub-theme will explore the urgent need for health systems to adapt and become more resilient in the face of climate-induced health challenges.

Leveraging Multiplayer Collaborations for Pandemic Preparedness in the Context of Climate Change in West Africa

As climate change continues to alter disease patterns, there’s a critical need to address how rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and other environmental factors exacerbate the spread of diseases such as Lassa fever and Mpox. This chat will highlight the importance of integrating pandemic preparedness into climate resilience strategies across Africa. Participants will discuss the role of multiplayer collaborations—governments, international organisations, research institutions, and the private sector—in advancing vaccine development and outbreak preparedness.

The session will feature CEPI’s 100-day mission to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines for emerging threats, and will showcase innovative strategies for securing sustainable funding for medical countermeasures. Key takeaways will include the importance of multisectoral collaboration, particularly across the public, private, and civil society sectors, in combating the challenges posed by climate change and pandemics in Africa. Recommendations from this discussion will focus on scaling vaccine research and development and strengthening Africa’s preparedness to respond to climate-driven health crises. This fireside chat will offer actionable insights on enhancing the continent’s resilience to future pandemic threats.

MSD for Mothers: Climate Change and Maternal Health: Protecting Mothers in a Changing Climate

As Nigeria grapples with the dual challenges of climate change and a high maternal mortality rate, there is an urgent need for evidence-based strategies and action to mitigate the effects of this crisis. The upcoming MSD for Mothers side event themed “Climate Change and Maternal Health: Protecting Mothers in a Changing Climate" will be hosted during Nigeria Health Watch’s 10th Future of Health Conference on October 24, 2024. The event will bring together key stakeholders, including the government at the national and sub-national level, healthcare providers, civil society organisations, the private sector, and development partners to discuss on the impact of climate change on maternal health and suggest practical strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change on the health of mothers and newborns in Nigeria.

World Bank: Financing for Climate-Health

The side event will focus on innovative financing strategies for developing climate-resilient health systems, emphasising how countries can access and utilise various established funds to strengthen their capabilities for climate change adaptation and mitigation, especially in regions with limited financial capacity. Discussions will explore best practices, policy recommendations, and capacity-building initiatives, while also emphasising the importance of knowledge sharing and strengthening multi sectoral partnerships to improve climate health interventions.

Pathfinder International: Building Climate Resilient Health Systems: Knowledge Exchange for Policy, Practice and Partnership

This session will explore the critical link between climate change and health, with a particular focus on the disproportionate impact on women and girls. Participants will engage in discussions on how climate change exacerbates health inequalities, disrupts healthcare access, and strains health systems, particularly in vulnerable communities. The session will also highlight locally led solutions and innovative approaches to strengthening climate resilience in health systems. The session aims to enhance understanding of the health impacts of climate change, foster collaboration among key stakeholders, and inspire action toward integrating climate resilience into health policies and strategies. By spotlighting climate-health intersections and showcasing practical solutions, Pathfinder Nigeria seeks to drive commitments that strengthen health systems and promote sustainable, inclusive responses to the climate crisis.