Strengthening systems for the health of people and planet
Overview
Climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century, with environmental factors accounting for a quarter of the global burden of disease (The Lancet 2018; World Health Organization 2016). At the same time, the health sector is a major contributor to the global climate crisis and environmental degradation. If the global health sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world (Health Care Without Harm 2020). These multi-directional linkages between health and planet underscore the need for integrated action that simultaneously safeguards human health and the natural environment, a focus called for by the trans-disciplinary field of ‘planetary health.’
With its large policy and programmatic portfolios on health, environment, climate change mitigation and adaptation, governance, and other connected areas, UNDP is uniquely placed to support multi-sectoral policies and programmes on planetary health to respond to the complex and growing health burden caused by climate change, pollution, environmental degradation and threats to biodiversity, in partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and others.
UNDP’s approach
UNDP’s framing on planetary health is operationalized through two primary areas:
- supporting multi-sectoral policies to respond to the growing burden of environmental threats including pollution and climate change, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable.
- building resilience in the health sector, including through integration of measures for sustainability in health programmes.
Resources and examples
Building resilience and reducing negative environmental impact through health programmes
Scaling renewable energy in the health sector
UNDP has supported 14 countries to increase access to high-quality health services through the installation of solar energy photovoltaic systems in some 1,150 health centres and storage facilities, primarily through its Solar for Health Initiative (S4H). Solar power systems are facilitating more reliable and sustainable health services, while mitigating the impact of climate change and reducing energy costs, even in some of the most challenging contexts. In many countries, UNDP’s S4H interventions are funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund) as part of joint efforts to build more resilient health systems. UNDP is also developing a new business model to maintain financial sustainability of the S4H initiative in the project countries. Learn more.
Technical assistance to support multi-sectoral policies
Embedding climate change adaptation strategies into health systems
Through a five-year project “Building Resilience of Health Systems in Pacific Island Least Developed Countries to Climate Change” (2021-2026), UNDP is providing technical assistance to the Ministries of Health in Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands to strengthen the capacity of national health systems and institutions, and sub-level stakeholders, to manage long-term climate-sensitive health risks. The project is co-funded by the Global Environment Facility, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the respective Ministries of Health. Details of key project activities and outcomes are available on the project website. UNDP implements a similar regional project in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal and Timor-Leste) to integrate climate risks into health sector planning, improve surveillance and early warning systems and integrate health into the national adaptation planning processes.
Addressing pollution as an environmental determinant of noncommunicable diseases
Through a three-year project “Advancing Health and Environmental Sustainability Through Action on Pollution” (2020-2023), UNDP and the European Commission support three governments – India, Mongolia and Ethiopia – to address pollution as a key environmental determinant of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and as part of broader efforts to respond to environmental degradation and the changing climate. The objectives of the project are to: 1) develop and pilot a methodology to calculate NCD-related health costs of inaction on air pollution, and the return on investment in selected cost-effective and nationally-prioritised interventions (investment case); 2) enhance governance structures and coordination mechanisms across relevant ministries to enable joint analysis, planning and financing to target main sources of pollution; 3) advance effective laws, policies, standards and regulations around pollution and health through conducting legal environment assessments, and build capacities for oversight and enforcement where gaps exist, and 4) facilitate a global scale-up of action on pollution and health through dissemination of the methods, approaches, and lessons learnt.
Linking health and environment in impact assessments
UNDP has supported a number of countries in Africa to integrate HIV and key health- and gender-related priorities into national assessments of environmental impact, to inform development policy planning.
Scaling impact on health, climate, and environment through co-financing
UNDP supports the application of co-financing methodologies in countries’ implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of its policy support, UNDP helps governments to prioritize high-value interventions that deliver impact across multiple SDGs, including health and environment, to combine financing streams from multiple ministries and better leverage existing resources. “Integrated policies that capture triple wins for health, growth and climate could reduce by 40 percent the required total investment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, ” says– Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director, Green Climate Fund.
Key Resources
