Harnessing synergies between Climate Change Adaptation and Risk Reduction in Migrant-Inclusive Health System Responses
Overview
Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon face significant vulnerability to climate change due to their arid climate, water scarcity, population growth, and urbanization with the presence of large numbers of refugees, migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). This vulnerability is compounded by the dire health threats posed by climate change including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases from rising temperatures, resurgence of vector-borne illnesses, air pollution, and degraded water resources, and the countries are in urgent need of strengthening their health adaptation capacities to address such threats.
Both “health” and “human mobility” are recognized as non-economic losses in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Loss and Damage workstream. The Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasizes how vulnerability is generated and perpetuated through displacement and forced migration due to climate-induced extreme events, with predictions of increased displacement and migration from highly exposed areas with low adaptive capacity. Such vulnerability includes health risks, and the exacerbated health risks among the displaced populations in disaster situations are well-recognized. The current scenario therefore calls for harnessing synergies between Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and risk reduction efforts, especially in a migrant-inclusive manner.
What is the programme about?
The joint programme aims to contribute to strengthening synergies between CCA and risk reduction in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through mainstreaming a gender-sensitive human mobility lens into national public health adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies.
The joint programme is being implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the Convening Agent and with the World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Objectives
- Strengthen migrant-inclusive health systems to respond effectively to climate change impacts and disaster-related health risks.
- Promote cross-sector collaboration among health, environment, and disaster risk reduction actors.
- Improve collection and use of disaggregated data to inform migration and health policies.
- Reduce discrimination and foster inclusive, evidence-based public discourse on migration.
The strength of the
M-MPTF
Activities implemented by WHO
