(CCCCC Press Release 2022/002)

(City of Belmopan, Belize) The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) are jointly hosting a Regional Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment Workshop in Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries on February 16-17 and March 2-3, 2022.

The regional workshop is a two-part event that is focused on the key elements of preparing (i) a Health National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP) and (ii) funding proposals that are responsive to the challenges posed by climate change for country health systems.

The first session from February 16-17, hosted by PAHO, will engage the health sector and other national partners that are key to the development of country H-NAPs in a discussion around the Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) process including planning, vulnerability assessment, capacity assessment, future risk assessment, and adaptation assessment. Specifically, it will provide countries with additional guidance and best practices on the successful completion of a health V&A assessment which is the core component of the H-NAP process. The intention is to motivate all 16 CARIFORUM countries to undertake V&A assessments based on WHO-UNFCCC guidance.

The second session from March 2-3, convened by the CCCCC, will engage country stakeholders who are part of the process of developing project proposals (concept notes) to address challenges arising out of the health-climate change nexus. This session will utilize the GCF Concept Note template as a model and approach to designing high-quality proposals.

The EU/CARIFORUM “Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean” project is funded by the European Union and implemented by PAHO/WHO, along with five sub-regional implementing partners including the CCCCC, UWI, CIMH, CARPHA and the CARICOM Secretariat. The project will conduct several Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments intended to inform the development process of climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems in the Caribbean to be better able to respond to climate threats. Specifically, it includes the promotion of tools to measure health co-benefits related to mitigation, the inclusion of health assessments and resources in national adaptation planning, early warning systems, monitoring of key environmental determinants of health, and furthering climate change and health leadership programs.

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The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre is an inter-governmental Caribbean Community (CARICOM) institution that is mandated by the CARICOM Heads of Government to coordinate the Region’s response to climate change. We maintain the Caribbean’s most extensive repository of information and data on climate change specific to the region, which in part enables us to provide climate change-related policy advice and guidelines to CARICOM Member States.  In this role, the Centre is recognized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme, and other international agencies as the focal point for climate change issues in the Caribbean. The Centre is also one of the few institutions recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. CCCCC is empowering the Caribbean Community to act on climate change.

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