Africa’s key role in global fight against climate change and health impacts addressed at inaugural event

News article 29 Oct 2024
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A panel discussion at CHAC 2024

A conference of leading researchers and political leaders will come together this week to address Africa’s key role in the global fight against climate change and its health impacts. 

The inaugural Climate and Health Africa Conference (CHAC 2024) in Harare, Zimbabwe, is hosted by CeSHHAR Zimbabwe, a key partner of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, alongside the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Care and Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife. The event is supported by LSTM, as well as an international group of partners including Wellcome and the World Health Organization. 

The Africa-focused conference, a first of its kind, will bring together over 400 delegates from 30 countries across Africa, including Ministers of Health, healthcare professionals, leading researchers from around the globe, and funders involved in climate and health. 

The event marks an important landmark in the run-up to COP29 in Azerbaijan next month. 

As Africa faces a disproportionate burden of climate-sensitive diseases, CHAC 2024 offers a platform for African nations to present research and best practices, align strategies, share solutions, and build partnerships to create climate-resilient health systems. This conference will play a critical role in shaping future health and climate policies, with a focus on unity, collaboration, and innovative solutions designed for the African context.

CHAC 2024 will include the launch of the ‘Harare Declaration on Climate and Health in Africa’, outlining a unified approach for climate-related health priorities. Outlines for climate adaptation-mitigation plans, tailored to African nations, will also be unveiled, guiding future policy decisions and partnerships.

Image from CHAC 2024

CHAC 2024 will feature expert panels, scientific presentations, and policy discussions on:

  • Understanding the physiological and biological mechanisms through which climate change and environmental factors impact human health. 
  • Environmental exposures and climate-health epidemiology.
  • Adaptation interventions and building climate resilient health systems 
  • Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable practices, and implement policies and interventions that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable environment.
  • Ethics and climate research equity.

CHAC2024 will feature an extensive delegation of experts across various fields of scientific research, research funding, policy, and practice.

Speakers include Fortunate Machingura, CHAC 2024 conference chair and Director – Climate, Environment and Health at CeSHHAR, Zimbabwe, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, Minister of Health and Childcare, Zimbabwe, Sithembiso Nyoni, Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Zimbabwe and Professor Henry Mwandumba, Director of the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme.

Also featuring on the agenda will be Modi Mwatsama, Head of Capacity & Field Development for Climate & Health at Wellcome Trust, Guéladio Cissé, Professor Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS), in Côte d’Ivoire, Matthew Chersich, Professor – Wits Planetary Health Research Unit, University fo the Witwatersrand, South Africa and Christopher Jack, Deputy Director at the Climate System Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

For more information and the full agenda, visit the CHAC website. To follow the conference, please visit CeSHHAR on X and The Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR Zimbabwe) on LinkedIn, using the hashtag #CHAC2024.