Nigeria Health Watch to Host 10th Anniversary Future of Health Conference on Climate Change and Health

Nigeria Health Watch announces its 10th Future of Health Conference, “From Evidence to Action: Building Resilience at the Climate-Health Nexus.” The conference, scheduled for October 24, 2024, will bring together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore the critical intersection of climate change and health.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) identified climate change as humanity’s most serious health threat, this timely conference seeks to amplify evidence on climate change’s health impacts in Nigeria and across Africa. The event will highlight the urgent need for climate-resilient health systems while also fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and interdisciplinary research.

According to Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch: “As we mark the 10th anniversary of the Future of Health Conference, this year, we are focusing on the critical intersection between climate change and health, a growing threat that demands immediate attention. By bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, and advocates, we aim to drive meaningful dialogue and solutions to elevate the urgency of the impact of climate change on health to policymakers.”

The conference will explore three core sub-topics: climate-health interlinkages on nutrition and food security, building climate-resilient health systems for global health security, and fostering public-private-community collaborations to address the climate-health threat. According to the World Economic Forum, floods affected over 1.6 billion people globally between 2000 and 2020, with 4.4 million Nigerians, including 2.6 million children, being impacted by floods in 2022.

A key highlight of this year’s conference is the Youth Pre-Conference, scheduled to take place on October 23, 2024. This pre-event will bring together young people from across the continent to share actionable insights and showcase youth-led interventions addressing the impacts of climate change on health. Participants will have the opportunity to become climate-health youth champions, supported to amplify climate-health conversations in their communities.

In addition to the Youth Pre-Conference, the main conference will feature three side events, each focusing on crucial aspects of the climate-health nexus. These side events will address the impact of climate change on maternal health, explore financing solutions for climate and health initiatives, and discuss strategies for building climate-resilient health systems.

The conference will also include keynote presentations by distinguished speakers, including the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate and Tamer Samah Rabie, Global Program Lead for Climate and Health at the World Bank. The conference will also feature panel discussions with diverse, multidisciplinary thought leaders, evidence exhibitions showcasing real-world data and case studies, and parallel sessions that offer opportunities for in-depth exploration of the conference themes.

Speaking on the expected outcomes of the Conference, Chibuike Alagboso, the Deputy Director of Media Programmes at Nigeria Health Watch, said: “We hope to champion solutions and advocate for policies that prioritise the health of communities most affected by environmental changes. By highlighting the connection between climate and health, we aim to inspire collective action, drive investment in climate-resilient health systems, and contribute to long-term improvements in health outcomes across Nigeria.”

This milestone edition builds on the success of previous conferences, which have addressed key health sector issues, such as Universal Health, the role of the diaspora in reversing the brain gain, and the private sector’s role as a catalyst for a resilient health system. The 2024 conference aims to drive transformative actions, promote sustainable healthcare solutions, and strengthen the capacity of health systems to withstand the growing health impacts of climate change.

Participants unable to attend the event in person are encouraged to join online by registering here: https://lu.ma/aiosptf5. Interested participants for the Youth Pre-Conference can register here: https://futureofhealthconference.com/youth-conference

About Nigeria Health Watch:

Nigeria Health Watch is a not-for-profit health communication and advocacy organisation that seeks to advocate for better health for Nigerians. We work to actively engage and support the government in raising awareness and increasing knowledge on a wide range of health issues in Nigeria while holding duty bearers accountable for delivering affordable, quality healthcare to Nigerians.

Learn more at www.nigeriahealthwatch.com

Contact Person: Asari Uzoamaka Ndem

Email Address: asari@nigeriahealthwatch.com

Twitter: @nighealthwatch

Facebook: @nigeriahealthwatch