WEBINAR: Building climate resilient and low carbon health care facilities
Date: Thursday 14 December 2023
Time: 10:00 - 12:30 CET
Online Meeting (Zoom) - Register here
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The WHO in partnership with AFD Groupe are pleased to host a webinar on Building climate resilient and low carbon health care facilities: priorities and challenges.
Whilst the member states of the COP28 are highlighting the necessity to revise upwards their ambitions towards climate neutrality, what will be the actions to be taken to fit the agenda?
Health systems and climate change are inextricably linked, the health sector is directly impacted by climate change hazards (e.g., sea-level rise, flooding, and drought). But it is also a contributor to climate and biodiversity degradation, and hence degradation of human health, despite being tasked with preserving it. This paradox calls on the sector to renew its operating practices and minimize as much as possible its environmental impacts while promoting high-quality care.
The purpose of this webinar is to present the main impact of climate change on hospitals and the main drivers of the footprint of hospital in greenhouse gas emission, and to propose various solutions to both strengthen resilience and reduce GHG emissions of healthcare. While indirect emissions are responsible for 80% of the global footprint of the health sector including hospitals, organisational and change management will be crucial to respond to the climate challenge.
This session will bring together healthcare decision makers, development agencies, private non-for-profit partners and civil society organizations to share experiences and lessons learnt, know-how, disseminate innovative tools and promote capacity building. The audience will have an opportunity to ask question and share their experience. It will address the question of why and how to change our method of hospital’s design and organization.
Agenda:
- WHO approaches to strengthen climate resilience and low carbon sustainability (Elena Villalobos Prats, WHO)
- Keynotes: Country and hospitals experience on the path to transition and resilience (Jemesa Tudravu, Ministry of Health, Fiji, and Zeenat Sulaiman, Aga Khan Health Services)
- Panelist’s introductions - Supports available to move from commitment to concrete actions (Rémi Lafond, AFD, Ryan Crowder, Geneva Sustainability Center, and Kamran Siddiqui, IRENA)
- Panel discussion and Q&A with audience
- Closing remarks (WHO and AFD)
Speaker Bios:
- Elena Villalobos Prats (WHO) - Elena is responsible for capacity development and country support for Climate Change and Health at the WHO. A lawyer by training, she has extensive experience in managing NGO-related development projects, including gender topics, in Asia and South America. She is currently responsible for implementing and providing technical support in the WHO’s workplan on climate change and health-related topics.
- Jemesa Tudravu (Ministry of Health, Fiji) - Dr. Jemesa Tudravu is Fiji’s Chief Medical Adviser. He is an experienced orthopaedic surgeon and administrator. He has overseen the administration of two of Fiji’s largest hospitals over the years, enhancing hospital operations. His experience as a physician and a public hospital administrator places him at the forefront of identifying challenges and solutions to improving healthcare delivery systems and patient outcomes.
- Zeenat Sulaiman (Aga Khan Health Service - East Africa) - Zeenat is the Regional Chief Executive Officer Aga Khan Health Service, East Africa (AKHS- EA). She is also the Global Head of Quality, Clinical Programs, and Projects for Aga Khan Health Services. She has 30 years of healthcare systems experience with expertise in hospital and nursing administration, quality improvement, and patient safety. She has extensive leadership experience working in University/Teaching Hospitals and non-academic hospital environments. Zeenat holds a Doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, a Master's in Healthcare Administration, a Master's in Nursing, and a BSc in Nursing.
- Rémi Lafond (AFD) - Rémi is Programme officer for Energy Efficiency in Buildings at the AFD, where he held different positions: programme officer in charge of the preparation and implementation of PEEB Cool programme, providing investment financing and technical assistance to 11 countries; policy advisor for Sahel geographical division and project officer for energy projects at Cairo office. Prior to that, he also worked as an energy efficiency engineer on public construction projects such as universities, schools, hospitals or prisons. Rémi is graduated as energy processes engineer.
- Ryan Crowder (Geneva Sustainability Centre) - Ryan is Programme Lead - Strategic Initiatives for the Geneva Sustainability Centre (GSC), where he manages programmes, partnerships, and commercial strategies. He currently leads the development and management of the Sustainability Accelerator Tool (SAT), a digital platform for hospitals and healthcare leaders to assess their sustainability maturity, track core indicators and benchmark progress, and access resources and guidance to improve on their sustainability journey. Ryan holds a Master’s degree in Sociology of Science and Technology and a Bachelor’s in Geography/Environmental Science.
- Kamran Siddiqui (International Renewable Energy Agency) - Kamran works for International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) where he supports countries in transition to low carbon and climate resilience future through the energy transition. He is a contributor to Renewable Energy Policy Network for 21st Century REN21 for its annual Global Status Report. Kamran has worked in a partnership with international organizations and firms including the World Bank, IFC, ADB, USAID... to support countries in overcoming the prevailing energy and environment challenges.