IMPORTANT NOTICE:
As part of the new ATACH Strategy 2024-2025, the ATACH will not operate with Working Groups anymore. New collaboration and engagement mechanisms will be rolled out in early 2025, allowing ATACH members to work in a more flexible and agile way around key topic areas to address country needs. To learn more, please consult the ATACH Strategy 2024-2028 preview.
Information about the 2022-2024 Working Group on Climate Resilient Health Systems can be found below, and will soon be replaced with information about the broader work on this topic area in ATACH.
The ATACH Working Group on Climate Resilient Health Systems (CRHS-WG)
The CRHS-WG has a specific focus on building climate resilience and adaptation to present, emerging and future health impacts and threats of climate change.
This working group will primarily focus on the first commitment area of the COP26 Health Programme:

The CRHS-WG meets at least twice a year to achieve its key objectives and help countries meet their commitments. Its objectives include:
- Identify existing technical knowledge and tools for conducting climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments (V&As) and developing health components of national adaptation plans (HNAPs) and make it available to Member States and ATACH partners.
- Identify, disseminate, strengthen and advocate for evidence and knowledge on key topics related to climate resilient health systems (e.g., health impacts from climate change, technologies for climate resilient health systems and facilities and opportunities to promote low carbon sustainability, and effectiveness of interventions).
- Identify and disseminate lessons and best practice from country and partner experiences, and support learning.
- Identify country needs to implement their CRHS commitments and facilitate access to technical support.
- Facilitate access by the health sector to climate change funding for health and ensure health sector's capacity to develop project proposals on climate change and health is effectively strengthened.
The CRHS-WG Workplan
The CRHS-WG has developed a workplan to support countries in fulfilling their climate-resilient health systems commitments under the COP26 Health Programme. The key priorities for the working group for 2022-2024 are:
- Elevate the political representation of climate change and health in relevant health and climate change fora;
- Promote partnerships that promote climate resilience and a low carbon sustainable pathway;
- Ensure ATACH has a system in place to regularly monitor progress in implementing the climate resilient health systems’ commitments;
- Establish a mechanism under the ATACH that facilitates high technical standards in the implementation of the commitments; and
- Build local and regional capacity on the areas of the commitments, such as V&As, HNAPs, baseline GHG emission etc, along with implementation of CCH plans and interventions for resilience.
See the full workplan, including specific activities and partners here.
Key resources
WHO Operational Framework for Building Climate Resilient Health Systems
This framework provides guidance for health systems and public health programming to increase their capacity for protecting health in an unstable and changing climate. It can be used as a practical tool to guide HNAP development and implementation.
Categories: Climate Resilient Health Systems, Health National Adaptation Plans, Guidance document, Tools, Global
WHO Country Support on Climate Change and Health - Visual Guide
This visual guide provides an overview of the climate change and health technical support package offered by WHO to member states to advance climate-resilient health. It is structured around the process for building climate-resilient health and presents the tools, resources, and assistance that are available.
Categories: Climate Resilient Health Systems, Access to climate change funding for health, Climate Change & Health Vulnerability & Adaptation Assessments, Health National Adaptation Plans, Guidance document, Tools, Global
Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments: A Knowledge to Action Resource Guide
This guide offers tools and guidance for conducting vulnerability and adaptation assessments (V&A) in Canada. It includes assessment guidance tools and completed Canadian study examples. It is a useful resource for others conducting a climate change and health V&A assessment.
Categories: Climate Resilient Health Systems, Climate Change & Health Vulnerability & Adaptation Assessments, Health National Adaptation Plans, Guidance document, Tools, Global, Americas (Pan American Health Organization)