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 Low Carbon Sustainable 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 Low Carbon and Sustainable Health Systems (LCSHS-WG)
LCSHS-WG has a specific focus on mitigating and 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 second commitment area of the COP26 Health Programme:
The LCSHS-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 measuring the baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of health systems and facilities and make these available to Member States and ATACH partners.
- Identify, disseminate, strengthen, and advocate for evidence and knowledge on key topics related to low carbon sustainable health systems (e.g., benefits of reducing emissions in health care, technologies for low carbon sustainable 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 LCSHS 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.
- Foster collaboration amongst partners to address common challenges and block necks, especially where collective action is required to meet mutual goals, e.g., standards, access to finance, engaging and working with the private sector, etc.
The LCSHS-WG Workplan
The LCSHS-WG has developed a workplan to support countries in fulfilling their low carbon commitments under the COP26 Health Programme. The key priorities for the working group for 2022-2024 are:
- Support Member States to continue the elevation of LCSHS at policy level to maintain focus on delivering their commitments;
- Promote accountability through monitoring country progress in the implementation of commitments;
- Establish a mechanism under the ATACH that facilities high technical standards in the implementation of the commitments; and
- Facilitate access to knowledge, tools and experiences on decarbonizing heath systems and facilities.
See the full workplan, including specific activities and partners here.