( MENAFN - African Press Organization) Download logo Health ministers and delegates from 20 African countries today adopted a landmark declaration to enhance climate resilience within health systems and address the profound health impacts of climate change on the continent. The Harare Declaration, endorsed during the first Climate and Health Africa conference (CHAC), calls for immediate and collaborative action from a wide array of stakeholders-including governments, academic institutions, funding agencies and civil society-to combat the detrimental health effects of climate change and improve the well-being of African populations. Speaking at the official opening of the conference, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe said,“Climate change is not merely an environmental disaster.
It is a public health emergency and I firmly believe the recommendations from this conference will pave the way for a healthier and more sustainable continent, where no one and no place is left behind”. The declaration which aligns with the newly WHO adopted framework for building climate-resilient and sustainable health systems in the African region, was endorsed by health ministers and representatives from countries engaged in the WHO-led Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health Initiative (ATACH) and over 500 participants at CHAC. “Our region deals with multiple climate-induced emergencies every year.
Ensuring health systems resilience is key. I applaud the commitments ta.