Official Launch Of The African Climate And Health Desk
DATE
March 13th, 2026
Location
Side Event Session during ACCOF co-production
About Meeting
The climate crisis is increasingly recognised as a global health crisis. Human-induced climate change is driving more frequent and intense extreme weather events, fuelling disease outbreaks, and undermining health systems, as well as the social determinants of health. The African continent remains among the most vulnerable regions to climate-induced health risks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 56% of the 2,121 public health events recorded between 2001 and 2021 were climate-sensitive (WHO, 2024).
To address these growing threats, Africa urgently requires strengthened early warning systems to enhance preparedness and response to climate-driven health risks. Building on ongoing continental and global initiatives—such as the WHO–WMO Joint Programme, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Climate Change and Health Strategic Framework (2025–2030), and ACMAD is establishing a continental Climate and Health Desk at the Centre.
The Africa Climate and Health Desk will serve as a continental hub to:
- Build capacity on climate and health knowledges at regional and national levels;
- Provide operational early warnings for climate-sensitive diseases;
- Generate evidence and tailored climate-health products;
- Strengthen collaboration between climate and health stakeholders.
These services will complement and reinforce the existing UIP for Health mechanisms. The overarching strategic objective is to position the Desk as a continental hub for integrating climate services into health systems, strengthening partnerships, and coordinating Africa-wide initiatives on climate-sensitive health risks.
On the sidelines of the continental user engagement sessions of the ACCOF 20 (African Continental Climate Outlook Forum), to be held from 12–13 March 2026, ACMAD, in collaboration with the Joint Climate and Health Programme, will officially launch the Africa Climate and Health Desk on 13 March 2026.
The launch will take place during a co-production session with key health stakeholders. This side event will provide an opportunity to present the Desk’s vision, mission, and strategic objectives, while engaging partners to assess current needs and priorities for climate services in the health sector.
Objectives:
The launch event aims to:
- Present the mission and strategic objectives of the Africa Climate and Health Desk;
- Provide an overview of current activities and planned next steps;
- Offer a platform for dialogue, user engagement, and strengthened collaboration between climate and health communities;
- Identify priorities, needs and gaps in climate services for the health sector.
Expected Outcomes:
The event is expected to foster a shared understanding of the Desk’s mandate, structure, and implementation approach and Strengthen coordination and partnerships between climate and health stakeholders at continental and regional levels.
Participants
The target audience will include representatives from:
- The WMO–WHO Joint Office for Climate and Health;
- The African Union Commission (AUC);
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC);
- WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO);
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC);
- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF);
- MoH of Rwanda
- Meteorological services of Rwanda
AGENDA
Contact
For more inquiries, please contact this following link: contact@acmad.org