Healthcare Climate Impact Specialist

Update

The WHO supports middle-income countries like Georgia in addressing health inequities caused by climate change through several key strategies. These include strengthening climate-resilient health systems by improving infrastructure and disease surveillance for climate-sensitive illnesses. WHO helps integrate health into National Adaptation Plans, ensuring climate considerations are embedded in healthcare policies. We facilitate access to international funds for climate-health initiatives and promote targeted programs for vulnerable populations to reduce inequities. WHO also advocates for clean energy in healthcare facilities, lead public health awareness campaigns on climate-related health risks, and support research to assess climate impacts on health. By focusing on building resilient healthcare systems and addressing vulnerabilities, WHO contributes to reducing financial and health burdens caused by climate change in Georgia.

Under the direct supervision of Advisor on health policy, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

1. Identification of linkages between climate change, poverty and health sector design and raising awareness about them among stakeholders – conduct desktop and qualitative research on current health system resilience to climate change and its impact on poverty and health inequity and develop materials and information for national stakeholders about the linkages and relationships. This includes public health awareness on climate-related health risks for specific populations and for disease outbreak prevention.

2. Capacity building for climate-resilient health system for policy makers and health professionals – engage with stakeholders and design training and capacity building on context-specific and relevant climate-resilient health system adaptations for policy makers and other stakeholders and deliver several training sessions, promoting clean and renewable energy, sustainable waste management and other measures.

3. Proposing policies and identifying funding opportunities for climate change adaptation in the health sector – propose policies to integrate/align health sector and providers with the National Adaptation Plan with focus on vulnerable populations, equitable access and identify financing opportunities and partnerships for fostering climate change adaptations.