DILI, 26 september 2023 (TATOLI)- The National Agency for Climate Change Mitigation (AND.IP) United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and United Nations Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a one-day discussion on “Climate and Health Working Group (CHWG) under the enhancing early System to build resilience to hydro-meteorological hazards (RHMH) in Timor-Leste.
AND.IP President, Pedro Godinho Da Costa said the objective of this workshop is to strengthen coordination between development partners to focus on climate change and health issues. This meeting will focus on technical accessorial from the metrology and climatically experts from development partners on public health and epidemiology through the establishment National Climate and Health Working Group.
“We conduct one one-day workshop to discuss climate change which is affecting public health. We also discussed the early intervention and mitigation for climate change which mostly caused climate hazards,’’ AND.IP President, Pedro Godinho Da Costa told journalists in the Tower meeting room, Fatuhada, this Tuesday.
He added that Climate change is most affected by public health and people’s welfare. Extreme climate change is caused by bushfires, floods, and others. It is able to raise infectious diseases for people’s health, especially for people living in affected areas.
UNEP program manager, Shobari Guterres said this workshop is critical to put ideas together, especially for the early response to climate hazards that can affect public health.
“We need to improve the early warming equipment composed of climate alarm system and also radar in all airport across in Timor-Leste to estimate climate change situation,’’ he explained
UNEP will also support financial support to enhance the early warning system to build greater resilience to hydro-meteorological hazards in Timor-Leste.
It also strengthened observation monitoring, analyses, and forecasting of climate and its impacts.
It is improved dissemination and communication of risk information and early warming and enhanced climate risk management capacity.
Country Representative of UNICEF in Timor-Leste, Bilal Durrani said It is a great moment to involve relevant sectors and also the Minister of Health to work for the prevention of climate hazards which affect public health.
Thus, working in social and public health is the most important priority for UNICEF. UNICEF is effectively working on advocacy to contribute to the health sector and also to the nutrition program in Timor-Leste.
“We appreciate so much to AND and UNEP for involving UNICEF in a day workshop. This workshop is very important to have great forward steps to find the intervention to responding for the risk of climate change,’’ He concluded
UNEP will provide financial support for Timor-Leste for USD 21.7 million through the Environment Green Fund to support the installation of early warming projects for five years from 2023 to 2027.
So far, this workshop involves the relevant Minister of Environmental, the National Agency for Climate Change Mitigation (AND.IP), the Ministry of Health, and development partners such as WHO, UNICEF, and UNEP to discuss data that can be accessed from all development partners to use for intervention.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
