Workshop on Climate Change and Health Vulnerability in Tajikistan, 16 March 2011
WHO
On 16 March 2011 the WHO Country office in the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with the Ministry of Health conducted a workshop on the development of a National Climate Change and Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS). The results of a vulnerability assessment were also part of the discussions of this workshop which took place on the premises of the Republican State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance Service.
Dr Aliev S.P, Head of State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance Service, opened the workshop with a welcome to all participants. In this speech, Dr Aliev stressed the importance of developing the National Climate Change and Health Adaptation Strategy.
Dr Joanna Nurse, Technical officer for Environmental Health from the Rome office of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, briefed the participants on the objectives of the workshop and expressed confidence that these sessions would play a key role in the development of the strategy.
Dr Nurse also gave a presentation during the workshop on the climate change impacts to health where several models for adaptation strategy development were presented. The presentation highlighted the experience and practices of European countries in addressing climate change. Dr Nurse also presented the action plans for implementation of the strategy.
Members of the working group gave presentations on the development of the NCCAS. These presentations included topics on climate change and its influence on health, water resources and melioration, emergency situations and extreme weather events, cardiology diseases, respiratory diseases, reproductive health and infectious diseases.
During the workshop, the participants took part in practical group exercises where they made general recommendations covering all sectors. The conclusions drawn form these exercises helped formulate some specific tasks and actions plans.
Participants included representatives from a number of different international organizations working in the climate change and health sector, specialists from the Ministry of Health, media specialists from television and radio as well as health care specialists from different regions and districts of the Republic of Tajikistan.
