Generating baseline evidence on climate change impacts on human health in the selected Pacific Island countries

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to enter into a contractual agreement with a successful bidder and select a suitable contractor to generate baseline evidence on climate change impacts on human health in the selected outer islands of Kiribati as part of the KOICA-funded project, Making Health Adaptation for the Future Resilient Islands – Kiribati Outer Islands Climate Health Action (Te-MaMAURI KOICA) and other Pacific island countries (Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) as part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project – Building Climate Resilience in Health Systems in Pacific Least Developed Countries to Climate Change.

BACKGROUND

 The Western Pacific Region is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate and environmental changes. Environmental determinants of health are responsible for more than a quarter of the burden of disease in the Region. Enduring shortage of safe drinking-water and sanitation, air pollution, presence of hazardous chemicals in the environment and climate-change related disasters heighten the threat of communicable and non-communicable diseases, negatively health equity and contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in the region.

The combination of exposure to climatic hazards, limited capacity of the health system, including inadequate basic infrastructure such as communication, water and sanitation and electricity, human resources, and supplies, as well as communities that are remote and hard to reach provide significant challenges in reducing climate change-related morbidity and mortality. Without substantial and proactive investment in adaptation in the health sector and community level, the current and projected climatic changes will result in increased health risks through direct and indirect pathways. In building resilience into the health systems, WHO has worked closely with Member States in the preparation of successful project proposals for submission to potential funding agencies.

Generating baseline evidence of climate change impacts on human health in select Pacific island countries.

In building climate resilience in the health systems, WHO has worked closely with Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu to receive the following project: