International authorities and non-governmental organizations collaborate to enhance the climate change resilience in the health sector, under the auspices of the Lao government.
The Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is taking significant steps to address the impacts of climate change on its health system and communities. The Ministry of Health, in partnership with international NGOs such as Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia (HCWH SEA), Save the Children International, and the World Health Organization, is implementing the "Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System" project.
This five-year project, a component of a broader Green Climate Fund-supported initiative, aims to develop a sustainable, climate-resilient healthcare system through multiple specific actions and strategies.
Key strategies and actions include:
- Developing clean, safe, and climate-resilient health facilities across seven provinces, focusing on areas most vulnerable to climate impacts like natural hazards and climate-sensitive diseases. This involves improving health infrastructure to withstand climate-induced damages, ensuring continuity of care during disasters.
- Addressing climate-related health threats such as the spread of diseases worsened by climate change, and disruptions to nutrition and food security. This involves integrating climate risk considerations into health system planning and emergency preparedness.
- Collaborative multi-stakeholder partnerships: The Lao Ministry of Health is working closely with NGOs and international agencies to leverage technical expertise and resources to enhance health system climate resilience.
- Capacity building and awareness-raising: Through inception meetings and ongoing coordination, the project promotes knowledge sharing on climate resilience among health workers and policymakers.
- Mainstreaming climate change in health sector policy: This initiative complements broader national efforts to integrate climate adaptation and mitigation in health sector planning, aligned with Lao PDR's commitments in climate agreements.
The project, which had its inception meeting on July 22, 2025, at Lao Plaza Hotel in Vientiane, will focus on reducing the carbon footprint of healthcare facilities. HCWH SEA will lead the implementation of a nationwide assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across 79 public healthcare facilities. The assessment will use HCWH's Climate Impact Check Up Tool to establish baseline emissions and develop tailored emissions reduction strategies for each facility.
The project also aims to ensure health facilities can continue to provide essential care during and after climate-related events such as extreme heat, floods, droughts, and typhoons. It will collect and analyse GHG emission data from health facilities, build the capacity of healthcare personnel, and develop a system to support facilities in updating their carbon footprint assessments and developing mitigation strategies.
The findings of this project will contribute to Laos' national climate mitigation targets and support long-term health system resilience. The project is related to the topics of Cities and Policy & Finance. The collaboration project is named "Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System."
- The Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is taking steps to address climate change and its impacts on health by implementing the "Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System" project, which emphasizes the reduction of carbon footprint of healthcare facilities and developing climate-resilient health facilities.
- The collaboration project, which focuses on the integration of climate change into health sector policy, targets the development of sustainable strategies that address climate-related health threats and improves health infrastructure resilience to withstand climate-induced damages.
- The "Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System" project aligns with Lao PDR's commitments in climate agreements, striving to contribute to the nation's climate mitigation targets and promoting health and wellness by reducing carbon footprint, addressing health risks related to climate change, and supporting long-term health system resilience.
