"Presentation of results of the climate risk and vulnerability assessment of the RA health sector and the draft of sectoral adaptation plan” workshop was held on August 26-27. The event was organized in the frame of UNDP-GCF Armenia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project with close cooperation with RA Ministry of Health.

The two-day workshop aimed at presenting results of the climate risk and vulnerability assessment of the health sector in Armenia, and the sectoral adaptation plan conducted in the frame of NAP project by the Armenian Medical Association and the National Institute of Health in the period of December 2021 – August 2022.

First Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Armenia Konstantin Sokulsky, Head of the Climate Policy Department of the RA Ministry of Environment Nona Budoyan and President of the Armenian Medical Association Armen Soghoyan delivered welcome speeches during the event.

“Today, all over the world, as well as in Armenia, actions are taken to have a more prepared healthcare system that will be able to face various challenges posed by the climate change. Although for years, of course, our healthcare system has been prepared if need be to effectively react to the spread or increase of certain diseases, but we still have a lot to do in this regard. In this context, UNDP's support in carrying out this research is much appreciated. It will enable us to more systematically implement the work of reducing system vulnerability and increasing its preparedness”,- in her speech mentioned First Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan, adding that adding that the health care system should be better prepared not only in terms of confronting and countering infectious diseases, but also non-infectious ones, in particular, cardiovascular diseases.

“In 2021 WHO estimated that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress imposing an estimated direct damage costs to health of between USD 2-4 billion/year by 2030.

Areas with weaker health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries – will face challenges to cope without international assistance to prepare and respond. Unfortunately, no country is an exception in this regard.

Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of UNDP’s development activity in Armenia. Over these three decades, we have implemented numerous projects that supported the Government of Armenia to build solid climate change agenda, which includes legal and institutional base for planning and implementation of adaptation and mitigation actions, strengthening climate resilience at all levels, developing sectoral and provincial strategies, helping integrate climate risks into national and sub-national development planning and more.

Today UNDP is supporting the Government of Armenia in Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment for the health sector as an essential process for gathering evidence-based information to understand and address health risks in the country” said Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Armenia Konstantin Sokulsky.

Nona Budoyan, Head of the Climate Policy Department of the RA Ministry of Environment, emphasized the importance of the workshop in the process of amending and finalizing the draft sectoral adaptation plan. She also noted that the finalized document and the list of proposed adaptation measures will further be discussed amongst the working groups of the Interagency Coordinating Council on Climate Change and then by the Council itself.

The President of the Armenian Medical Association, Armen Soghoyan, greatly emphasized the importance of involvement of international donors, the state at the interagency level, and the professional community in the process of implementing the adaptation plan and the measures included in it. He also noted that there are many climate zones present on the territory of Armenia, and there is a potential for the country to serve as a research laboratory for the whole world if proper research is conducted.

35 stakeholders participated in the event and attended online.

Agenda of the event