More than 300 healthcare leaders, policymakers, and environmental advocates from across Asia and all over the globe will gather at the International Scientific Conference on Climate Change and Health and the 6th Asia-Pacific Green Healthcare System Conference in Hai Phong, Vietnam.

This landmark event, organised by Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia (HCWH SEA) in partnership with the Vietnam Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA), and hosted by Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HPMU) under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH), will spotlight the urgent need to build equitable, low-carbon, sustainable, and climate-resilient healthcare systems across Asia.

Running from October 30 to November 1, 2024, at Dream Dragon Resort, Hai Phong, this year’s conference comes with the theme “Transforming Asian Health Systems: A Vision for Equitable, Low-Carbon, Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Healthcare” and will serve as a crucial platform for addressing the growing threats posed by climate change to the region’s healthcare sector.

The impacts of climate change are continuously felt across Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia, but this challenge transcends national borders. Participants of this three-day event will come together as a unified force committed to transforming Asia’s health sector into a model that is both sustainable and equitable, contributing to the global conversation on how healthcare institutions can become anchors for social justice.

Key goals and agenda of the conference

The international event is co-organised by major global health and development partners, including UNICEF Vietnam, UNDP Vietnam, the Asian Development Bank, the Center for Health Environment Research and Development (CHERAD), and FHI 360. With the support of these organisations, the conference is confident that it will effectively achieve its goals and drive meaningful progress for the region’s public and planetary health.

The conference aims to build stronger climate action across Asia’s health sector, through key objectives. First, it seeks to inspire a paradigm shift by reimagining healthcare systems and facilities to enhance transformative resilience through strategic adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

Second, it aims to foster collaboration among hospitals in Asia to tackle climate vulnerabilities, promote just transition in healthcare systems, empower communities for health and climate justice, and integrate detoxification and decarbonisation through an equity and justice lens. Finally, it seeks to empower healthcare champions to drive collective action for climate and environmental health through effective leadership and advocacy strategies.

The event promises a dynamic program that features expert panels, interactive workshops, and case study presentations from hospitals and healthcare professionals across Asia that have successfully integrated climate-smart practices. Key discussions will centre on overarching themes, including resilience, mitigation, and adaption; health equity and justice; and healthcare leadership and advocacy.

“I am attending the conference with the hope of genuinely addressing the urgent issues surrounding climate and health in Asia. I am excited that we will also explore subtopics such as impactful leadership, multisectoral collaboration, and community empowerment. I am looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding and actionable plans for enhancing our healthcare facility back in Thailand,” emphasised Dr. Wiwat Chatwongwan, Deputy Director of Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital in Thailand.

Looking ahead: a call for action

As Asia continues to face increasing vulnerability to climate change—marked by rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and the spread of climate-sensitive diseases—the conference serves as an urgent call to action for healthcare systems across the region to take the lead by innovating solutions for adapting and mitigating their environmental impact. 

“Our team has been working tirelessly since last year to bring this event to life. Since its inception in 2013, this conference has aimed to advance healthcare’s collective impact in addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change on health systems across Asia. Today, eleven years later, while the impact of climate change to health has worsened, our commitment to that goal remains as strong as ever,” said Ramon San Pascual, Conference Lead and Executive Director of HCWH SEA.

Join us in Hai Phong! We invite members of the media to cover the International Scientific Conference on Climate Change and Health and the 6th Asia-Pacific Green Healthcare System Conference, to be held at Dream Dragon Resort in Hai Phong, Vietnam. The three-day event will run from October 30 to November 1, 2024. We highly encourage media representatives to attend the opening ceremony on October 30 at 1:00 PM, where key discussions will set the stage for the event’s conversations, outputs, and outcomes.