[Please check against delivery]
Firstly, let me warmly welcome you to this Consultation Meeting.
It is encouraging to see such a diverse group of agencies and organizations represented here today. Addressing the health impacts of climate change demands collaboration far beyond the health sector – bringing together expertise from climate, environment, meteorology, academia, development partners and more. I’m so happy to see many of these sectors in the room with us today.
We are here to discuss the findings of a new national scoping review on climate‑sensitive diseases, which we hope will be an important contribution to strengthening Viet Nam’s climate‑health policies.
Before we get to that specifically, let me briefly outline why this work is so important.
Climate hazards - from rising temperatures to more frequent extreme weather - are having a huge impact on health, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Taking just one example, researchers estimate that climate change contributed to nearly 20% of dengue cases around the world in 2024. Cases could increase by two or three times that rate by 2050.
In Viet Nam, climate change is reshaping dengue transmission by expanding mosquito habitats and exposing new populations to risk.
In short, the health impacts of climate change are accelerating – for individuals, families, communities, the health system and the country at large.
In the face of these trends, we commend the Government of Viet Nam for its commitment to addressing the health impacts of climate change.
For example, in 2023, Viet Nam joined the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (known as ATACH) and is playing a leading role in this Alliance as our Region’s representative. Through ATACH, countries are enhancing the climate-resilience of their health systems.
The Ministry of Health has incorporated climate and health considerations into the National Health Climate Change Adaptation Plan to 2030, the Disease Prevention Law, and the National Target Programme on Healthcare, Population and Development (2026–2035).
So, we have seen a lot of important progress, and the fact that climate change is impacting health is now abundantly clear. However, there are still significant gaps in the evidence base which need to be addressed in order to strengthen our collective ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate-related health threats. And that is what today’s workshop is all about.
A core objective of WHO’s work with the Ministry of Health to enhance population health resilience to climate change is to strengthen data and evidence on climate and health, to better quantify climate-related health risks.
This includes improving modelling of future disease risks, and exploring innovative tools – including artificial intelligence – to support stronger forecasting and analysis.
And this brings us back to the national scoping review which we are here to discuss today.
The review’s findings are intended to support implementation of key government policies and priorities – like the Disease Prevention Law and NTP – by building better predictive capacity about the range and scope of both current and future disease risks.
Of particular note is the fact that, to our understanding, this is the first such review to examine the impact of both infectious and noncommunicable diseases. Work on climate sensitive diseases has traditionally been focused on infectious threats (like mosquito-borne diseases), but given the growing evidence about, for example, the impacts of extreme heat on cardiovascular and respiratory health, it is important to broaden our analysis to capture these risks.
All of this matters because better predictive capacity and better evidence means better ability to plan, prepare and respond.
By strengthening preparedness, Viet Nam can move from reactive outbreak or crisis response to evidence-based risk management – and strengthening both population and health system resilience to climate threats for the long term. We see this proactive approach as very much aligned with the Government’s focus on disease prevention in Resolution 72.
Before I close, let me say two important words of thanks:
- to the IMPE Quy Nhon team for their work on the national scoping review, and
- to our donors supporting this important work: the WHO Foundation and the Prudence Foundation.
I am very much looking forward to today’s discussions, and then the next steps as we continue our work together to strengthen climate resilience and in doing so build a safer and healthier Viet Nam.
Xin cảm ơn!