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Wits RHI

Wits RHI’s Climate and Health Team Leading the Charge at CHAC 2024

We are proud to be a significant contributor to the inaugural Climate & Health Africa Conference (CHAC 2024), scheduled for 29-31 October 2024 in Harare, Zimbabwe. This conference is hosted by the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR Zimbabwe),in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, and the Ministry of Health and Child Care of Zimbabwe.

Conference Overview

CHAC 2024 focuses on addressing the urgent need to tackle the detrimental health impacts of climate change on health and wellbeing in Africa. The conference aims to integrate cutting-edge research evidence, effective adaptation and mitigation strategies, equitable climate research, and discussions on translating research into policy. It serves as a platform for sharing innovations, best practices, and solutions to enhance climate resilience in health.

Wits RHI Contributions

Our researchers will present critical research on the impacts of climate change on health, particularly focusing on extreme heat and the development of climate-resilient health systems in collaboration with our partners. Key involvements at this conference include:

CHANCE Network

As part of the CHAC conference, we are excited to announce a meeting for The Climate and Health Africa Network for Collaboration and Engagement (CHANCE Network). This network brings together researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders working at the intersection of climate change and health in Africa.

CHANCE’s Objectives:

  • Promote networking, research, learning, policy development, and financing related to climate change and health in Africa.
  • Facilitate stakeholder interactions, knowledge exchange, and information sharing.
  • Collaborate on climate and health research and disseminate best practices through case studies.
  • Coordinate advocacy efforts and develop evidence-based policies for Africa.
  • Provide technical assistance to enhance access to climate financing.

Wits RHI plays a vital role as the secretariat of the CHANCE Network. We will host a full-day session on 31 October 2024, under the theme of Accelerating Progress on Climate and Health.   View the full programme for this session here.

Special Sessions

We are also hosting the 2nd Heat Adaptation for Pregnant Women and Infants (HAPI) meeting on October 31 from 17:00-19:00. The objectives of this meeting include:

  • Reviewing project progress, preliminary findings, and lessons learned from the formative stage of the research.
  • Providing scientific input for the implementation and evaluation of co-produced multi-layered heat adaptation interventions, focusing on their effectiveness in reducing heat effects among pregnant women and infants.
  • Enhancing stakeholder engagement, capacity strengthening, and advocacy.

For more information on CHAC, click to review the programme: CHAC 2024 Programme.

Stay tuned for updates on our impactful sessions as we approach CHAC 2024, the first climate and health conference in Africa.

Join Us Online

Follow along with our participation and share your insights using the hashtags: #WitsRHI30 #CHAC2024.