Building Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care System

Official Release

Jordan has been one of the first countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region to recognize the importance of climate action and the need for national and sectorial planning from an early stage. And with Jordan's vision for a holistic and integrated work to address the impacts of climate change on different aspects including health, the national climate change health adaptation strategy and plan of action was developed in 2012following a joint vulnerability and adaptation assessment conducted in 2009-2012 to address the preparedness of the health sector in face of climate change at different levels.

In addition, Jordan’s National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy was developed and stressed the need to build adaptive capacity throughout the different governmental sectors including the health sector, and in line with Jordan’s national adaptation plan and the Kingdom belief in the importance of a strong health sector, the Jordanian Ministry of Health, as part of its commitments to UNFCCC and Paris agreement, and in response to the kind invitation from UK COP26 presidency to adopt the initiatives of building a climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health system,is glad to announce its commitments to continue developing its health system to be resilient to the impacts of climate change. This includes commitments to:

First; Jordan will continue developing its health system to be resilient to the impacts of climate change. This includes:

Updating the climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment (V&A) that was conducted in 2012. We commit to continue assessing vulnerability to climate change in an iterative way, so as to continue to inform health policies and programmes.
Updating the health component of the National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) based on the new evidence arising from the updated climate change and health vulnerability assessments.

Second: Jordan will develop its health system to be sustainable and low carbon ensuring so that it contributes to meeting the emission targets of the Paris Agreement. This includes:

Carrying out a baseline assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of the health system (or health care facilities), including supply chains.
Developing and publishing an action plan which sets out how Jordan will develop a sustainable low carbon health system (including supply chains) which also considers the role the health sector that can play in reducing exposure to air pollution through its activities and its actions.

Reduce emissions that are under the direct control of the health sector to reach net zero health sector emissions by 2050.

Jordan will use the V&A, HNAP and the action plan for a sustainable low carbon health system to facilitate access to climate change funding for health from donors, including through the climate change multilateral funding mechanisms (e.g., project proposals submitted to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), Green Climate Fund (GCF) or Adaptation Fund (AF) or GCF Readiness program)

This comes as part of Jordan's steps to take an active part in climate action and as an expression of its concern regarding the health of Jordanians and a remarkable step in the development of the national health system in face of any future crises.

Minister of Health

Prof. Firas Ibrahim Hawari