CliMigHealth at COP28 UAE: Events and Insider Views

The 28th UN Climate Change Conference will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). At COP 28 UAE, the first Global Stocktake of the implementation of the Paris Agreement will conclude, providing a comprehensive assessment of progress towards achieving the pact’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Therefore, COP28 UAE is a pivotal opportunity to correct course and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis.

A CliMigHealth delegation and several member (institutions) will organise events and present on various topics related to the climate-migration-health nexus. Our network is involved in events that focus particularly on the mental health impacts of climate change, climate migration and human mobility, accelerating adaptation through innovation and development themes, and education for health professionals.

 

Emphasis on Loss & Damage

Loss and damage caused by climate change will be a central topic at the COP28 UN climate conference. A major breakthrough at last year’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt was the landmark agreement to establish a “loss and damage fund” for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. This year, COP28 UAE is the place to deliver and operationalize the fund and funding arrangements for loss and damage.

A substantial part of our network members work on loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change. We particularly focus on Non-Economic Loss & Damage, which encompasses entities not commonly traded in markets: physical and mental health, identity, trust, belonging, social cohesion, traditional knowledge, cultural heritage, biodiversity, landscapes, and ecosystems. The upcoming research by CliMigHealth Steering Committee members will provide a meta-analysis of case studies among the research from the network that can calculate Non-Economic Loss & Damage. Our COP28 UAE campaign is therefore directed towards sufficiently acknowledging, compensating, and responding to the inequitable non-economic losses and damages experienced by countries around the world. We will particularly focus on health impacts and socio-ecological resilience.

Read the publications on Loss & Damage by our network members:

  • Editorial on Loss & Damage for Health from Rita Issa and Arthur Wyns.
  • Editorial on Loss & Damage in Health and Humanitarian Terms from Patricia Nayna Schwerdtle.
  • Editorial on the Establishment of a Loss & Damage Fund from Arthur Wyns.
  • The work from the UNU Climate Resilience Initiative.

 

Follow us for updates and insider perspectives

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, in our Medium.com blog, and via UNU-CRIS who is our organisation and communication partner for this event.

 

Key events (all in GST timezone)

For the entire COP28 UAE schedule, visit the host country website.
You can watch livestreams of COP28 UAE Pavilion and side events on the UN Climate Change events channel.

December 3, 2023

Drying, Droughts, Desertification, and Mental Health: Addressing Gaps and Needs For Community Well-Being. Health Day Special Event. 15:30 – 16:30 GST at Land & Drought Resilience Pavilion, Blue Zone, TA 4, STAND 205. With Charlotte Scheerens, Nidhi Nagabhatla, and Sanae Okamoto.

December 4, 2023

Climate Change and Mental Health: Understanding Risks and Empowering Opportunities. UNU hosted UN-System High-level Side Event. 11:30—13:00 GST at SE Room 5. With Nidhi Nagabhatla, Charlotte Scheerens, Nidhi Nagabhatla, and Sanae Okamoto.

December 8, 2023

Enhancing Resilience – UNU Climate Resilience Initiative’s Lessons. 09:30—11:00 GST at BeNeLux Pavilion. With Charlotte Scheerens, Nidhi Nagabhatla, and Sanae Okamoto. Watch the event here.

Connecting Psychological Resilience and Mental Health to Climate Action: Insights and Hopes of Young People. 13:30—14:45 GST at COP28 Health Pavilion. With Charlotte Scheerens, Nidhi Nagabhatla, and Sanae Okamoto.

From Reaction to Socio-Ecological Resilience: Advancing Disaster Risk Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Nexus for Climate Adaptation. 15:00-16:00 GST at COP28 Resilience Hub, Blue Zone. With Charlotte Scheerens, Nidhi Nagabhatla, and Sanae Okamoto. More details and the programme here.

For all the events from UNU-EHS, UNU-IAS, and UNU-MERIT institutes at COP28 UAE, see the UNU website.

 

CliMigHealth members present at COP28 UAE