Planetary Health

Session title Planetary Health
Coordinator Ms. Melvine Anyango
melvineanyango@gmail.com
Hosts University of Eldoret, Tree Adoption Uganda
Session objectives
  • To have an understanding of the urgency required to take action to avert environmental changes most of which are caused by human activities.
  • To develop a big picture perspective of planetary health, and its relevance and  importance in the African context.
  • To increase awareness of the impacts of climate and environmental change on health and social equity in Africa.
  • To have an understanding of how the application of a planetary health lens in research, policy and practice can improve environmental health outcomes.
  • Newly forged links to a local planetary health community and opportunities to participate in driving and expanding the planetary health movement.  
Session abstract Planetary Health is the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends (The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health, 2015). It is an emerging field that shares Global Health’s focus on achieving health equity for all populations and emphasizes on urgency and scale. There is increasingly short-time frame in which we may be able to address the environmental degradation that impacts on human health. Planetary Health has an ‘action orientation’ that urges us to work together in order to assure the current and future generations long and healthy lives.

Africa’s response to environmental and health problems is characterized by slow pace and unclear policies to support required actions. Africa concertedly needs to share ideas, benchmark and facilitate transfer of knowledge across the continent.

In Africa, we are witnessing imbalances across the intersection of ecosystem and human health including loss of biodiversity, climate change, air and water pollution, insecure food systems and urban sprawl that is out of control. Planetary Health brings awareness to these challenges by encouraging students, researchers, policymakers and practitioners across all disciplines to view our health and the health of our environment in a holistic way, because the quality of one affects the quality of the other. This inaugural workshop aims to build leadership and teamwork, promote awareness and create a platform for learning from each other in Africa in order to find solutions to the challenges and imbalances of Planetary Health in Africa.
Session Format Workshop 13
Chairs Chair: Co-Chair: Prof Andrea Winkler
a.s.winkler@medisin.uio.no
Speakers Topics of Discussion Contact Status
Speaker 1
(Civil Society)Dr. James Jowi
Tanzania		 Networking possibility, links and challenges in Africa. jowij@anienetwork.org

+254721917461

 Principal Education Officer East African Community Secretariat in Arusha.
Speaker 2
(Policy)Prof. Osano Odipo
Kenya		 Policy making implementation aspect in connection with livestock and one health odipoosano@gmai.com

+254722280381

 Member of Planetary Health, Board Member of SEGH, a veterinarian qualified in veterinary public health and environmental toxicology and a Lecturer University of Eldoret.
Speaker 3
(Academia)Prof. Akinade Shadrack Olatunji
Nigeria		 Geogenic resources of both pollutants and nutritional elements and their positive and negative impacts on health. akinadeshadrach@yahoo.com
+2348055475865		 Professor, Department of Geology at Ibadan University of Nigeria.
Speaker 4
(Government)Dr. Nicole de Paula
Germany		 Women leadership in Planetary Health Nicole.dePaula@iass-postdam.de Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow
currently at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS).Executive Director of the Global Health Asia Institute (GHAI).
Speaker 5
(Youth)Ms. Salina Abraham
Eritrea		 The challenges and the role of the youth in participating and advocating for climate action for health in Africa. S.Abraham@cgiar.org President of the International Forestry Students’ Association. Youth Coordinator at the Global Landscapes Forum.

Event Timeslots (1)

ROOM 5 MEERA
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WS 13