Opening Speech by Dr. Asa Torkelsson, Country Director of UNFPA Thailand and Representative of UNFPA Malaysia

The Post-Assessment Conference on Green Viability and Climate Vulnerability of Healthcare Facilities in Thailand was held on September 22, 2023 at the Athenee Hotel, Bangkok. The assessments are part of the MOU between UNFPA Thailand and FHI360 to advance climate-smart healthcare in Thailand.

The conference addresses the following issues:

● Results of the Green Viability and Climate Vulnerability of Assessments of four (4) healthcare facilities.

● Exchange of ideas and common challenges faced by healthcare facilities at every level in Thailand in dealing with the effects of global climate change.

● Discussion of future solutions and strategies for climate mitigation and adaptation in

the healthcare sector in Thailand. Participants will be encouraged to provide comments and suggestions on the three (3) issues. To ensure fruitful discussion and exchange of ideas and expertise, this conference is limited to 45 participants from the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, local government associations, selected healthcare facilities located in climate-sensitive areas, UN and other international development agencies and international non-governmental organizations.

This post-assessment conference is part of the project jointly sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Family Health International (FHI 360). This collaborative project seeks to identify potential carbon footprint, climate risks and vulnerabilities of healthcare facilities in Thailand and provide recommendations on enhancing their capacity and preparedness to 1) reduce the carbon footprint of health care delivery, facilities, operations and supply chains; and 2) build the climate resilience and environmental sustainability of these facilities. The key objective is to help protect and improve the health of communities under an unstable and changing climate, especially vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls, who may be disproportionately affected by climate change. These objectives are accomplished by the development of the green viability and climate vulnerability assessment tools that are consistent with the context of Thailand’s public healthcare system, as well as by the assessments conducted in 4 selected healthcare facilities.

See the official press release, here.