Joshua Amponsem
Joshua Amponsem is the Executive Director – Green Africa Youth Organization. He is an environmental and climate activist. He is an Adaptation Fellow at the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the founder of Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO). Joshua focuses on the role of youth in Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Resilience Building. He is the lead author of the first-ever background paper on youth and climate change adaptation which provides a pathway for youth engagement in global adaptation efforts. In Ghana, he is leading the Water for Adaptation and Sustainable Communities Project – where he builds the capacity of youth to support community resilience through ecosystem-based adaptation measures, sustainable agriculture practices, circular economy and disaster risk reduction.
Tuesday, 9 March 2021 Day 2
Climate and Health: Empowering Women and Youth to Drive Climate Solutions
Hosted by Pathfinder International
Pathfinder International has partnered with AMREF Health Africa to host a session on Climate Change and Public Health – bringing the key intersecting issues to the forefront, outlining the urgent multisectoral action needed to strengthen health systems and addressing the growing burden of climate change on communities in order to promote health security.
Healthcare does not exist in isolation of social, political, and environmental factors that influence our societies. Health systems cannot be effective if we do not acknowledge and prepare for risks and pressures outside the health system itself. Climate change is one of the most imminent challenges to the health and well-being of people across the world, especially Africa. As climate change events grow in frequency and intensity, it becomes harder for many populations to get the basic food and water resources they need – thereby increasing susceptibility to disease.
Despite being a global challenge, the repercussions of climate change disproportionately affect Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including many African countries. This session will highlight existing efforts and growing plans to address the impact of climate change on health across Africa. The session will focus on the importance of women’s leadership in addressing issues of climate locally, regionally and nationally; youth advocacy for climate justice; and issues surrounding climate change and its impact on the health and well-being of young people in Africa. Global health organizations will be encouraged to join the conversation to learn ways they can integrate climate change advocacy, implementation and leadership into their programs.