Climate Change, Health and Small Island States

Webinar Description:

Small Island States (SIS) contribute a negligible amount to greenhouse gas emissions and yet face the most severe and persistent consequences of climate change. The increasing severity and frequency of natural disasters, such as cyclones and floods, rising sea levels and warming sea temperatures, amongst others, directly and indirectly impact the health and livelihoods of SISs inhabitants. While many SISs have ratified the Paris Agreement and their National Determine Contributions (NCDs), many have not developed formal policies around the health impacts of climate change. This webinar gathers respected professionals from the Philippines, New Zealand and Mauritius to discuss the importance of implementing health at the centre of climate adaptation strategies and discussions in Small Island States.

Speakers:

Renzo Guinto, MD, DrPH is the Associate Professor of Global Public Health and Inaugural Director of the Planetary and Global Health Program of the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine in the Philippines. He is also the Chief Planetary Doctor of PH Lab – a “glo-cal think-and-do tank” for advancing the health of both people and the planet. Renzo obtained his Doctor of Public Health from Harvard University and Doctor of Medicine from the University of the Philippines Manila. Renzo has traveled to and lectured in nearly 50 countries and published more than 100 articles in scientific journals, books, and popular media.

Pamela Bapoo-Dundoo, Msc, MPhil joined the United Nations 25 years ago as a Deputy Programme Officer to the UN Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) and for the last 22 years has been the National Coordinator overseeing the day-to-day management of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme implemented by the UNDP in Mauritius. She has a master’s degree in Plant Physiology from the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg and holds a post-graduate degree in environmental counselling. She was appointed in 2015 to the working group on “Capacity Building, Empowerment & Training Development” chaired by the University of Mauritius on behalf of the National Ocean Council.

Colin Tukuitonga, MD, MPH is the inaugural Associate Dean (Pacific) and Associate Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland. He was the Director General of the Pacific Community based in New Caledonia for seven years until December 2019. Colin is the New Zealand Heart Foundation Chief Advisor Pacific, government appointee to the NZ Health Quality and Safety Commission board and member of the NZ College of Public Health Medicine Council. He has previously led the NZ Ministry of Pacific Affairs and worked with the World Health Organization in Geneva.