Call for Papers: WPSAR Special Edition on building climate and disaster resilience in the Western Pacific Region

11-10-2024

Deadline for expressions of interest: 30 November 2024
Deadline for article submission: 15 March 2025

To ensure continuity of essential health services and increase resilience, countries are addressing both near-term threats from emergencies (disasters, outbreaks, conflict) and longer-term impacts of climate change. To build resilience, countries within the region have focused on strengthening the health workforce, managing environmental determinants of human health, applying climate-resilient/sustainable technologies to improve health infrastructure, and prioritizing risk-informed emergency preparedness.1

Countries in the Asia Pacific Region, along with WHO and partners, have committed to both “work[ing] towards a vision of a region that is prepared for and resilient to public health emergencies through collective action and that contributes to global health security”2 through membership of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, adopting the resolution on Climate change and health at the 77th World Health Assembly, and adoption of the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework at 74th Region Committee Meeting, and promoting multisectoral cooperation to build a “coherence and holistic approach to building resilience and addressing the root causes of climate change and climate-sensitive environmental and social determinants of health (WHA 77.14).3

In order to document the development, scope and impact of interventions aiming to build health sector climate and disaster resilience in the Western Pacific Region, as well as to document learnings that will improve future actions, the Western Pacific Surveillance and Response (WPSAR) journal, the official journal of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, invites articles on the implementation and impact of disaster risk reduction and climate resilience actions, including within health facilities, in the Western Pacific.

There are many topics that relate to building health sector climate and disaster resilience. The suggestions below are designed to inspire; however, if you have a different topic in mind, please email us.

Potential articles may include, but are not limited to:

  • Reports on risk and vulnerability assessments, including the use of the Strategic Toolkit for Assessing Risks (STAR), to inform priority actions and increase resilience
  • Articles related to building community disaster resilience, including inclusive approaches and risk communications and community engagement
  • Case studies on implementing climate- and disaster-resilient and environmentally sustainable health-care facilities to lower impacts on the health system and improve access to care
  • Innovative approaches to developing strategies and lessons learned in improving water, sanitation, hygiene and waste services in health-care facilities, including use of WHO/UNICEF WASH-FIT
  • Successful experiences in implementation of climate-informed early warning systems
  • Perspectives or lessons on any issue to do with climate and disaster resilience

Appropriate clearance should be received to use any national health/clinical data. Ethical approvals should also be sought, where required. Submissions may follow any format accepted by WPSAR. Acceptable article types and submission criteria may be found here: https://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/about/submissions

For general journal inquiries or expressions of interest, please email the WPSAR Coordinating Editor: wpsar@who.int

Expressions of interest should include:

  1. Proposed article title
  2. Contact details for article focal point
  3. Brief outline of proposed article content/conclusions (150–200 words)
  4. Geographic and technical focus of the proposed article

 

References

  1. Operational framework for building climate resilient health systems. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015. Available from: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/189951.
  2. Asia Pacific health security action framework. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific; 2024. Available from: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/377083.
  3. World Health Assembly, 77. Climate change and health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. Available from: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA77/A77_ACONF7-en.pdf.