The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), through its Ministry of Health, is strengthening its efforts in addressing the growing impacts of climate change on the country’s health system and communities.
“Climate change affects every country, including Laos. It’s a global crisis that significantly impacts health systems in many ways—from damage to health infrastructure caused by natural hazards, to the spread of climate-related diseases, and even disruptions to nutrition and food security. This makes it critical for us to respond urgently, ensuring sustainable healthcare delivery and strong mitigation efforts, especially in times of disaster. Through this collaborative project with Health Care Without Harm, Save the Children, the World Health Organization, and other partners, we are working to develop clean, safe, and climate-resilient health facilities across seven provinces in Laos—specifically targeting those most vulnerable to climate impacts,” said Dr Viengkham Phixay, Deputy Director General, Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Ministry of Health, Lao PDR
In partnership with Save the Children International in Laos (SCiL) and in collaboration with Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia (HCWH SEA), Lao PDR officially launched a key activity under the “Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System,” during an inception meeting held on July 22, 2025, at Lao Plaza Hotel in Vientiane.
“We are proud to launch this collaboration with Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia who brings global expertise in sustainable healthcare. Together, we aim to strengthen the resilience of Lao PDR’s health system in the face of climate change, to ensure healthier futures for the most vulnerable communities,” said Anisul Islam, Chief of Party (Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System), SCiL
Spanning five years, this project is a critical component of the broader Green Climate Fund-supported initiative to enhance the climate resilience of Lao PDR’s health system, in line with the government’s COP26 commitment to developing a sustainable, low-carbon health system by 2030. By integrating governance improvements, infrastructure upgrades, enhanced data analytics, and community engagement, this multistakeholder collaboration aims to create a sustainable, climate-resilient healthcare system across the country.
As a key partner in the project, HCWH SEA will lead the implementation of a nationwide assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across 79 public healthcare facilities identified as vulnerable to climate risks. Using Health Care Without Harm’s specialised resource, the Climate Impact Check Up Tool, the assessment will establish baseline emissions and develop tailored emissions reduction strategies for each facility.
“This is a breakthrough moment for our team as we continue to expand our work in driving climate action in Southeast Asia’s health sector. We’ve had the privilege of collaborating with several countries across the region in recent years, and we are now deeply honoured to support the Government of Lao PDR as it emerges as one of the region’s frontrunners in advancing a climate-resilient health system,” said Melody Melo-Rijk, Regional Climate and Health Manager, HCWH SEA.
This five-year engagement between HCWH SEA, SCiL, and the MOH will focus on advancing climate-health action across the country. Key activities include collecting and analysing GHG emission data from health facilities, building the capacity of healthcare personnel on climate and health, including the utilisation of the Climate Check Up Tool, and developing a system to support facilities in updating their carbon footprint assessments and developing mitigation strategies.
The findings of this project will contribute to the country’s national climate mitigation targets and support long-term health system resilience by informing infrastructure upgrades, improving service delivery for climate-related diseases, sustaining climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, and implementing emission reduction action plans. Ultimately, this initiative is designed to ensure that health facilities can continue to provide essential care during and after climate-related events, such as extreme heat, floods, droughts, and typhoons.
The inception meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, development partners, and technical experts to align on project goals, share methodologies, and foster collaboration throughout the project’s implementation phase. This milestone marks an important step in Laos’ efforts to lead by example in tackling the health impacts of climate change while minimising the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector.
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