INVESTMENT PRIORITIES
Climate Resilient & Sustainable Infrastructure & Supply Chains
Challenge
Climate change is affecting every aspect of health and health systems, including the infrastructure and technologies that underpin effective service delivery. Extreme weather events routinely damage healthcare facility infrastructure, disrupt health commodity supply chains, and hinder access to essential SRH and maternal services. In addition, existing technologies may be inadequate or ineffective for populations affected by displacement, migration, and extreme weather events.
Opportunity to advance gender equality and SRHR
By strengthening the robustness and resilience of health facility infrastructure and supply chains using emerging sustainable technologies, stakeholders have the ability to deliver benefits including increased access to health services and improved health outcomes, as well as co-benefits for climate mitigation. Innovations in contraceptive technologies, like those which offer longer-term protection, can support self-care aims for women and girls who face prolonged interruptions to healthcare services due to forced migration from climate change, or destruction of healthcare services during a climate disaster.
Recommended investments
Support research and development of safe and effective contraceptives which provide longer term protection, such as a six-month injectable, a once-a-month birth control pill, or a microarray hormonal patch to provide contraceptive protection over months. Example: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Pilot usage of nimble delivery methods for SRH products, such as drones, motorcycles, and bicycles. Example: VillageReach.
Increase climate adaptation and mitigation co-benefits at health facilities by providing on-site/microgrid solar energy, training healthcare workers to adopt energy sustainability practices, and planting indigenous landscaping. Example: Light Every Birth.
Increase market coverage of the single dose HPV vaccine, especially in countries which face disproportionate impacts of climate change.
Create a challenge fund to support the reduction of reproductive health products and supply chain carbon emissions, from design to disposal.
Illustrative metrics of success
Health facilities are more prepared for climate change and follow the WHO Guidance for Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Facilities.
Greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, waste generation, and the use of environmentally harmful substances throughout the life cycle of contraceptive technologies, including sourcing of materials, manufacturing processes, packaging, distribution, and disposal, are reduced.
Collaboration between climate scientists, contraceptive R&D partners and manufacturers, and government partners increases and ensures sustainable development and climate-responsive deployment of contraceptive products, especially for migrating populations.
Unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions are reduced due to increased and consistent access to longer-term contraceptive technologies for men and women.
Case Study
Malawi
Supporting Nimble Supply Chains with Drone Delivery
When the cyclones struck, drones were integrated into the national health supply chain to enable rapid and direct delivery of essential supplies, including critical SRHR commodities and materials like samples collected for HIV Viral Load (VL) and HIV Early Infant Detection (EID), contraceptive injectables, and HPV vaccine doses.