Haiti - Climate and health vulnerability assessment

The objective of the Climate and Health Vulnerability Assessment (CHVA) is to assist decision-makers in Haiti with planning effective adaptation measures to address climate-related health risks. The country’s geographical location - characterized by its presence on the Atlantic hurricane belt and on a low-lying coastal plain - makes it particularly susceptible to sea- level rises (SLRs), rising temperatures, hurricanes, and heavy rainfalls - all of which are projected to become more frequent and intense due to global warming.

Five key recommendations are proposed in this CHVA to improve the health system’s adaptive capacity to growing climate-related health risks:

1. Incorporate climate change into health plans and strategies, thus creating a governance and policy landscape that would contribute to strengthening the country’s health system resiliency. 2. 
2. Provide budget lines to channel funding for implementing climate-health interventions.
3. Strengthen health service delivery amid extreme weather events and prioritize support for frontline communities.  
4. Expand information systems that are already in place, such as Haiti Data, thus enabling the collection and analysis of climate and health data.
5. Develop building codes that are aimed at strengthening the existing health facilities’ resiliency to climate hazards