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FSM Climate Change and Health Action Plan

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): September 6, 2011 - Over twenty five representatives of various agencies gathered at the FSM Congress Library on August 18 in a symposium that is part of the on-going work on formulating a national action plan for dealing with the impact of climate change on health. The participants came from FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs (DHSA), health officials from all FSM States, National Weather Services, World Health Organization, Pohnpei Environmental Protection Agency, Island Food Community of Pohnpei, Office of Environment and Emergency Management (OEEM), and UN Joint Presence Initiative Office.

The symposium was opened by Dr. Vita A. Skilling, former Secretary sitting as a consultant at the department, and Mr. Moses Pretrick, coordinator of the Environmental Health Program who also moderated throughout the symposium. Vulnerability assessment presentations were done in the early part of the meeting by Weather Services staff and the Office of Environment and Emergency Management staff, along with other pertinent reports requiring inputs from the states, ngo's and other stakeholders.

The need for a national action plan gained region-wide momentum back in 2009 at a Pacific Health Ministers biennial meeting in Madang, Papua New Guinea, where the Pacific island countries committed to putting action to vision in environment and health area according to the draft action plan document. The symposium is one in a series of collaborative efforts among agencies and services relating to health and the environment. The end-result of the collaborations will be the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into activities for the health sector and health considerations into activities of other sectors, through a framework for adaptation to climate change and its impacts on health.

The Action Plan will be published upon completion of necessary in-country consultations and review by stakeholders in the very near future.

For more information, please contact the Department of Health and Social Affairs at 320-2619.