To aid the process of integrating climate-related health issues into the UNFCCC’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) framework, the World Health Organisation has created this guide aimed at decision makers involved in the planning of adaptation actions for health and climate. The guide is designed to ensure that the iterative management of the health risks associated with climate change is integrated into the assessment, identification, prioritisation, and implementation of adaptation options, as well as the monitoring and evaluation, included in the NAP process.
The document begins with an overview of the NAP process and the purpose of this guidance, before discussing the Health National Adaptation Process (HNAP), proposed here as the health component of the NAP process, one which should include a detailed health adaptation plan with specific national goals, time frames, and dedicated resources. The principles of the HNAP, which follows that for the overall NAP process, is then discussed, as well as key concepts in health adaptation to climate change.
The majority of the report then consists of the 12 steps of the HNAP, grouped into four different categories:
Laying the groundwork and addressing gaps in undertaking the HNAP process is the focus of steps one to three. These include the aligning of the health adaptation planning process with the national process for developing a NAP, taking stock of available information, and identifying and addressing capacity gaps and weaknesses.
HNAP preparatory elements described in steps four to six concern the conducting of health assessments, reviewing implications of climate change on health-related strategies and policies, and developing a national health adaptation strategy that identifies priority adaptation options.
Steps seven and eight focus on implementation strategies, namely developing an implementation strategy for operationalising HNAPs and integrating climate change adaptation into health-related planning at all levels, and promoting coordination and synergy with the NAP process, respectively.
Finally, reporting, monitoring, and review make up the final three steps, highlighting the need to assess progress, effectiveness, and gaps, the need to update the health component of the NAPs in an iterative manner, and the use of reporting on progress and effectiveness in HNAP outreach efforts.