Nasser Youth Movement member speaks at Uganda's Health and Climate Conference in anticipation of COP28.
Dr. Ismail, Member of Nasser Youth Movement and Health Thematic lead at European Union Youth Sounding Board in Uganda , represented the Uganda Malaria Youth champions as a speaker at the pre-COP28 Health and Climate Conference held in Kampala in early November.
During his speech, Ismail discussed several crucial topics, including strategies for malaria prevention in the face of climate change. He highlighted the effective efforts of the Ugandan Youth Champions Against Malaria in addressing the adverse effects of climate change on malaria prevalence. The discussion also touched upon the direct correlation between climate change and the increased risk of vector-borne diseases, with a focus on the rise of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.
In a related context, Dr. Ismail emphasized the unique role of youth in implementing community-level interventions for malaria prevention, even in the presence of resource constraints. He provided insights into strategies for integrating climate resilience into health systems to sustainably improve population health. The discussion underscored the interconnectedness between climate change and various health challenges, including poor nutrition, infectious diseases like tuberculosis, and zoonotic diseases.
In conclusion, Dr. Ismail called for enhancing global collaboration, emphasizing the need to address climate-related health challenges, particularly in the context of malaria prevention. He pointed out practical outcomes of youth-led initiatives in mitigating the effects of climate change on health and highlighted potential actions and commitments for COP28 to enhance health system resilience, emphasizing the vital role youth can play in shaping a future where health and climate resilience go hand in hand for sustainable health.