BUILD at COP26

COP26 is the 2021 United Nations climate change conference.

The global population is projected to grow from an estimated 7.7 billion people in 2019 to 9.7 billion by 2050. Most of this growth will take place in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This incredible rise in population is happening against a backdrop of fragile economies that are experiencing a lot of pressure from climate change in most sectors of the economy such as agriculture, fisheries, health, energy, and manufacturing. Therefore, global priorities for population and development should be closely aligned to those of climate change and the environment. Building climate resilience in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) will require a multipronged approach that includes integrated population, environment and development (PED) frameworks and interventions.

The BUILD (Building Capacity for Integrated Family Planning/Reproductive Health and Population, Environment and Development Action) program is in Glasgow Scotland attending the 26th Conference of the Parties(COP26) UN Climate Change Conference, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy from 31 October 2021 to 11 November 2021.

Our Message

1. Population dynamics, human health, environmental sustainability and economic development are interlinked. A rapidly growing population compounded by climate change impacts exerts considerable pressure on the critical ecosystems and natural resources upon which humanity depends
2. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledges that investments in reproductive health specially among women and youth would achieve the co-benefit of positive climate change management outcomes and improved health outcomes.
3. Global priorities for population and development should be closely aligned to those of climate change and the environment. Building climate resilience will therefore require a multipronged approach which includes integrated population, environment and development (PED) interventions
4. Therefore, policymakers and other development practitioners need to acknowledge the Population-Environment-Development (PED) nexus as a valuable framework towards strengthening local capacities and empowering governments and organizations to seek collective results through efficient utilization of scarce resources

PED approach benefits people and the environment. Therefore:

1. Create space for dialogue among health, population, climate change, and development decision-makers at global, regional and national levels to strengthen eco-human health systems
2. Integrate population data? and climate change perspectives within the country’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)
3. Consolidate partnerships between health, climate change and development actors for synergistic planning and response
4. Invest in accessible voluntary family planning as part of climate compatible development strategies

Building Capacity for Integrated Family Planning & Reproductive Health and Population, Environment and Development Action “BUILD” by USAID brings together southern leadership and organizations from Africa, Asia, and USA that, together, have proven technical expertise in promoting cross-sectoral interventions in Population-Environment-Development (PED) and in advocating for voluntary family planning (FP) and capacity strengthening.

• African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP);
• Leadership for Environment and Development Southern and Eastern Africa (LEAD SEA);
• Path Foundation Philippines Inc (PFPI);
• Family Health International 360 (FHI360); and
• Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

BUILD seeks to address interlinked Population, Environment and Development (PED) challenge for sustainable development in low and middle-income countries to enable integrated FP/RH and PED action using the Systems thinking approach. As well as, amplify the PED approach to a new degree of transformative action across disciplinary, geographical, socio-cultural and sectoral divides to achieve strong political commitment, sustained financial resources and accountability for voluntary FP/RH.

Using a hub-and-spokes model, BUILD will work in four countries in Africa and Asia: Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa), Kenya (East Africa), Malawi (Southern Africa), and the Philippines (South East Asia).

Through the BUILD  program, AFIDEP and consortium partners will host a Health Pavilion event at COP26 on Wednesday, 10 November 2021 from 10:00 – 11.00 GMT at the Blue Zone.

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Communique: Putting Africa at the heart of COP26 Conference

Communique of the delegates attending the BUILD Program side event at the #CountDownToCOP26: Putting Africa at the heart of COP26 Conference