New York, USA, 24 September 2026: Amref Health Africa and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) have joined forces to protect African communities from the growing health risks of climate change. Signed during the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA81), this strategic partnership will mobilize funding, support local research, and scale climate-resilient, low-carbon healthcare across the continent.
The agreement was formalized during a high-level UNGA81 roundtable bringing together governments, climate funds, philanthropies, and civil society to unlock practical investments for African health systems.
Through this collaboration, Amref and HCWH will equip healthcare professionals, policymakers, and climate negotiators with vital skills—building on initiatives like Amref’s Climate Change and Health Negotiators’ Curriculum (LINK) and HCWH’s training tools.
Areas of joint action include:
Assessing Vulnerability & Carbon Footprints: Evaluating climate risks and environmental impacts across health systems.
Facility Planning: Designing climate-smart healthcare operations adapted to local needs.
Training & Capacity Building: Upskilling healthcare workers, local leaders, and policy advocates.
Scaling African Models: Documenting successful regional solutions so they can be adapted and expanded across the continent.
Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Amref Health Africa, said:
"Africa does not lack climate and health priorities; what is missing is financed delivery. Climate resilience must reach the health facility, the community health workers and the household facing extreme heat, floods, droughts, disease outbreaks and disrupted essential services. As Africa’s Climate and Health ecosystems coordinator over the years, providing connective infrastructure; linking governments, regional institutions, researchers, communities, funders and delivery partners, this partnership adds impetus to our drive in working with governments, financing and technical partners to translate climate commitments into measurable health outcomes through strengthened primary health care across the continent."
The collaboration will build on the Climate and Health Negotiators’ Curriculum, launched in September 2025 and the Centre for Policy and Research on Climate Change and Health at Amref International University. The curriculum equips African climate negotiators with the knowledge and tools to advance health equity within climate policies and financing mechanisms. The Centre produces practical , policy-relevant evidence across areas such as climate-health data systems, health-workforce resilience, health economics and financing, climate-sensitive diseases, loss and damage, and gender and equity.
For its part, HCWH brings its network and long-standing partnerships in Africa. Its Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network has 135 members across 11 African countries, all working to reduce their environmental footprint and prepare for climate impacts.
HCWH's strategic partner across the region is groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa, an environmental justice organisation founded in 1999 that works alongside communities living with the effects of dirty energy and toxic industry. Its campaigns cover coal, climate and energy justice, waste and environmental health with a focus on a just transition. groundWork's work connects to two of this partnership's core aims. It has contributed to African evidence on climate and health, including research on the toll coal-fired power takes on people's health in South Africa. It has also strengthened skills in the health sector, securing professional accreditation for GGHH workshops and working across public health networks including academia. groundWork has worked with HCWH on health care since its founding and coordinates the GGHH network in Africa.
Emily Bancroft, Chief Executive Officer at Health Care Without Harm, said:
"Across Africa, governments are working to build health resilience strategies that integrate climate adaptation and low-carbon development to protect people and the planet. Health Care Without Harm works through networks and partners to develop and implement locally led solutions, and this partnership reflects that approach. By bringing together Amref’s deep community reach and leadership across Africa with our expertise in sustainable, resilient health care, we can build and scale solutions in Africa, for Africa."
Notes to editors
For Interview requests contact: Maureen Cherongis, Media and External Relations Officer, Amref Health Africa - maureen.cherongis@amref.org
Mariana Abdalla, Associate Director of External Affairs, Health Care Without Harm - mabdalla@hcwh.org
About Amref Health Africa
Amref Health Africa, headquartered in Kenya, is the largest Africa-based international health and development organisation providing training and health services to over 20 million people annually in at least 30 countries in Africa. Amref Health Africa continues to evolve and innovate the approaches to increase sustainable health access among communities.
Amref manages a full range of medical and public health programmes tackling the most critical health challenges facing the continent – including global health emergencies, communicable and non-communicable disease, neglected tropical diseases, maternal and childcare, as well as water, sanitation and climate change. Much of our credibility with local communities and African governments stems from the relationship and trust that we have built over the past 69 years. Our subsidiaries include Amref Flying Doctors and the Amref International University.