Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to use the Climate Resilient Health Systems Initiative under the Adaptation Action Coalition to strengthen the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities globally.

Water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH) are crucial to making health systems more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Building on the important Climate Resilient Health Systems Initiative through the Adaptation Action Coalition, the UK has developed the COP26 Health Programme. This programme contains four primary initiatives to promote: climate resilient health systems, low-carbon sustainable health systems, the voice of health professionals on climate and health policy, and action orientated adaptation research. WASH will be an important factor in developing health systems to be climate resilient and sustainable.

In May 2021, the UK led the launch of the Adaptation Action Coalition water workstream, which includes the development and financing of a water tracker, to enhance water resilience in national climate plans. UK support to such initiatives, which will be discussed at COP26, will enable governments to make better use of climate funding and leverage new funding from investors for water, sanitation and hygiene.