About Us
Our history
Our first designation as a Collaborating Centre was awarded in 2003 by the WHO in recognition of our pioneering work in the area of HIA. The Centre was successfully redesignated for its sixth four-year period in 2023.
Since our first designation, we have worked toward the advancement of HIA across the Asia Pacific, partnering with government and non-government agencies, research organisations and communities to support the work of WHO. The Centre has been involved in projects in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Vanuatu, Philippines and Vietnam. We welcome collaborations with new partners and prospective research students in the area of climate change and HIA from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Our current terms of reference (TOR)
The WHO Collaborating Centre will focus on the following activities from 2023 to 2027:
1: To support WHO in strengthening capacity in Member States to implement Health Impact Assessment (HIA), with a focus on addressing the health risks posed by climate change.
2: To support WHO in developing and applying environmental health indicators to monitor impacts and inform climate change adaptation and mitigation in Member States, and to strengthen resilience in their health sectors.
Our goals
Capacity building on climate change and HIA
Support WHO in building capacity of Member States on climate change and Health Impact Assessment.
Technical input & support towards Sustainable Development Goals
Provide technical input and support for WHO’s consideration towards its development and dissemination of HIA guidelines that integrate climate change assessments and enable Member States to meet their sustainable development agenda.
Collaborative research to tackle the climate crisis
Undertake collaborative research and promote technical standards in line with WHO’s recommendations to monitor the health impacts of climate change in Member States to mitigate and adapt to changing environments.
Position and Direction
Our position
The Collaborating Centre seeks to address climate change as a major human health risk and to empower scientific-oriented decision-making for sustainable transitions.
Our direction
Our mission is to build capacity at the country and regional levels to assess the future and monitor the current impacts of climate change on human health by integrating research excellence, learning opportunities and policy partnerships.