Water for Climate Mental Health Resilience

Event
  • DATE / TIME:
    2023•03•20    15:00 - 16:30
    Location:
    Online

    On 20 March 2023 at 15:00 (CET), the UNU Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) and the UNU Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) will co-organise the event “Water for Climate Mental Health Resilience — Integrating Inclusive Water Strategies in Climate Services“. This online event is part of the UN 2023 Water Conference. 

    This session aims to enhance understanding of:

    1. interlinkages of water insecurity, water-related disasters, climate risks,  mental health, and psychosocial well-being, with a focus on vulnerability factors and inequalities.
    2. environmental degradation and biodiversity and its impact on mental health (e.g., climate change anxiety, eco-grief, solastalgia).
    3. what unique advantages could youth and future generations have/contribute to the vision of an inclusive climate-resilient future?
    4. multisectoral and community-based approaches for building and implementing smart water strategies in climate services to foster mental health resilience for all.

    Programme

    Welcome: Bartel Van de Walle, UNU-MERIT Director, Professor

    Scope of the session: Sanae Okamoto, UNU-MERIT Researcher

    Opening keynote speech: Xiaomeng Shen, UNU-EHS Director, Professor / UNU Vice-Rector in Europe

    Insights from different geographic regions, and gender and vulnerability issues

    1. Tahseen Jafry: Professor of the Mary Robinson Center for Climate Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University
    2. Quincia Gumbs Marie: Hon. Minister of Sustainability, Innovation & the Environment, / Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, Minister of Education and Social Development at Government of Republic of Anguilla
    3. Deodato Xavier Dias: Ministry of Health, São Tomé and Príncipe
    4. Amal Sarsour: Researcher, psychosocial well-being support for women in Palestine, UNU-CRIS
    5. Kehkashan Basu: Founder, Green Hope Foundation, youth led global social innovation enterprise, Canada

    Insights from practice

    1. Matteo Innocenti: Psychiatrist / Psychotherapist, Italian Institute for Planetary Health, Istituto Psicologico Italiano, Italian Climate Change Anxiety Association, European Climate Pact Ambassador, Italy.
    2. Kenneth Yongabi Anchang: Director PRF Research Group, Imo State University, Nigeria
    3. Christian Schweizer or Oliver Schmoll: Scientist, Climate Change and Health, WHO

    Insights from Disaster Risk Reductions, Emergency response, Water insecurities

    1. Jekulin Lipi Saikia: United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, Asia-Pacific focal point – DRR, UN MGCY, India
    2. Duminda Perera: Researcher, UNU-INWEH, Water disasters and threats
    3. Elena Lopez Gunn: Director, ICATALIST, Spain
    4. Closing remarks: Robert Oakes, UNU-EHS

    Registration

    Please register in advance at: https://forms.office.com/r/3WR7n8nS08

    For updates and more information, visit the UNU-MERIT website. 

     

«