Climate change poses escalating risks to health systems across Asia and the Pacific, disrupting service delivery, damaging infrastructure, and increasing the burden of climate-sensitive diseases. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms that climate change is already affecting health outcomes and system performance, with projections indicating up to 14.5 million climate-related deaths and $12.5 trillion in global economic losses by 2050, disproportionately affecting vulnerable regions. At the same time, the health sector contributes more than 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the dual challenge of adaptation and mitigation.

Health systems in the region remain inadequately prepared for climate shocks, facing persistent resilience gaps including limited surveillance data, workforce shortages, facility damage, power and communication disruptions, and insufficient surge capacity. Type 2B health projects address these challenges by placing climate adaptation at the core of health system strengthening. These projects adopt a system-level approach, explicitly target climate risks, and apply design principles that meet climate adaptation finance eligibility, allowing the full project financing to be counted as adaptation finance.

ADB has committed $34 billion for adaptation and resilience under its $100 billion climate finance target for 2019–2030, with health identified as a priority sector in national climate policies across Asia and the Pacific. To support implementation, the  SECURE webinar, in collaboration with Technical Assistance (TA 58085-003) on Building Health System Resilience, facilitated knowledge exchange on Type 2B project design, Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessments, and practical lessons from climate-resilient health investments, supporting the development of finance-ready, transformational adaptation projects.
 

Session Objectives

This session aimed to:

• Provide a clear understanding of Type 2B project design principles and their specific application in health sector climate adaptation investments.
• Share methodologies for conducting Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessments (CVRA) as the foundation for evidence-based Type 2B health project design.
• Showcase real-world examples of transformational health system adaptation and lessons learned from the Type 2B project implementation.