Africa is a promising regional venue for climate change-related complaints—not least because it is distinctively vulnerable to climate harms. Yet, neither the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights nor the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights had been theatres to such disputes at the time of writing (this may have since changed). Understanding that climate litigation will emerge before the African human rights system, this practice note provides information to the non-State actors and their lawyers on the procedural challenges that may arise, demonstrating how such challenges may be circumventable in the African context.
Useful Resources
Climate Change Litigation before the African Human Rights System: Prospects and Pitfalls
Suedi Y; Fall M: Journal of Human Rights Practice 16 (1), 146-159, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huad024, 2023
Health Equity in Focus
Thirs World Network, Online, Malaysia
Health Equity in Focus is a series of podcasts that delve into the intricate dynamics of global health, examining how historical legacies continue to shape present-day realities in the Global South. Global health institutions, when failing to address deep-rooted issues, can perpetuate inequalities between North and South. Across various episodes, the podcast explores issues like the implications of intellectual property to access to medicines, the use of policy space through TRIPS flexibilities, international regulatory standards, the intersection of biological diversity with health, and developments regarding these topics in international fora, through an equity perspective. While they involve technical contributions, they advocate for a reimagined global order, where development equips countries with the means to uplift their populations and foster a fairer, more equitable world..
Mobilizing for Health Justice: Global Health Watch 7
People's Health Movement: Daraja Press, 2025
This seventh edition of Global Health Watch, the flagship publication of the People's Health Movement (PHM), features contributions from over one hundred activists worldwide and is published open access in both English and Spanish. It is structured around five main sections examining: The global political and economic architecture, privatization and financialization of health systems, tax justice, artificial intelligence and digital technologies in health, gender-transformative health systems, abolition medicine, and decolonizing global health approaches; key social and environmental determinants of health, and global governance for health. The final "Resistance, struggles and alternatives" section highlights transformative change areas by health activists, including in contexts of increasing repression. The publication concludes by emphasizing that collective action represents the most powerful medicine against ill health and health inequality at human and planetary levels.
Urban Health Capacity assessment and response kit
WHO; Geneva, 2025
WHO has developed an Urban health capacities assessment and response resource kit that equips multi-sectoral teams to assess whether a given initiative can meet its goals in a complex urban environment. It helps answer a critical question: Do we have the right capacities in place to achieve our objectives that influence urban health —whether directly or indirectly? The Kit provides a structured framework through its Primer, and a step-by-step process in the Action Guide and Training Videos, helping you evaluate key capacities across four critical areas: Informed decision-making, monitoring, and evaluation; Policies, programmes, innovation, and change; Resource management (human, financial, and infrastructural) and Partnerships, participation, and knowledge sharing. There are also real-world examples in the City-examples section.
Urban Health Council: Community-led health justice programmes and living knowledges rooted in science for those living in oppressive urban environments.
Urban Health Councils: Centric Lab
This site has been designed as a self-learning tool for grassroots activists, advocacy organisations, and policy makers looking to centre health justice in their work. Work is organised into a unique narrative arch used to help people learn specific health injustice topics. This Urban Health Council’s role is to summon together people under an autonomous method of governance and practice whereby peer-led programmes determine the direction of production of works that support health justice movements, led by the People for the People, meeting them where they are with what they need. Each programme is supported through a scientific, technical and financial ecosystem where all works produced are made open-access in a Living Encyclopedia.
Mpox
Hesperian health information sheet, 2024
This resource provides updated information on Mpox, on its mode of spread, who it infects, how it is treated, and vaccine options and vaccine inequality related to Mpox. It also provides information on how to prevent the spread of mpox.
Strengthening Analysis and Use of Routine Facility Data for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health
USAID: MOMENTUM Webinar Series, August- September 2024
Routine health facility data helps decision-makers better understand facilities’ service readiness, utilization, and quality, enabling evidence-based policy and resource decisions. MOMENTUM’s “Strengthening Analysis and Use of Routine Facility Data for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health” webinar series is a “training of trainers” for monitoring, evaluation, and learning professionals. The series covers WHO’s Analysis and Use of Health Facility Data: Guidance for Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Program Managers toolkit, which introduces a catalog of indicators for MNCAH that can be monitored through routine health facility data and offers guidance on data quality, analysis, and use. The series will feature real-world examples of how to improve analysis and use of routine health facility data. French interpretation will be available at all sessions.
Strengthening Health Systems in Eastern and Southern Africa: Launch of the HEPRR Programme
East, Central, and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC): ECSA HC, Tanzania, 2024
The Health Emergency Preparedness Response and Resilience (HEPRR) programme for Eastern and Southern Africa was officially launched in May 2024. Through the ECSA-HC in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the programme aims to fortify the region’s health systems to ensure robust preparedness and effective responses to health emergencies, including from climate change. The programme adopts a Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach (MPA), starting with Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sao Tome and Principe, with subsequent phases incorporating additional countries. This phased approach allows for flexibility and adaptability, leveraging insights from earlier phases to enhance the programme’s impact.
Taking stock of Kenya's debt
Citizen TV: Kenya, July 2024
This televised discussion about the debt crisis in Kenya comprises a conversation with Kwame Owino of The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Kenya), Professor Attiya Waris, the UN Independent Expert on Foreign Debt and Human Rights and Jason Braganza, Executive Director of the Africa Forum on Debt and Development. The discussion touches on budget deficit, whether or not to mobilize domestic revenue or borrow, the operation of the Kenyan Debt Management Office, and structure and transformation of the Kenyan economy. The speakers critique the deference of the global economy to creditors over debtors, and call for debt reorganisation.
Brief and video from EQUINET Webinar 3:Climate justice and primary health care systems
EQUINET, REACH Trust, IWGHSS, TARSC: EQUINET, Harare, November 2023
This brief reports on the issues raised in the third webinar in the EQUINET series on climate justice and health, with this webinar on health systems and climate. It was convened by the Research for Equity and Community Health (REACH) Trust, and the International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening (IWGHSS). This brief summarises key points raised by speakers and participants on how climate features are impacting on PHC-oriented health systems; the actions that need to be taken to address these issues at local, national and regional level and in international/ global level processes and forums from a regional lens; issues raised to be further discussed in the other thematic webinars. The brief is shared to draw further comment and input on the issue. The video of the full webinar is also available on the EQUINET website.