- Can we reimagine a world where clean air, water 和 food are available to all?
- How do we create economies focused on health 和 well-being?
- Are we able to shape communities that empower people to have control over their health 和 the planet’s health?
These are the urgent questions being asked by the World Health Organization (谁) on World Health Day 2022, the annual awareness day which unites stakeholders around a key heath priority. At AstraZeneca, we are advancing solutions that address some of these issues 和 support a healthier tomorrow – for all.
Sustainability is part of our DNA, embedded in everything we do. As a healthcare company, we have a responsibility to innovate 和 accelerate the delivery of life-changing-medicines, while playing our part to tackle the major issues of our time, 的人, society 和 the planet. Both across our organisation 和 in partnership with others, we are working to drive system-wide change to build a more sustainable future.
Spearheading collaborations for system-wide change
Delivering improved healthcare outcomes with lower environmental impact requires coordinated efforts across the global healthcare system. We recognise that partnership is critical to achieving this. At the invitation of HRH The Prince of Wales, Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, champions the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Health Systems Taskforce, a unique collaboration of leaders from global biopharmaceuticals companies, international institutions, healthcare systems, academia 和 policymakers.
Members of the Taskforce have united around a shared ambition, to accelerate the delivery of net-zero healthcare. Their focus is threefold: decarbonising supply chains, reducing the footprint of patient care pathways 和 accelerating digital innovation. The Taskforce will also look at opportunities linked to metrics 和 measurement to assess the environmental impact of healthcare, 和 engage with stakeholders on the key policies needed for more sustainable healthcare delivery.
We are also founding members of the Partnership for Health System Sustainability 和 Resilience (PHSSR) a global collaboration to ensure health systems can withst和 future crises 和 shocks. Through this partnership with the London School of Economics, World Economic Forum 和 Royal Philips, among others, PHSSR provides qualitative 和 quantitative evidence to inform policy, 和 promote action at national 和 international levels to strengthen health system sustainability 和 resilience.
Enhancing the long-term health of young people
Alongside our partnerships driving health systems decarbonisation 和 resilience, for over a decade we have been helping young people around the world take control of their health through our flagship Young Health Programme (YHP).The YHP is working to deliver better health choices for brighter life chances through a combination of community programmes, research 和 advocacy 和 supports the development of young leaders. Since its launch in 2010, YHP has directly reached over six million young people 和 trained almost 200,000 young people in over 30 countries, through local 和 global partnerships.
As part of this, we support the One Young World's Lead2030 Challenge, an initiative matching leading companies with dynamic young people 谁 are taking meaningful action to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Around World Health Day, we are delighted to announce the two latest winners, Vidyut Mohan 和 Enkhuun Byambadorj, 谁 have led inspiring innovations to reduce air pollution in India 和 Mongolia. They will be awarded with grants of USD50,000 each as well as a Scholarship to the One Young World Summit 和 AstraZeneca mentoring to support their work.
Improving air quality for population 和 planetary health
Innovative thinking like those of our Lead2030 winners is critical to improving respiratory health. With eight million deaths caused by air pollution each year,1 poor air quality is a major environmental 和 health challenge. In partnership with the 剑桥 Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), we are helping to improve respiratory health in the Dunga Beach community through the introduction of biogas technology, reducing exposure to smoke from cooking over wood-burning fires.
Another example is 阿兹森林, our commitment to planting 和 maintaining 50 million trees by the end of 2025. This reforestration initiative will support improved air quality 和 carbon storage, as well as fostering community 和 ecological resilience. Building on existing reforestation projects underway in Australia, 印尼, 英国, 和法国, we recently announced two new 阿兹森林 projects in Ghana 和 the US.
Driving policy change in support of net-zero healthcare
Recognising the interconnection between climate 和 health, we’re engaging with policymakers around the world to discuss sustainable healthcare solutions 和 improve patient outcomes while reducing the environmental footprint.
During the recent Expo 2020 in Dubai, we convened experts from the 谁, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, 和 government officials from Egypt 和 the UAE to discuss how to mitigate the impact of the environment on health, ahead of COP27 later this year. In partnership with external stakeholders 和 The Health Policy Partnership, our ‘Decarbonising healthcare’ discussion paper explores the interconnection of climate 和 health in urban settings 和 the policy levers which are critical to support a healthier future.
The future we aspire to starts today
At AstraZeneca, we are taking action, 现在, to create a future where we have greater health equity 和 inclusion 和 more sustainable care – for our planet, 和 our health. This isn’t an option, it’s a must do.
参考:
1. 谁. The World Health Organization estimates 13 million people die each year from environmentally-related health risks. (在线). Available at: http://www.谁.int/news/item/15-03-2016-an-estimated-12-6-million-deaths-each-year-are-attributable-to-unhealthy-environments. [Last accessed: March 2022].