The Advancing Research for Climate and Health (ARCH) initiative is a five-year, CAD27.2-million partnership between IDRC and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It responds to the increasing human health impacts of climate and environmental crises. ARCH aims to address critical knowledge gaps by promoting an integrated understanding of climate and health.
ARCH operates through five regional hubs in each of Asia, East and Southern Africa, Western and Central Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. These hubs issue competitive calls to fund and support research teams focused on regional climate and health priorities, always emphasizing strengthening primary health within broader health systems. The goal is to generate actionable, evidence-based knowledge and build capacity.
ARCH aims to develop inclusive, climate-resilient health systems, emphasizing primary care, through three objectives:
1. Improve Data and Evidence: Increase the availability of robust data to inform policy.
2. Enhance Research Capacity: Strengthen individuals and networks to conduct high-quality research.
3. Translate and Scale Solutions: Support the implementation and scaling of evidence-backed solutions in policy and practice.
ARCH has partnered with the FCF game development and deployment, providing critical expertise, prototyping feedback and use case experience. Action Foresight will continue to provide game support to the ARCH initiative to facilitate dynamic and research based imagination and analysis of climate and health futures.
ARCH Hub Directors
Prof. Mey Jurdi
MENA Hub for Action Research on Climate Change & Health (MARCH)
Prof. Tin Tin Su
The Regional Hub for Asia Climate Change and Health (REACH)
Prof. Gina Polo
LAC Hub for Climate Change and Health (CLIMAS)
Dr. Martin Muchangi
East and Southern African Regional Hub for Research and Policy on Climate Change and Health (ESA-RHRCH)
Prof. Frederick Ato Armah
Climate change & Health INNOVation Hub for West & Central Africa (CHINNOVA)