Helen Clark's Diary - November/December
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END OF YEAR MESSAGE
November and December have been busy months for me with a number of Board meetings in person off shore and other meetings online. More on these below. Let me wish all readers of the newsletter all the best for the holiday season. This has been a tumultuous year in many countries, and the number of people impacted by deadly conflicts is especially distressing. My New Year wish is that ways to end these conflicts are found so that families can rebuild their lives and communities can rebuild their infrastructure and economies. There can be no sustainable development without peace.
Visit to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
In December, I visited Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in my capacity as EITI Board Chair. Both countries are longstanding members of the EITI, and have made progress on implementing its Standard, which is the best practice standard for extractives sector governance. Nonetheless, there are implementation challenges, and it was good to be able to discuss these with government, industry and civil society stakeholders.
Speech at Health Systems Global Conference in Nagasaki/Japan
In my address as Chair of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research to the Health Systems Global Conference plenary on "Strengthening Health Systems for Planetary Health", I spoke about the important role health systems can play in climate action. The implications of climate change for health and health systems are great, as The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change documents in its annual reports.
I noted that health systems can improve their readiness to be frontline responders to climate disasters, and that they need to be fully engaged in developing national climate action plans. They can also contribute to a just transition to a netzero future by consciously acting to mitigate and adapt to climate change while also improving health equity.
I called for more climate action policy to be designed with co-benefits for health and for climate, as the Pathfinder Initiative has advocated. For example, achieving cleaner air reduces the rate of respiratory illness and should be a major focus. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution kills seven million people every year. The Our Common Air Commission is advocating for more investment in clean air.
I said that we live in an age when skilled populist politicians refuse to accept scientific evidence and instead steer a course based on misinformation. We need to improve public health and science communication so that it reaches beyond academic publications and conferences to wider and diverse publics, and that the populist anti-science narrative must be beaten at its own game.
NOVEMBER BOARD MEETINGS
AHPSR Board meeting in Tokyo
In late November, I chaired the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research Board meeting in Tokyo. The United Kingdom Embassy hosted a reception for us. My speech there is in the reel below. I spoke about current areas of focus for the Alliance, including how health systems can leverage from the digital transformation, climate resilient health systems, how health systems can deliver where there is conflict, addressing non-communicable diseases, and achieving universal health coverage.
The &Green, EITI, and GLF
Earlier in November, I chaired the Advisory Board meetings for The &Green in The Hague, and was in Oslo for the EITI Board Meeting. Following that was the Global Leadership Foundation’s Annual Meeting in Switzerland.
NEW ZEALAND
25th anniversary of the election of New Zealand’s Labour Government
25th anniversary: on this day, 27 November 1999, New Zealanders voted in the General Election which saw New Zealand Labour emerge as the largest party and able to lead a government. I was sworn in as Prime Minister on 10 December, and Jim Anderton became Deputy Prime Minister.
“An insider’s view of the year Helen Clark became PM”
A trip down memory lane with Mark Watts, one of my amazing press secretaries when I was Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister. The 25th anniversary of the election of New Zealand Labour was celebrated with a dinner in the New Zealand Parliament on 28 November.
THE LATEST FROM THE HELEN CLARK FOUNDATION
NEW REPORT: Junk Food and Poor Policy
Our recent report, Junk Food and Poor Policy? How weak rules undermine health and economic growth in New Zealand and how to fix it, looks at how our government can take effective action to improve nutrition and health outcomes for New Zealanders. For New Zealanders to be healthy, they need to live in a healthy environment and be able to access nutritious food. If politicians fail to accept this, the same failed policies of the past will continue.
Visit The Helen Clark Foundation’s website to learn more about the report and download your own copy.
REPORT: Premiums Under Pressure
Are you curious about our latest report, Premiums Under Pressure, created in partnership with WSP in New Zealand? This report explores how to keep residential insurance accessible and affordable in Aotearoa New Zealand in the face of increasing climate-related challenges. Watch this 2-minute video on Linkedin for a quick summary of the key insights and what they mean for the future.
The Helen Clark Foundation is now on Spotify
Exciting News! Have you missed our webinars or want to revisit them on the go? Our insightful discussions are now available in audio format on Spotify. From climate change to urban planning, tune in anytime, anywhere.
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