Transformational Education Interventions: Insights from the United Kingdom and Kuwait
Event
Climate change, health and outdoor workers in urban Vietnam: linking vulnerability, extreme weather and policy
This conference will examine the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable outdoor workers in urban Vietnam.
Register for in-person attendance
Precarious outdoor workers in urban megacities, especially in the global South, are among the most exposed to climate change impacts. In Vietnam, where rapid urbanisation and a large informal workforce shape the landscape, outdoor workers face heightened health risks due to extreme weather conditions. These conditions are worsening with climate change, the risks are underexplored, and the policies to address these risks are still in early development.
This research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, seeks to fill critical knowledge gaps by exploring the health vulnerabilities and climate-related risks faced by outdoor workers in urban Vietnam. Conducted in collaboration with multiple local partners — including Vietnam Medical Association, Social Life Research Institute, Institute for Development & Community Health LIGHT and local worker communities — the research will produce new evidence-based insights to inform policy solutions on the climate change-induced health risks faced by vulnerable outdoor workers in urban contexts. These findings will help policymakers devise interventions that align with the realities of outdoor workers' lives and working conditions.
To launch the project, we are hosting a one-day event that will bring together key stakeholders, including government officials, academics, experts, practitioners, civil society, and funders. The event will showcase some preliminary findings, highlight the project's significance, and facilitate in-depth discussions on the challenges and opportunities associated with addressing climate change-related health risks in the global South.
Speakers
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Anh VuResearch Director National Centre for Social Research
Anh Vu is a Research Director at NatCen International. Her research centres on the connections between environmental change, risks, vulnerabilities and human wellbeing. Prior to NatCen, she worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield, then Newcastle University.
Alongside her academic track record, Anh has a wide-ranging practitioner background in policy relevant research and community building, with nearly 20 years of experience working with multilateral and bilateral donors, multi-level governments, and inter/national NGOs. Anh has published, advised, taught and led extensive consultancies and commissioned research on environmental governance, climate change policy, urban sustainability, SDGs, civil society, and social movements in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Her work has been featured in the top-ranking peer-reviewed journals (World Development, Sustainability Science, Contemporary Politics, Community Development, VOLUNTAS, International Development Planning and Review).
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Jonathan RiggProfessor University of BristolJonathan Rigg is professor of human geography in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol. He was formerly Director of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Asia Research Institute (ARI). He has been working on livelihoods, vulnerability, agrarian and urban transitions, environmental change, and migration in Asia since the early 1980s, and has undertaken fieldwork in Laos, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, as well as in Vietnam.
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Fortunate MachinguraHealth Systems expertDr Fortunate Machingura has worked as a Health Systems expert in and on Africa, as well as on global development issues and initiatives, for more than a decade. Her research interests revolve around Premature mortality, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Social Determinants of health; Health Inequalities; HIV/AIDS; Key populations; Health Management Information Systems, and Participatory Action Research. She has consulted extensively including with the World Health Organisation, and independent technical organisations. She has extensive experience working on community centred participatory development, including actively liaising with Governments, NGOs and Universities in east and southern Africa.
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Nguyen Duc LocAnthropologist and Sociologist, President of Social Life Research Institute National Centre for Social Research
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc is an anthropologist and sociologist, currently serving as President of the Social Life Research Institute and a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City Open University. Throughout his career, he has worked on critical social issues in Vietnam, focusing on disadvantaged groups, labor and the Catholic community. His expertise encompasses practical aspects of social life, using research, surveys, policy advice and social forecasting for positive change. He has led several high impact projects on labor rights, migration, social welfare and Catholic community dynamics, demonstrating his commitment to social improvement. Driven by a passion for improving lives, his extensive research portfolio underscores his commitment to making a difference. His contributions in both social science research and policy-making, embodying his unwavering commitment to a better society.
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Felicity KerstingSenior Researcher National Centre for Social Research
Felicity Kersting is a Senior Researcher at NatCen International. She has expertise in migration and asylum-related topics, particularly regarding European asylum policies and the externalisation of borders, the criminalisation of migration, and the representation of migrants in the media. Additionally, she has worked extensively on issues of inclusion and marginalisation, particularly on the basis of gender and sexuality. She has a Master's Degree from the London School of Economics in International Migration and Public Policy, and a Bachelor's Degree in Human, Social, and Political Science from the University of Cambridge.
She is a mixed-methods researcher, with significant experience carrying out sensitive qualitative research with vulnerable groups including asylum seekers, prisoners, and young people. She takes an intersectional approach to her work, addressing how identities and/or appearance shape individuals' lived experiences.
Prior to joining NatCen International, Felicity worked as a Research Assistant then Researcher in NatCen's Crime, Justice, and Equalities team. She has also worked for a number of charities and NGOs focused on asylum seekers and refugees in the UK, including as Fundraising Director of SolidariTee.
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Sherman TaiResearcher National Centre for Social Research
Sherman Tai is a Researcher at NatCen International. His research interests are social movements, political radicalization and state violence, especially when they at once respond to and are produced by global processes such as international migration, inequality and imperialism. He has presented his work on the role of nonviolent protestors in the tactical radicalization of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests in conferences held by Academia Sinica, Taiwan; the British Journal of Sociology; and the American Sociological Association. He is experienced in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research, particularly in-depth interviews, pre-post survey evaluations and regression analyses using R and Python.
Prior to joining NatCen International, he was a Consultant at PwC Hong Kong and provided strategic, economic and financial advisory for government departments and private sector market players on high-profile and large-scale infrastructure and urban developments. He holds an MSc in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics, and a BSocSci in Government with a Minor in Sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He spent a year at the University of Warwick as an exchange student in Politics and International Studies.
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Katya TarnovskayaSenior Researcher National Centre for Social Research
Katya Tarnovskaya is a Senior Researcher at NatCen International. Her research interests are climate change, social inequalities and inclusion. She has a decade of sociological experience developing qualitative and quantitative research projects on social class, gender, labour relations, inclusivity, poverty, media and culture.
Prior to joining NatCen International, Katya worked as a Lecturer at the Department of Communication and Media, University of Liverpool. She has previously held academic positions in the UK and Russia, written peer-reviewed articles, reports and contributed to conferences, schools and research seminars. Katya received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Essex.
