An enabling environment is the structured context that brings together the principal actors whose technical and practical expertise and decision-making are needed to inform, develop, and apply the climate service knowledge to solve problems within a health system on a sustainable basis. An enabling environment is formed by the:

• national policy and financial landscape
• problem awareness and scientific and programmatic demand
• institutional mandates, procedures, and capacities
• multi-sectoral partnerships and communication mechanisms

Recognizing and understanding the enabling environment is critical for climate services to generate relevant knowledge, become integrated with the health system, and improve decision-making on a sustainable basis where needed. Simple organizational and institutional steps can markedly improve the enabling environment, such as increasing risk communications and local evidence which enhance problem understanding, as well as forging structured partnerships. Certain actions can help to delineate clear and joint expectations, procedures, and processes that can assist partnerships to mature and be successful throughout their intended duration. For example, the frequent and structured exchange of information, such as through regular meetings, or communications, provides the opportunity to actively participate in discussion and decision-making at each step.

Participation and ownership is key for the creation of trust and mutual understanding between partners, which will help climate and weather knowledge products be confidently endorsed and applied by users to improve health decision-making. Communication of evidence of local climate and health linkages, and evaluating and demonstrating the added value of understanding climate influences on health and using this knowledge to improve programmatic decision-making, is also a fundamental part of enabling, sustaining, and justifying the value of investments in tailored climate service developments.

An enabling environment should be fostered and maintained throughout the whole climate service production process. In the initial stages of new activities, the following intentional actions should be undertaken:

• Clearly define the health problem being solved and its space and time dimensions.
• Envision together with relevant actors the scope of the type of climate products and services to be developed.
• Create mechanisms and norms for dialogue between partners to set appropriate expectations, and understand each other’s needs, interests and limitations, including data sharing and resource exchange policies.
• Evaluate the readiness for the specific products/service development, including capacity, research, political support, application requirements, financial and technical resources.
• Explore feasibility and sustainability of different implementation models. Define a service development progress monitoring system to identify and manage setbacks and breakthroughs.
• Establish rules and procedures for engagement (such as meeting schedules, memorandums of understanding, timetables, data sharing arrangements).
• Create a plan for evaluating, providing feedback, and making needed adjustments.
• Ensure the right policies and mandates are established to develop and apply the service. Generate a strategic plan for long-term financial sustainability.

In the later stages of product development and application, the following activities may be needed:

• Maintain and boost communication channels for partners to exchange data and information.
• Identify and solve problems related to testing and application.
• Evaluate and provide constant mutual feedback.
• Monitor usage, value, and sustainability of services.
• Identify new needs and/or expand the applications and partnerships in relation to real-time challenges. Inform the education sector and partners of the skills and education needed to enable the workforce.

Enabling environments are fostered in different ways, depending on the context, national institutional environment, and familiarity of partners with the subject and with each other. Activities that help create and structure an enabling environment include:

• Assessing readiness and defining demand for climate services;
• Mapping national partners’ interests and strengths;
• Collaborating with international stakeholders or partner countries to fill gaps in available knowledge or resources;
• Clearly defining roles and responsibilities of partners;
• Formalizing a memorandum of understanding or clear terms of reference outlining how the collaboration will work and enabling key activities such as data exchange;
• Adopting common standards and schedules;
• Revising institutional mandates and policies, including formulating effective data-sharing policies;
• Creating a multidisciplinary team;
• Scheduling regular meetings, trainings, and workshops with all stakeholders;
• Involving high-level decision-makers to increase their understanding, appreciation and trust to use the information and services in order to make critical and often life-saving decisions;
• Partnering with academia and civil society organizations as neutral actors working between national health and climate authorities;
• Engaging and communicating actively with donors to ensure future sustainability.

Health professionals: Health authorities and programmatic decision-makers, planners, researchers, statisticians, epidemiologists, public health practitioners, clinical staff and community health workers, who may be working for the private sector, government or non-governmental health system.

Climate professionals: Meteorologists, climatologists, and researchers from the National Meteorological Services, academia, or applied institutes.

Professionals from health-determining sectors: Water management, agriculture and food security, urban planning, and disaster risk management are also key actors in developing tailored information products related to or adapted from knowledge and decision tools used in these domains.

Knowledge brokers and professionals from complementary disciplines: Information and communication technologists, project managers, policy-makers, legal experts, statisticians and community representatives.

Community members: Individuals expected to use the climate information, and the media who may be transmitting information to the public, are also important stakeholders.