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Editorial
This is the first issue of the new HAC Monthly Highlights which will enable WHO and partners to share information on a selection of HAC’s main activities and areas of concern. The Monthly Highlights will cover salient activities in selected crisis countries; preparedness, response and recovery issues; humanitarian health policies and strategies; partnerships and donor news; Global and Country health Cluster news and interagency issues. This report will be delivered at the end of every month to HAC partners and other interested parties.
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Pakistan: the impact of the floods
Pakistan’s flood crisis is having an enormous impact on the health of millions of people and the ability to deliver emergency and routine health care to many. In response, international and national humanitarian organizations have been tirelessly supporting the relief effort to protect health and deliver essential services. WHO, coordinating the Health Cluster response, has swiftly positioned medical supplies and staff in all affected provinces but great needs persist.
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Pakistan: financial needs and resources for the health response
Pakistan’s health challenges and the humanitarian response plan have been mapped out in the Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan launched on 17 September. The plan seeks US$ 200 million to fund 94 health sector projects run by WHO and Health Cluster partners.
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Kyrgyzstan: meeting humanitarian needs
Unrest in and around Osh and Jalal-Abad last June affected, directly or indirectly, 765 300 people. More than 3000 were injured, mainly with bullet and other trauma-related wounds while an estimated 100 000 are thought to be suffering from various degrees of psychological trauma. Today, hospitals and health facilities need support to ensure easy access to essential services, particularly physical rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support, reproductive health and immunization and nutrition services. But WHO and the entire health sector are experiencing severe funding problems, obstructing the provision of much needed health and psychosocial support.
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Somalia emergency and humanitarian action highlights
In Somalia, the worsening humanitarian situation in central and southern Somalia continues to threaten the implementation of life-saving health interventions. With the ongoing conflict in Mogadishu, health workers are facing severe difficulties to provide basic health services to vulnerable populations.
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Afghanistan launches new drive to prepare health sector for response to crises
Afghanistan has launched a new drive to better prepare its health sector, and the broader community, to cope with and respond to the impacts of conflict, hazardous natural events and other potential humanitarian crises. On 21 September, WHO and UNICEF issued a press release to mark Peace Day, recalling that access to health care is a fundamental right of all Afghans and peace is necessary to be able to provide them with the health services – often life-saving – that they need.
See also Afghanistan marks Peace Day: vulnerable population living in high risk districts of Kabul to be vaccinated
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The health sector receives the most CERF funding for first half of 2010
In the first half of 2010, the health sector received US$ 43.45 million from the CERF, or 17.7% of all CERF funds. Of these, US$ 31.4 million (70%) were received by WHO. Over the following three months (July to September), WHO has received an additional US$ 10 508 860 million from the CERF.
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Strengthening logistics capacities for health in emergencies
Logistics is a critical component of any operational programme, especially in emergency and crisis settings. To achieve the predictability and operational efficiency embedded in the humanitarian reform, WHO is using and strengthening a network of logistics hubs built on the WFP regional hubs, known as the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) network. During the first half of 2010, WHO/HAC's Emergency Operations Support mobilized more than US$ 6 million worth of emergency kits, medical supplies, laboratory and hospital equipment and operational support equipment for emergency operations in Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia.
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Global Health Cluster meeting, 10–11 June 2010, Geneva, Switzerland
The Global Health Cluster (GHC) meeting, hosted by the IFRC, brought together 70 participants and observers from 20 of the 39 partner agencies. The meeting took stock of progress made and discussed the way forward for the Global Health Cluster in 2010-2011. It focused specifically on country level clusters, drawing from the experience gained in the Haiti earthquake, the outcomes of the Cluster Evaluation Phase II and recommendations from the Health Cluster Coordinator (HCC) Lessons Learned workshop held in early June.
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Health Cluster Coordinator Lessons Learned Workshop, 7–8 June 2010, Geneva, Switzerland
The first Health Cluster Coordinator Lessons Learned workshop, an initiative of the GHC, brought together 26 past and present coordinators from NGO partners and the six WHO Regions. The workshop focused on lessons learned and good practices, constraints and bottlenecks, and recommended ways to reinforce positive developments and overcome challenges.
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IASC inter-cluster support mission to Nepal, 20–26 July 2010
An inter-cluster support mission was deployed to support Nepal’s Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and advance a plan of action and priorities for 2010 at the request of the HCT and the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator. Humanitarian operations in Nepal are gradually phasing down as the peace process continues. But chronic vulnerabilities, including rising food insecurity and the risk of natural disasters (i.e. floods, landslides and earthquakes), could trigger urgent humanitarian needs across all sectors.
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Health Cluster Coordinator training, 20–24 September 2010, Geneva, Switzerland
More than 30 participants from WHO and partner organizations participated in the Health Cluster Coordinator training on 20–24 September. The trainings aim to prepare participants for to possibly fill the role in the future of a cluster coordinator and, in turn, ensure good performance of the country Health Cluster, and uphold the principles of humanitarianism and partnership. The trainings have been organized in English, French and Spanish. The next training (in English) will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia from 18–22 October.
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Focus on urban risk management and health in 2010
WHO and other international organizations are working together with national and local partners to focus attention on the urban risks associated with emergencies and health. More effective urban risk management also feeds into the work of WHO Country Offices, Regional Offices and headquarters and partners on strengthening community preparedness as a core component of a national health emergency risk management programme.
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Interagency issues
IASC Principals meeting; 78th IASC WG meeting; 79th IASC WG meeting; IASC guidance on humanitarian action and older persons; IASC Gender e-learning course Different needs, equal opportunities: increasing effectiveness of humanitarian action for women, girls, boys, and men; IASC guidelines for addressing HIV in humanitarian settings.
Publications
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Analysing disrupted health sectors - training course
The Analysing disrupted health sectors – A modular manual is now available both online and in print. The manual provides guidance to analysts of health sectors in crisis, whether countries on the verge of an economic, political and/or military catastrophe or protracted crises and situations of transition from disaster to recovery. A course is also proposed at regular intervals upon admission.
The publication Health of migrants - the way forward. Report of a global consultation is also available online and in print. The publication is the result of a global consultation held in Madrid, Spain on 3-5 March 2010, where some 100 representatives from all relevant fields worked together to:
- review obstacles to generating comparable global data on the health of migrants;
- identify policies and legislation to advance the health of migrants;
- identify key actions to create migrant-sensitive health systems; and
- develop or strengthen national, regional and global platforms to foster dialogue between the various sectors involved in migration and health.