Implementing health emergency and disaster risk management

Implementing health emergency and disaster risk management

Health systems at all levels have a central role in managing the risks and reducing the consequences of emergencies and disasters from all-hazard. The health sector is leaders in managing infectious risks and responding to outbreaks. However, it also has a critical role in preventing and minimizing the health consequences of emergencies due to natural, technological and societal hazards. 

While many countries have strengthened capacities to reduce the health risks of emergencies through the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and health system strengthening, many communities remain highly vulnerable. 

WHO developed the “Health emergency and disaster risk management framework” (Health EDRM) to provide ministries of health and other stakeholders with an overview of: 

  • policies, strategies and legislation
  • planning and coordination
  • human and financial resources
  • information and knowledge management 
  • risk communications 
  • health infrastructure and logistics 
  • community capacities for Health EDRM 
  • monitoring and evaluation. 

Sound risk management is essential to safeguard development and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the pathway to universal health coverage (UHC), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, International Health Regulations (2005), Paris Agreement on Climate Change and other related global, regional and national frameworks.

 

Impact

Over 1.6 billion

people

currently live in settings of conflict, displacement and natural disasters.

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Fact Sheets - Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (EDRM)

These Health EDRM Fact Sheets are an introduction for health workers engaged in health EDRM and for multi-sectoral partners to consider how to integrate health into their disaster risk management strategies. The overview places disaster risk management in the context of multi-sectoral action and focuses on the generic elements of health EDRM disaster risk management, including potential hazards, vulnerabilities of a population, and capacities, which apply across the various health domains.

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Health EDRM framework implementation monitoring: Sendai target indicator

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction guides countries towards enhancing their capacities to reduce risks and consequences of hazardous events at all scales and across all sectors. To show the relevance of the Sendai Framework to the health sector, it is valuable to collect data and map activities and contribute to reporting on the health sector implementation of the Sendai Framework. The implementation monitoring highlights the strengths in the existing system and identify needs for further evaluation and action to address gaps. The WHO Technical Guidance notes on Sendai Framework reporting for ministries of health aim to guide the health sector, including ministries of health, on their role in collecting and reporting data that are relevant for the Sendai Framework targets and other related frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

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Health EDRM Research

Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM) Research

 

The third UN World Congress on Disaster Risk Reduction highlighted the importance of health in its resulting document Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in view of continued escalation of emergencies and disasters risks of all hazards. Since 2016, WHO has been steering the international collaboration of global researchers and related experts to systematically improve the evidence base for this emerging research area of Health EDRM. The Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Unit of WHO Health Emergency Programme and  the WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre) of Healthier Population jointly coordinate the Health EDRM research agenda through the WHO Thematic Platform for Health EDRM Research Network (Health EDRM RN), which is governed by WHO-wide collaboration, including Headquaters,  all six Regional Offices and key partners. As of 2021, this research network involves over 200 global experts of diverse backgrounds from all WHO Regions.  

WHO Kobe Centre currently acts as the secretariat of the Health EDRM RN and coordinates multiple global collaborative research activities that standardize and improve the research methods as well as inform policy and programme on different health needs of different populations. To support the countries in driving the Health EDRM research, the WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health EDRM was developed in collaboration with 164 global experts from all WHO Regions and officially published in 2021 as ‘living reference’ Aiming to support the Health EDRM RN, a WHO Health EDRM Knowledge Hub is under development in consultation with the thematic technical working groups, which provide up to date knowledge on Health EDRM evidence and inform the policy and programme for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery towards health security and whole of society resilience to all hazards emergencies and disasters.

 

For further detail, visit the Health EDRM Research webpage, or email: wkc_tprn@who.int 

 

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