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Recovering from the Ebola Crisis

Magdy Martínez-Solimán; Abdoulaye Mar Dieye; Izumi Nakamitsu et al. United Nations, The World Bank, European Union and African Development Bank (2015)

Full Report. In response to a call by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, an international team conducted an Ebola Recovery Assessment. The aim was to contribute towards laying the foundation for short-, medium- and long-term recovery while ... more

OCHA Policy Brief on Gendered Drivers, Risks and Impacts of Food Insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2023) CC

It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t ... he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency. Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls. An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is: A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes). An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions. Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward. more

Transmission dynamics and control of Ebola virus disease (EVD): a review

Chowell and Nishiura (2014)

BMC Medicine 2014, 12:196 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/196

Confronting the gender impact of Ebola virus disease in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone

UN Development Programme (2015)

UNDP Africa Policy Note

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Addressing the impacts of COVID-19 in food crises - April–December 2020

OCHA; Reliefweb; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2020) C2

FAO’s component of the Global COVID-19 Humanitarian Response Plan 18.5.2020

Interim Guidance on Public Health and Social Measures for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Operations in Low Capacity and Humanitarian Settings

Inter-Agency Standing Committee IASC (2020) C1

This Interim Guidance outlines how key public health and social measures needed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread and the impact of the disease can be adapted for use in low capacity and humanitarian settings. The recommendations outlined here need to be adjusted to the scale of transmission, co ... more

Protect the Progress: Rise, Refocus, Recover - 2020 Progress Report on the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030)

UNICEF, World Health Organisation (2020) C_WHO

Conflict, climate crisis and COVID-19 pose great threats to the health of women and children.

The Inequality Virus: Bringing together a world torn apart by coronavirus through a fair, just and sustainable economy

Oxfam (2021) C1

Oxfam’s report found that Covid-19 has the potential to increase economic inequality in almost every country at once, the first time this has happened since records began over a century ago. It sets out how a rigged economy is enabling a super-rich elite to amass wealth in the middle of the worst ... more

Locked down and left out? Why access to basic services for migrants is critical to our COVID-19 response and recovery

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2021) CC

A new report released today documents an “invisible wall” which has blocked migrants from accessing basic services since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now preventing them from accessing vaccines.

Scoping review of interventions to maintain essential services for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and older people during disruptive events

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

To support countries in adapting their response to different COVID-19 scenarios, the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing commissioned this scoping review of published and grey literature. The objective was to identify interventions ... more

COVID-19: Immediate Socio-Economic Response Plan - United Nations in India

UNSDG (2020) CC

In India, in response to the above and guided by our counterparts in the government of India, the UN agencies have developed the Novel Coronavirus Disease Joint Health Response Plan by UN Agencies and Partners, led by WHO-India, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ... more

Emergency Appeal COVID-19 Pandemic, Revised Appeal MDRCOVID19 (December 2021)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2021) C1

New funding requirements: CHF 2.8 billion IFRC-wide of which CHF 670 million is channelled through the IFRC Emergency Appeal in support of National Societies

Manuel d’utilisation à destination des équipes Santé Mentale et Soutien Psychosocial (SMSPS) dans la réponse au COVID-19

International Organization for Migration IOM (2020) C1

Ce guide rassemble des documents existants liés à la santé mentale et au soutien psychosocial (MHPSS) relatifs à la crise du COVID-19, ainsi que d'autres ressources applicables au contexte. Il est divisé en différentes sections en fonction des « espaces de nouvelle vulnérabilité » inhéren ... more

Understanding the Impact of COVID-19

Assessment Capacities Project ACAPS (2020) C2

This report provides an overview of the key information gaps and limitations in interpreting existing COVID-19 data

Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Module 1: Planning for respiratory pathogen pandemics

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Through technical consultations with countries and partners, WHO has led the development of Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Module 1: Planning for respiratory pathogen pandemics. Version 1.0. The Module, currently available as an advanced draft, builds on previous pandemic lessons a ... more

Interim statement on COVID-19 vaccination for children and adolescents

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

11 august 2022, updated version

Global influenza strategy 2019-2030

World Health Organization WHO (2019) C_WHO

The goal of the strategy is to prevent seasonal influenza, control the spread of influenza from animals to humans, and prepare for the next influenza pandemic. The new strategy is the most comprehensive and far-reaching that WHO has ever developed for influenza. It outlines a path to protect popul ... more

Philippines: Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Revision (Dec 2021 - Jun 2022) (2 Feb 2022)

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA (2022) C1

Flash Appeal for COVID-19 Mozambique, May - December 2020

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2020) CC

The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Mozambique on 22 March 2020. As of 26 May, Mozambique had 194 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 168 were locally transmitted. The country’s capital, Maputo, and the province of Cabo Delgado are currently the epicentres of the outbreak in Mozambique, w ... more

WHO guidance for surveillance during an influenza pandemic

World Health Organization WHO (2017) C_WHO

2017 Update