Deeply concerned by the morbidity and mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the negative impacts on physical and mental health and social well-being, the negative impacts on economies and societies and the consequent exacerbation of inequalities within and between countries.
The Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis is one of the biggest external displacement crises in the world today. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded an already desperate situation for many refugees and migrants, as well as their hosts, sorely testing health and social welfare systems and the abilit...y of countries to assist the vulnerable population.
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The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold fear and suffering for older people across the world. As of 26 April, the virus itself has already taken the lives of some 193,710 people, and fatality rates for those over 80 years of age is five times the global average. As the virus spreads rapidly to devel...oping countries, likely overwhelming health and social protection systems, the mortality rate for older persons could climb even higher.
Less visible but no less worrisome are the broader effects: health care denied for conditions unrelated to COVID-19; neglect and abuse in institutions and care facilities; an increase in poverty and unemployment; the dramatic impact on well-being and mental health; and the trauma of stigma and discrimination.
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South Africa reported it fist case of COVID-19 on 5 March 2020. While the first cases were imported, local transmission has led to a rapid increase in the number of cases. As of 21 April 2020, more than 3,400 cases and 58 deaths had been confirmed. On 15 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a n...ational state of disaster, and the government has since taken several measures to curb the spread of the virus, including closing borders, implementing strict social distancing measures and a 35-day nation-wide lockdown. These measures, along with the global economic shock caused by the pandemic, are expected to generate rising needs requiring an immediate and urgent response. Although South Africa is considered an upper-middle-income country, the amount of disparities—social, economic, and gender—make the country particularly vulnerable during this emergency.
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In addition to the ongoing humanitarian emergencies in the country, the COVID-19 pandemic poses a potential monumental social and economic threat to Nigeria, with a devastating knock on effect for the most vulnerable population in the BAY states who have endured a decade of conflict. The UN system i...n Nigeria launched a One UN Response Plan to COVID-19 to support the rapid implementation of the Government’s National COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Pandemic Response Plan and will continue to support strong coordination and coherence with all stakeholders responding to the pandemic.
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Putting Human Rights at the Heart of the Response
Topic in Focus: COVID-19 and Women’s Human Rights
15 April 2020
Stay-at-home restrictions and other measures restricting the movement of people contribute to an increase in genderbased violence, a finding confirmed by media reports, official ...statements and information received from OHCHR field presences and human rights defenders in many countries.
Women and girls already in abusive situations are more exposed to increased control and restrictions by their abusers, with little or no recourse to seek support. Hotlines receive reports of women being threatened with being thrown out of their homes, exposed to the infection, or having financial resources and medical aid withheld.
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Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with staggering levels of humanitarian need. Eighty per cent of the population – 24.1 million people – need some form of humanitarian assistance. Economic decline, restrictions on imports, shortages of foreign exchange and liquidity, and fluc...tuations in the value of the currency continues to put millions of people at risk of famine. Key assessments remain blocked, complicating efforts to adjust programmes based on the latest evidence. This makes it difficult to know with certainty whether there are large pockets of unmet needs across the country.
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Research Paper.
As the fighting in Syria winds down, international humanitarian organisations (IHOs) operating from Damascus are hopeful that the Syrian government’s interference in their work will decrease. However, the government is attempting to formalise its influence over humanitarian operat...ions.
Throughout the Syrian conflict, the government has imposed multiple administrative processes on humanitarian organisations to limit their ability to operate independently. This includes restricting the operational environment; undermining organisational independence; imposing local partners; influencing procurement procedures; and preventing direct monitoring and evaluation.
While some level of coordination with the government might be a pragmatic necessity to ensure the safety of operations in regime-controlled areas, this cooperation should not enable the government to use aid for military or political purposes. Consequently, international humanitarian organisations have an ethical dilemma in how they provide aid in these areas without undermining their principles of humanity, independence, impartiality and neutrality.
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The Joint Response Plan sets out a comprehensive programme shaped around three strategic objectives – deliver protection, provide life-saving assistance and foster social cohesion. The Plan covers all humanitarian sectors and addresses key cross-cutting issues, including protection and gender main...streaming. The Plan will also strengthen emergency preparedness and response for weather-related risks and natural disasters, with a focus on community
engagement.
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This publication includes quotes from various respondents interviewed in Tripoli, Akkar and Beirut. We focused on three main questions: How are the relations between refugees and Lebanese? How are refugees faring in the job market? Which concrete initiatives have already demonstrated positive impact... in terms of increasing their financial and/or social well-being? The combination of those factors are key to understanding refugees’ livelihoods and coping strategies and reflect on what more can be done by local and international actors to increase social stability in Lebanon on a temporary basis, pending durable solutions.
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In view of the ongoing political, peace and reconciliation, administrative and economic reforms as well as plans to establish the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) in 2018, WFP extended the current Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO 200299), launched in January 2...013, by two years to include 2016 and 2017, with approved budget USD 343 million. To echo this extension and provide a more appropriate response to the country's rapid and multi-pronged transition, WFP adopted a transition strategy with gradually reduced emphasis on humanitarian assistance and greater focus on early recovery and development interventions. WFP's strategic engagement in-country was driven by the overarching goal to assist Myanmar to achieve the national Zero Hunger Challenge by 2025, and was guided by three priorities: emergency preparedness and response; nutrition; and provision of social safety nets.
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This assessment is the first of its kind to be conducted in the south-eastern region of Myanmar. It is an important contribution to ensuring the full inclusion of women and children in Myanmar’s political, social, and cultural systems, with a specific focus on the issue of gender-based violence (G...BV) and its impact on these groups in south-eastern Myanmar. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is grateful for the participation of women, men, boys and girls from Mon, Kayin and Kayah States for sharing their views and experiences during the study.
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Water security, or having the right amount and quality of water in the right place at the right time, fosters social and economic progress. Where water is sufficient to meet demand, it can promote economy wide growth and enable countries to reach their food security, energy security, and human devel...opment goals. Where it is scarce, excessive, or unclean it can exacerbate multiple dimensions of poverty. Neither of these two worlds is protected from future water crises, which are heavily influenced by changing local circumstances
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Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia can massively impact functionality and quality of life, furthering the importance of cognitive training. Despite the development of the field in Europe and in the United States, no programmes have been developed and tested in developing countries. Different cultur...al backgrounds, budget restrictions, and other difficulties may render treatment packages created in high income countries difficult for adoption by developing nations. We performed a pilot double-blind, randomized, controlled trial in order to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of an attention and memory training programme specially created in
a developing nation. The intervention used simple, widely available materials, required minimal infrastructure, and was conducted in groups.The sample included seventeen stable Brazilians with schizophrenia. Sessions were conducted weekly during five months. The cognitive training group showed significant improvements in inhibitory control and set-shifting over time. Both groups showed improvements in symptoms, processing speed, selective attention, executive function, and long-term visual memory. Improvements were found in the control group in long-term verbal memory and concentration. Our findings reinforce the idea that cognitive training in schizophrenia can be constructed using simple resources and infrastructure, facilitating its adoption by developing countries, and it may improve cognition.
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The aim with this study was to examine in what amount disabled children in South Africa can live a participating life in society, with focus on special needs schools and their capability to empower the children. The data material has been collected through eight qualitative interviews, and observati...ons at seven special needs schools in the country. Through my result I have distinguished three main roads to empower the children: First, to analyze social structures, secondly, to gain knowledge and awareness, and thirdly, to strengthen the children’s self-esteem. I have also analyzed the structural barriers that are hindering disabled children to participate, and illustrated this by describing social policies and their effect on special needs schools in South Africa.
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Guide de réadaptation à base communautaire (RBC)
En 2003, une Consultation internationale consacrée à l’examen de la réadaptation à base communautaire organisée à Helsinki a émis un certain nombre de recommandations essentielles. Par la suite, la RBC a été redéfinie, dans un document ...d’orientation conjoint de l’OIT, l’UNESCO et l’OMS, comme une stratégie faisant partie intégrante du développement communautaire général qui vise à assurer la réadaptation, l’égalité des chances et l’intégration sociale des personnes handicapées.
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Guide de réadaptation à base communautaire (RBC)
En 2003, une Consultation internationale consacrée à l’examen de la réadaptation à base communautaire organisée à Helsinki a émis un certain nombre de recommandations essentielles. Par la suite, la RBC a été redéfinie, dans un document ...d’orientation conjoint de l’OIT, l’UNESCO et l’OMS, comme une stratégie faisant partie intégrante du développement communautaire général qui vise à assurer la réadaptation, l’égalité des chances et l’intégration sociale des personnes handicapées.
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Guía para la rehabilitación basada en la comunidad (RBC)
En el 2003, una Consulta Internacional para Revisar a Rehabilitación Basada en la Comunidad, celebrada en Helsinki, hizo un número de recomendaciones. Seguidamente, la rehabilitación basada en la comunidad se volvió a posicionar con una... propuesta de posición conjunta de la OIT, UNESCO y OMS, como una estrategia dentro del desarrollo comunal general para la rehabilitación, la equiparación de oportunidades, la reducción de la pobreza y la inclusión social de las personas con discapacidad.
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South Africa has faced many challenges over the past two decades, accomplishing profound positive changes in the social structure and government of the nation. This has not yet fully translated into better health for the population, however, particularly the poorest segment. In fact, the p...opulation has lost ground since the 1990s in virtually all important health indicators, leaving South Africa with a high burden of infectious disease.
August 2011, Vol. 101, No. 8 SAMJ
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The prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancers has been on the increase in Kenya in the recent past. This has been occasioned by changes in social and demographic situation in the country. The life expectancy... in the country is improving, while the country is developing at a rapid pace. This has resulted in people living more years and at the time adopting lifestyles that have negative impacts on their health. This increase in diabetes and other non-communicable diseases has given rise to a double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases in Kenya
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