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2020

Situational Brief: Impact of Covid-19 on forcibly displaced persons inside Syria

Marzouk M., Rayes D., Y. Douedari et al. Lancet Migration (2020) CC

Over nine years of protracted and violent conflict in Syria has decimated its health system,killed an estimated 586,000 people and forcibly displaced more than half the 22 million pre-war population from their homes. As of June 2020, a total of 6.2 million Syrians (of whom 40% are children) are inte... more

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Costed Regional Action Plan to End Cross-Border Female Genital Mutilation

UNFPA ESARO UNFPA ESARO (2022) CC

This regional action plan provides a broad framework for the regional level to assist governments in accelerating the implementation of existing international, regional and national commitments on ending FGM. Formulating the plan has provided an opportunity for the region to identify broad prioritie... more

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Persistent Global Acute Malnutrition

Young, H., Marshak, A. Feinstein International Center (2017) C3

A discussion paper on the scope of the problem, its drivers, and strategies for moving forward for policy, practice, and research In many protracted emergencies, the prevalence rates of global acute malnutrition (GAM) regularly exceed the emergency threshold of > 15% of children with acute malnutri... more

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Planning Checklist for WCO Readiness

World Health Organization WHO (2017) C_WHO

This guidance has been developed in line with the WHO corporate risk management framework, the WHO business continuity and contingency plans, as well as the Inter-Agency Emergency Response Preparedness Framework. It is based on a common organiza-tional approach and procedures for managing including ... more

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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

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Using media and communication to respond to public health emergencies: lessons learned from Ebola

Wilkinson, S. BBC Media Action (2016) CC

The paper sets out the specific communication challenge posed by Ebola and why it was so difficult to get to grips with this in the early months of the outbreak. It thendocuments when the health communication response became more useful and explores what that tells us about effective media and commu... more

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UNICEF Evaluation Brief No. 2014/2 - Protecting Children in Emergencies: A Comprehensive Evaluation of UNICEF Programmes

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (2014)

In December 2013, UNICEF published its first comprehensive evaluation assessing how well its global and country strategies and programmes have worked to protect children in emergencies. The ‘Evaluation of UNICEF Programmes to Protect Children in Emergencies’ was undertaken to identify key suc... more

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Water dilemmas: The cascading impacts of water insecurity in a heating world

Oxfam (2023) CC

Climate-induced water insecurity poses one of the biggest threats to humanity and will lead to more hunger, disease and displacement Oxfam water engineers are having to drill deeper, more expensive and harder-to-maintain water boreholes used by some of the poorest communities around the world, mo... more

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WFP: Inclusive Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness and Response Practice Guide (March 2024)

World Food Programme WFP (2024) CC

The World Food Programme (WFP) has taken important steps to progress disability inclusion across its programming and operations. In late 2022, WFP commissioned the Nossal Institute, University of Melbourne in partnership with the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia to identify ... more

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From emergency response to long-term COVID-19 disease management - Ending the COVID-19 emergency and transitioning from emergency phase to longer-term disease management: Guidance on calibrating the r

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

The key actions, activities, and approaches in this document are organized within each of the 5Cs (see Table 1 in the PDF) and those of the Strategic preparedness and response plan (SPRP) pillars as follows: National action plan key activities, prioritized for the current context and the current ... more

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Ebola virus disease preparedness strengthening team Senegal country visit 17–21 November 2014

World Health Organization (2015) C_WHO

The immediate objective of the country visit to Senegal was to build upon the public health preparedness already in place and to ensure that systems are available to investigate and report potential EVD cases and to mount an effective response to prevent a larger outbreak. The joint team for strengt... more

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Classification and minimum standards for Emergency Medical Teams

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

National emergency medical teams are the best option for providing immediate and appropriate surge response for emergencies directly affecting populations, while international teams may help relieve overwhelmed health systems. The efficiency and effectiveness of countries and local authorities in mo... more

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Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Public health emergencies, including pandemics, highlight the need for health systems and services that are prepared, resilient and ready to respond to health security threats. Endorsed by Member States in 2023, the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (‎APHSAF)‎ is designed to engage m... more

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Banking on health: the surging pandemic of health financialization

Dentico N. Society for International Development (SID) (2023) CC

In the last three decades, health financialization has surged in several creative ways, yet this growing phenomenon remains surprisingly unknown, and neglected, in the global health arena. Financialization in the health domain could be described as the uncontrolled expansion of finance along vari... more

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Checklist and reference list for developing and reviewing a national strategic plan for HIV

UNAIDS (2020) C_WHO

The checklist and reference list has two parts: high-level cross-cutting content (Part A) and specific programme content (Part B). Part A applies to all countries and contains situation and response analysis, the NSP development process, the goal, targets and priority-setting of the NSP and the prin... more

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Training Guide: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2024) CC

This MHPSS in Emergencies training aims to prepare MHPSS responders, disaster managers, and emergency team leaders for work in the field by building understanding of basic concepts of MHPSS in emergencies as well as planning and implementing PSS activities. It is for MHPSS focal points from the Red ... more

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The African Union´s challenges - Central Africa Republic

International Crisis Group International Crisis Group (2019)

4. Central African Republic Clashes throughout 2018 in the capital Bangui and a number of major towns illustrate the deadly threat posed by armed groups – a mix of pro-government militias, ex-rebels, bandits and local “self-defence” units – that control much of the countr... more

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Salud y economía: una convergencia necesaria para enfrentar la enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) y retomar la senda hacia el desarrollo sostenible

Pan American Health Organisation PAHO (2020) C_WHO

América Latina y el Caribe se ha convertido en el epicentro de la pandemia de enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) y encabeza las estadísticas mundiales de casos. La pandemia ha devenido en una inédita crisis económica y social y, si no se toman medidas urgentes, podría transformarse en una cr... more

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Guiding Principles for Children on the Move in the Context of Climate Change

UN Children's Fund UNICEF (2022) CC

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Georgetown University, and the United Nations University have today launched new guidelines to provide the first-ever global policy framework that will help protect, include, and empower children on the ... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more