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The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition

UN Secretary-General; UN Sustainable Development Group UNSDG (2020) C1

Policy Brief 2 June 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Hundreds of millions of people were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition before the virus hit and, unless immediate action is tak... more

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Guidance to facilitate monitoring and evaluation for antimicrobial resistance national action plans

Quadripartite: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO; UN Environment Programme UNEP; World Health Organization WHO; World Organisation for Animal Health WAHO (2023) CC

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global human, animal, plant and environment health threat that needs to be addressed by every country. The impacts of AMR are wide-ranging in terms of human health, animal health, food security and safety, environmental effects on ecosystems and biodiversity, and ...socioeconomic development. Just like the climate crisis, AMR poses a significant threat to the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The response to the AMR crisis has been spearheaded through the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance (GAP-AMR), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and formally endorsed by the three organizations’ governing bodies and by the Political Declaration of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on AMR in 2016. In 2022, the three organizations officially became the Quadripartite by welcoming the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into the alliance “to accelerate coordination strategy on human, animal and ecosystem health”. The aim of the GAP-AMR is to ensure the continuity of successful treatment with effective and safe medicines. Its strategic objectives include: • improving the awareness and understanding of AMR; • strengthening the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research; • reducing the incidence of infection through effective sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention measures; optimizing the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health; and • developing the economic case for sustainable investment that takes account of the needs of all countries and increasing investment in new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions. With the adoption of the GAP-AMR, countries agreed to develop national action plans (NAPs) aligned with the GAP-AMR to mainstream AMR interventions nationally. Individually, the Quadripartite took action to advance AMR interventions in their respective sectors. FAO adopted a resolution on AMR recognizing that it poses an increasingly serious threat to public health and sustainable food production, and developed an AMR action plan to support the resolution’s implementation. For its part, WOAH developed a strategy on AMR aligned with the GAP-AMR, acknowledging the importance of a One Health approach to AMR. Similarly, more recently, UNEP’s governing body, the United Nations Environment Assembly, recognized that AMR is a current and increasing threat and a challenge to global health, food security and the sustainable development of all countries, and welcomed the GAP-AMR and the NAPs developed in accordance with its five overarching strategic objectives more

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Community-based psychosocial support - Voluneer Manual

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2023) CC

The* Facilitator manual on community-based psychosocial support *and the* Volunteers manual on community-based psychosocial support* provides resources for trainers and participants in key aspects of psychosocial support, including understanding the impact of crisis events, supportive communication,... more

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Build to last - A framework in support of universal quality pre-primary education

2020 (2020) C1

Today, the world is facing a learning crisis: While millions of children have entered education systems for the first time, many of them cannot read, write or do basic mathematics, even after several years of primary school.1 This global learning crisis has its roots in children’s earliest years, ... 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

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Situation Analysis and Recommendations: Antibiotic Use and Resistance in Kenya

Kenya Medical Research Institute (2011) C2

In Kenya, the bacterial infections that contribute most to human disease are often those in which re-‐sistance is most evident. Examples are multidrug-‐resistant enteric bacterial pathogens such as typhoid, ... more

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One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022-2026)

World Organisation for Animal Health Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; United Nations Enviroment Programme; Wolrd Health Organization; World Organisation for Animal Health (2022) C_WHO

The desired impact of the OH JPA is a world better able to prevent, predict, detect and respond to health threats and improve the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment while contributing to sustainable development. The OH JPA aims to work towards this vision in the following way: ... more

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Living Planet Report 2020 - Bending the curve of biodiversity loss

World Wildlife Fund for Nature WWF (2020) C2

At a time when the world is reeling from the deepest global disruption and health crisis of a lifetime, this year’s Living Planet report provides unequivocal and alarming evidence that nature is unraveling and that our planet is flashing red warning signs of vital natural systems failure. The ... more

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Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
recommended

Snider, L.; Van Ommeren, M.; Schafer, A. World Health Organization (WHO) (2011) C_WHO

When terrible things happen in our communities, countries and the world, we want to reach out a helping hand to those who are affected. This guide covers psychological first aid which involves humane, supportive and practical help to fellow human beings suffering serious crisis events. It is writt... more

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Primera ayuda psicológica: Guía para trabajadores de campo
recommended

Organización Mundial de la Salud, War Trauma Foundation, Visión Mundial Internacional. (2012) C_WHO

Esta guía trata de la primera ayuda psicológica, un modo práctico y humano para ayudar y apoyar a nuestros semejantes en graves situaciones de crisis. Se ha pensado para personas que se tienen la posibilidad de ayudar a otras que han experimentado un hecho extremadamente angustiante. Proporciona... more

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The 2021 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: code red for a healthy future

Romanello M., McGushin A., et al. (2021) C2

The Lancet Countdown is an international collaboration that independently monitors the health consequences of a changing climate. Publishing updated, new, and improved indicators each year, the Lancet Countdown represents the consensus of leading researchers from 43 academic institutions and UN ag... more

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Ebola Myths, Realities and Structural Violence

ANNIEWILKINSON ANDMELISSA LEACH (2014)

The scale of West Africa’s Ebola epidemic has been attributed to the weak health systems of affected countries, their lack of resources, the mobility of communities and their inexperience in dealing with Ebola. This briefing for African Affairs argues that these explanations lack important contex... more

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Psychological first aid: Facilitator’s manual for orienting field workers
recommended

Leslie Snider, Alison Schafer, Mark van Ommeren et al. World Health Organization WHO (2013) C_WHO

This manual is designed to orient helpers to offer psychologicalfirst aid (PFA) to people following a serious crisis event. PFA involves humane, supportive and practical assistance for people who are distressed, in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities. PFA is an approach that can b... more

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Humanitarian assistance and protection for people on the move

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

People on the move – migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced populations – face extraordinary risks to their lives, safety, dignity, human rights and well-being. In part this is connected to the core reasons that lead to migration and displacement, ranging from violence, persec... more

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Standards and recommendations for burns care in mass casualty incidents

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Caring for burns patients from the incident scene to definitive treatment can be a complex, resource-consuming process with the potential to overwhelm health system capacity.This document provides practical guidance for building capacity and capability for burns care from clinical, human resources a... more

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An economic investment case & financing requirements

ACT-Accelerator: An economic investment case & financing requirements (2021) C_WHO

This document lays out economic arguments for investing in the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator). Framed within an overall context that recognizes the broader human health and societal impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, ACT-Accelerator's Economic Investment Case argues that investm... more

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Refugee Health
recommended

Médecins sans Frontières (1997) C3

An approach to emergency situations. Relief workers face rapidly changing and complex environments, new disease patterns, enormous humanitarian needs and relatively limited resources. The authors of this book use their experience in the area to produce an operational manual of the issues involved in... more

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The Manifesto to Secure a Healthy Planet for All – A Call for Emergency Action | InterAction Council

International Action Council (2019) C2

The Manifesto was launched at a High Level Event in London on the 31st July 2019, where Emergency response mechanisms to address the Climate and Environmental Crisis are being explored. The Manifesto has been developed in response to the increasing international and United Nations evidence and under... more

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Planetary Health Basics

Liebau, L. The MEDBOX Team (2022) CC

Issue Brief No. 29: Planetary Health is an interdisciplinary academic collective of many scientific disciplines. In addition to the fields of environmental and social sciences, that of human health is one of many. Because of the many disciplines involved in this topic and the large number of res... more

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IASC Guidelines for mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings
recommended

Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2007) C1

Specific action sheets offer useful guidance on mental health and psychosocial support and cover the following areas coordination assessment monitoring and evaluation protection and human rights standards human resources community mobilisation and support health services education dissemination of i... more

Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers recommended

Primera ayuda psicológica: Guía para trabajadores de campo recommended

Psychological first aid: Facilitator’s manual for orienting field workers recommended

Refugee Health recommended

IASC Guidelines for mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings recommended

Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
recommended

Primera ayuda psicológica: Guía para trabajadores de campo
recommended

Psychological first aid: Facilitator’s manual for orienting field workers
recommended

Refugee Health
recommended

IASC Guidelines for mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings
recommended