the aid library

Policy brief on tuberculosis-associated disability

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

People affected by impairments and disabilities associated with TB are even more likely to belong to marginalized segments of society and are more likely to have their human rights unprotected. The challenges faced by people affected by TB include the consequences of impairment and disability associ ... more

Cross-Border Female Genital Mutilation in East Africa

UNFPA ESARO UNFPA; UNICEF (2022) CC

In East Africa, the trend in cross-border FGM puts at risk the progress achieved in eliminating the practice. The only way we can reach zero FGM by 2030 is by concerted and immediate action to address all aspects of FGM. This policy brief highlights the cross-border dimension of FGM (Ethiopia, Keny ... more

Problem Management Plus (PM+)
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2016) C_WHO

Individual psychological help for adults impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity. The manual describes a scalable psychological intervention called Problem Management Plus (PM+) for adults impaired by distress in communities who are exposed to adversity. Aspects of Cognitive Behavi ... more

Information and Communications Technology Response to the Liberia Ebola Crisis

USAID; Net Hope; GBI (2014)

Desk Review and Recommendations for Private Sector Engagement

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

Health interventions for older people in emergencies

Fritsch, P. Help Age International; ECHO (2013) CC

WHO's Response to the Ukraine Crisis. Interim Report. February to June 2022

World Health Organization (WHO) (2022) C_WHO

The military offensive by the Russian Federation in Ukraine which began February 2022 has triggered one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crisis, with geopolitical and economic ripples felt across the globe. The ongoing war has caused large-scale disruptions to the deliv ... 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

“Female genital schistosomiasis is a sexually transmitted disease”: Gaps in healthcare workers’ knowledge about female genital schistosomiasis in Tanzania

Mazigo, H.; Samson, A.; Lambert, V. PLoS Global Public Health (2022) CC

Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) is a gynaecological disease caused by Schistosoma haematobium, a parasitic worm that is acquired by skin contact with freshwater contaminated by schistosome cerceriae. Communities in which the infection is most endemic have limited access to clean water and healt ... more

Guidance for health sector assessment to support the post-disaster recovery process

United Nations agencies, the World Bank and the European Commission (2010)

Psychological treatments for depression and anxiety disorders in low-and middle-income countries: a meta-analysis

E van‘t Hof, P Cuijpers, W Waheed, DJ Stein (2011) CC

Afr J Psychiatry 2011;14:200-207

Kenya Comprehensive Refugee Programme 2015

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2015)

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

Protection, Participation and Potential: Women and Girls in Yemen’s War

International Rescue Committee (2019) C1

Women and girls are paying the price of the war in Yemen – Humanitarian actors must increase the priority given to women and girls’ needs, with specific attention to GBV prevention and response, and reproductive health services

European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021: Paediatric Life Support

Van de Voorde, P.; et al. European Resuscitation Council (2021) CC

Handbook for Emergencies

UNHCR (2007) C2

Section One summarizes UNHCR’s mandate of international protecdtion and the aim and principles of emergency response; Section Two deals with emergency management; Section Three covers the vital sectors and problem areas in refugee emergencies, including health, food, sanitation and water, a ... more

National Community Home Based Care Policy and Guidelines

Ghana AIDS Commission (2015) C1

Sierra Leone: Review of the Implementation of the National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2010-2015
recommended

Government of Sierra Leone, Ministry of Health and Sanitation (2016) C_WHO

Countering Stigmatization in the Humanitarian Response to COVID-19

InterAction (2024) CC

In most contexts, the social stigma surrounding mental health issues exists because of cultural norms and a lack of understanding of mental health’s complexities and realities, resulting in isolation, increased vulnerability, and lack of support for people with mental health problems. This stig ... more