Information and resources for Health Cluster partners
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Hello , we are pleased to share our quarterly newsletter:
The latest update of the Health Cluster Dashboard as of June 2024 reflects Humanitarian Response Plans. The Health Clusters are targeting 89.4 million people with approximately US$ 3.53 billion in funding requested, of which 23% has been funded.
The launch of the Health Cluster's Localization Strategy is an important step in increasing the involvement and impact of local actors in humanitarian response. By 2025, it aims to enhance the roles of national NGOs, promote equal participation, involve local actors in humanitarian activities, and strengthen their resource mobilization capacity. The Strategy is available in English and French with Arabic and Spanish versions coming soon.
In Somalia, the Health Cluster, made up of 81 partners and co-led by WHO and Save the Children, is improving its response to health emergencies. With support from USAID BHA, WHO has deployed seven subnational coordinators to improve local coordination. The efforts of the coordinators will focus on outbreak responses, disease surveillance, training, and working with other Clusters to enable integrated responses for those in need of humanitarian assistance. The impact of the new coordinators' efforts was showcased at a recent meeting of the Somalia Health Partner Group, highlighting the essential role of the Health Cluster in preventing duplication of efforts and addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations.
Developed by the Global Health Cluster and WHO in collaboration with humanitarian partners, the H3 Package defines a set of prioritized health interventions that can feasibly be delivered to populations affected by humanitarian crises during protracted emergencies. It has been designed to promote accountability of humanitarian partners to affected populations and assist with linkages to national service packages. The H3 Package is a starting point and should be adapted to fit the local burden of disease, service delivery platforms, and existing health system capacity.
The global surge in active conflicts, population displacement, refugee crises, and resource scarcity is driving millions of people into devastating situations. A more holistic approach is required to address these complex, interdependent needs. This document summarizes lessons learned over the past three years of collaboration and proposed recommendations by the Global Food Security, Health, Nutrition, and WASH clusters.
The IASC Climate Crisis Roadmap was commissioned by the IASC Deputies Group and developed by the IASC Subgroup on the Climate Crisis. It is based on extensive consultations at field and global levels and represents the collective commitment of the humanitarian community to proactively address climate-related challenges and be part of the solutions through its unique role in assisting communities in the most vulnerable situations, on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
This handbook supports national health authorities to identify supply- and demand-side barriers to health services, hence contributing to the reduction of health inequities and closing of coverage gaps. The handbook comprises eight modules, which can be used collectively for a parallel convergent mixed methods assessment, or singularly. Each module includes a subsection on adaptation for humanitarian contexts. This handbook is part of a wider set of WHO tools for supporting equity-oriented, rights-based and gender responsive planning and programming by the health sector.
The Sexual and Reproductive Health Task Team (SRH-TT) was established in November 2022 under the Global Health Cluster. In its first year, the SRH-TT undertook a series of foundational activities to align its work with the needs and priorities of the field. The Baseline Assessment is an integral part of this effort, aiming to map and describe the existing SRH coordination mechanisms in countries with an activated health cluster. This assessment investigates challenges, successes, enablers, and opportunities to make recommendations to support and improve the coordination of SRH in emergencies.
The Global Health Cluster's annual Partners' Meeting, held online from 19-20 June, brought together humanitarian partner organizations. The meeting highlighted the overwhelming demands on the humanitarian system and the immense difficulties faced by organizations in Gaza and Sudan, necessitating critical adaptations such as localization, integrated service delivery, and flexible supply chains. Along with a session on localization, participants considered the impacts of climate change on health in humanitarian settings, highlighting practical approaches to addressing these issues. They also heard from several presenters about maternal, newborn, and child health innovations.
This webinar presented the findings of a baseline assessment on the implementation of the Nurturing Care Framework for children in humanitarian settings. The assessment involved analyzing humanitarian response plans, surveying health cluster coordinators, and interviewing key stakeholders. The discussion highlighted the need to enhance inter-sectoral coordination, develop capacity building tools, and increase funding to support the systematic integration of the nurturing care approach into health programs in crisis situations.
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