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Central Asia Regional Health Security Workshop George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies 17-19 April 2012, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Introduction to WHO Who Can Be Trusted to Provide Information ?. Dr Hashim A. Elzein Elmousaad – Public Health Specialist – 17 April 2012.
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Central Asia Regional Health Security WorkshopGeorge C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies 17-19 April 2012, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Introduction to WHOWho Can Be Trusted to Provide Information ? Dr Hashim A. ElzeinElmousaad – Public Health Specialist – 17 April 2012
Contents First Part: • WHO Brief • Historical, structure, roles & functions, commitment in Crisis • UN humanitarian Reform & Interagency Standing Committee. Second Part: • Provision of Information in Crisis why is it important? • Who provide information in Crisis
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1945 The UN Conference in San Francisco, USA, unanimously approves the establishment of a new, autonomous international health organization. 1948 The World Health Organization Constitution comes into force on 7 April. Source: WHO Album
WHO STRUCTURE • WHO is specialized agency of UN • Governed by 194 Member States through the World Health Assembly (WHA) • WHA is composed of representatives from WHO's Member States (MINSTERS OF HEALTH). • WHA to • Approve Biennial Budget • Decide on major Policy matters
HQ & Regional Offices • HQ in Geneva • Decentralized - Regional Committees • 6 Regional Offices (AFRO, AMRO, EMRO, EURO, SEARO and WPRO)
FUNCTIONS AND ROLES OF WHO • Providing leadership and engaging in partnerships • Shaping the research agenda and dissemination of valuable knowledge. • Setting norms and standards • Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options. • Providing technical support • Monitoring the health situation and assessing health needs.
WHO COMMITMENTS IN CRISIS • Working with Member States & other stakeholders • Reduce sufferings & death • Help national authorities • Prepare, Mitigate, Respond and Recover • Building efficient partnerships & ensure coordination • Advocating for political support and consistent resources • Developing evidence based guidance • Strengthening capacity and resilience of health systems • Ensuring availability of international capacity.
UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee(UN IASC) • Aim: • Strengthen system wide preparedness & Technical Capacities. • Enhance Accountability & transparency • 32 Humanitarian Partners
HUMANITARIAN REFORM 2005 • Cluster Approach: • In Crisis: Unpredictable humanitarian responses, with inevitable capacity and response gaps. • September 2005 IASC agreed to designate global “cluster leads” for humanitarian emergencies (9 sectors) • December 2005 – Cluster Approach • to strengthen system-wide preparedness and technical capacity • to respond to humanitarian emergencies by • Ensuring that there is predictable leadership and accountability in all the main sectors or areas of humanitarian response
1. Nutrition UNICEF 2. Health WHO 3. Water/Sanitation UNICEF 4. Emergency Shelter: IDPs (from conflict) UNHCR Disaster situations IFRC (Convener) IASC Clusters of Technical areas WHO is designated as a lead agency for Global Health Cluster.
Major Global Achievements 2003 WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Smallpox 1979 SAR 2003 Polio Eradication
INFORMATION IN CRISIS “ERRORS USING INADQUATE DATA ARE MUCH LESS THAN THOSE USING NO DATA AT ALL” Charles Babbage
Primary Concern in Crisis? To ensure that affected population receive appropriate health care, and that their other vital needs – security, food, sanitation,..etc – are satisfied through the intervention of the partners from other sectors and agencies.
Why Information is needed? • Support decision making process • Identifying Gaps and Needs • Awareness on Situation • Promote quality of response • Monitoring Progress and evaluating results
What information needed before the Crisis? • Administrative: Geographic locations (GIS) • Demographic: population at stake • Socio-economic details • Amenities: available resources • Infrastructure data: Transport, electricity, specific net work
Ruling Principles • Standardization • Compare, compile and analyze • Continuity • how things are evolving • Simplicity • widest catchment area, smoothest flow, least efforts and cost
Do not start from Scratch Where information system exists adapt it to current situation and future needs
Checking the data? • The data/facts accuracy? • How does this information compare with that from other sources in the field? • Perspective • Does the source reliable? have a bias? • Does the source express a particular point of view or affiliated with particular political organizations, institutions, associations?
Types of Information needed? • General • Site & Size of the emergency (geographical – population) • Severity • Nature - Threats • Amenities
Types of Information needed? • Technical: • Affected population (victims, orbidity/mortality) • Rescue & Relief (food – water - shelter – Rescue and relief Workers) • Threats/perceived threats to public safety • Contribution of organizations
Social Media The Red Cross published a survey, “Social Media in Disasters and Emergencies” summer 2011 by ORC International
Use of social media during disasters? • Still new during the uprising in Tunis, Egypt, Syria) • Red Cresent (Haiti): Twitter, Facebook, text messages • Red Cross Study: TV, the local station, the online news, Facebook • Compilicated • Huge- Staff – filtering – • communication (The issue of Reliability?!!)
Constraints • Lots of data sources • Different Methodologies. • Data presented in many formats • Different types of information
Conclusions • Information is crucial for decision making in Crisis • There are multiple sources of data during crisis, thorough evaluation of sources is needed for reliability, however maximum utilization is warranted. • Identification of information gaps or inaccuracies. • Use of unconventional or innovative methods of information sources.
Thank You Questions?
Dr Hashim A. Elzein Elmousaad Public Health Specialist Cairo – Egypt elmousaadh@gmail.com Tel: 00201120400733
References • INTER-AGENCY STANDING COMMITTEE (IASC); GUIDANCE NOTE ON USING THE CLUSTER APPROACH TO STRENGTHEN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE - 24 November 2006