Dr Hashim A. Elzein Elmousaad – Public Health Specialist – 17 April 2012

Introduction to WHO

Who Can Be Trusted to Provide Information ?

Central Asia Regional Health Security WorkshopGeorge C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

17-19 April 2012, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

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

1945The UN Conference in San Francisco, USA, unanimously approves the establishment of a new, autonomous international health organization.

1948The World Health Organization Constitution comes into force on 7 April.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

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

1. Providing leadership and engaging in partnerships

2. Shaping the research agenda and dissemination of valuable knowledge.

3. Setting norms and standards

4. Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options.

5. Providing technical support

6. 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

Major Global Achievements

Polio Eradication

Smallpox 1979

SAR 2003

2003 WHO Framework Convention onTobacco Control

Information in Crisis

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.

• Support decision making process

• Identifying Gaps and Needs

• Awareness on Situation

• Promote quality of response

• Monitoring Progress and evaluating results

Why Information is needed?

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

Who Can provide information? -1

Source / Stakeholder Trusted Remarks

General Information

People affected Yes Sometimes exaggerated/Emotional

Community leaders Yes To show that they are in control

Members of the civil society Yes/No + / - depending on their mandate / interest

Who Can provide information? - 2

Source / Stakeholder Trusted RemarksFirst responders (search and rescue, PHC workers, first aiders

Yes

Local media Can be, unless they have personal / institutional /

political interests

+ / - reflecting their political mandate /

interests and that of their governments

International media Can be + / - reflecting their political interests

Human Rights Organizations

Yes International accountability

Information from Government Officials

Source / Stakeholder Trusted Remarks

National Governments’Officials

Yes /No

Depends on the type of the Crisis

Yes, if not impacted by political mandates

- Level of Transparency- It is very likely that they would err one way or another depending on their political situation and their involvement in the issue (e.g. Countries currently in political turmoil)

- Can’t communicate enough

- in natural disasters expect exaggerated information at the beginning of the crisis

Local Government / Authority-

Yes They know local needs more Response can be much quicker

Technical Information - 1

Source / Stakeholder Trusted Remarks

Technical organizations on the ground / / Relief workers involved in the disaster response (national and international) & NGOs

Yes Reliable data collection approaches

Initial rapid assessments implemented by international organizations

Yes standard methodologies

Other damage assessments / need assessments reports

YES standard methodologies

Lab reports when epidemics and environmental / industrial disasters are considered

YES Procedures are standardized and QCed

Insurance companies for emergencies / disasters with structural damages

YES Based on thorough assessments

Hospital information/Health Workers for mass casualty events .Emergency rooms may be a valuable source

YES Good record keeping of the cases

Source / Stakeholder Trusted Remarks

Body counts and mortuary reports for mass fatality events

Yes

In refugees setting, camp reports, if refugees are hosted in camps

Yes Amplified when international assistance is requested

Reports of governments hosting urban refugees

Yes/No Amplified when international assistance is requested

Government reports on internally displaced populations

Yes/No under-estimate if the government is held accountable for not providing enough protection to people

Volunteers Yes Do not have vested interest in giving false data

Cemetery Guards useful when no reliable sources Particularly in Epidemics in remote area or neglected areas

Technical Information - 2

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