HPN Network Paper 60: Mobile Health Units in emergency operations: A methodological approach

by Stephane du Mortier and Rudi Coninx.

Mobile health units are often used to provide health care in unstable situations, such as armed conflicts, where fixed services cannot function for reasons of security. They are, however a controversial way of providing health care, because of their cost, irregular service provision and logistical complexities. Drawing on the experience of the ICRC and relevant literature, this Paper provides a decision making framework for health care workers.

Click here to download the paper.

HPN: DRR in Humanitarian Exchange Magazine 38

Humanitarian Exchange Magazine 38 has just been published, and features articles on Disaster Risk Reduction.

An increasing body of best practice has emerged on this topic but there are still many challenges, not least the dynamically changing humanitarian context in which agencies must respond. There is a need for better coordination between climate change, disasters and development communities, greater understanding of both global and local risks associated with climate change, and improved approaches to understand and respond to local vulnerabilities.

Click here to download the magazine.

Fragile states: Third publication in MSF's dialogues series

This discussion tackles the issue of NGOs' responsibilities when working in so-called 'fragile states', and is now available for download from the MSF website.

Two speakers (Christian Captier from MSF and Zoe Marriage from SOAS) discuss what they see as the main issues, and each speaker also gets a chance to respond. It's an interesting discussion - if you have any comments, don't forget you can comment here by clicking on the link below.

Forced Migration Review: Special Issue on Iraq

One in six Iraqis is displaced. After a conflict which has now lasted as long as the First World War over two million Iraqis are in exile and a further two million are internally displaced. Most refugees are in Syria and Jordan - which hosts the largest number of refugees per capita of any country on earth. The vast majority survive with little or no assistance from the international community. Eight million Iraqis are in need of humanitarian assistance.

A special issue of FMR – published in English and in Arabic - assesses the scale of the displacement and highlights the inadequacy of current responses. Twenty-six articles – from the UN, the governments of Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Sweden, the Red Cross, the Iraqi Red Crescent, Human Rights Watch and non-governmental agencies – offer suggestions to prevent a further escalation of the humanitarian crisis and to establish an eventual framework for the durable return of displaced Iraqis.

The full issue is available for download from the FM Review website (2MB pdf).

Follow the Money: Tufts Review and Analysis of the State of Humanitarian Funding

A new Tufts briefing paper focusses on the financing of humanitarian action, asking:

• Is the pot of humanitarian finance able to meet present and projected global humanitarian needs?
• Do existing financing mechanisms ensure that money follows need?
• Do the present financing mechanisms promote quality aid, encouraging it to be timely, context-specific, evidence-based and rigorous in its application?
• Are the operational agencies capable of using the funding appropriately?
• More succinctly, is there enough money, is it going to the right people in the right places in the most efficient way?

The paper describes the present state of humanitarian funding—focusing on the global picture, key trends and recognized shortcomings. While it includes discussion of new financing mechanisms, such as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Common Humanitarian Funds, these are not the primary focus of the paper. Combined these tools account for perhaps 10 percent of official humanitarian aid. The analysis, by contrast, is concerned with the totality of humanitarian financing, and how the many different instruments and mechanisms used to disburse these funds interact with each other.

The paper is available for download from Reliefweb (169KB pdf).

WHO podcast: focus on HIV/AIDS

The latest episode of the WHO podcast highlights the need for women to be in the "driver's seat" to turn the tide in the epidemic. It also takes a close look at an HIV/AIDS centre in Kenya which has helped to change thousands of lives, and now needs to keep up with the growing demand for its services. Plus it highlights the need to push for universal access to prevention as well as care, support and treatment.

Click here to access the WHO website, where you can listen to the latest podcast episode (mp3 4.8 Mb).

HPG Policy Brief on coordination and leadership reform: Lost in translation

The latest HPG Policy Brief (No. 27, entitled 'Lost in translation - managing coordination and leadership reform in the humanitarian system') is now available for download from the HPG website.

The humanitarian sector has invested a lot in system wide reform over the past two years to improve humanitarian outcomes. The CERF has been expanded, cluster leadership implemented, efforts to strengthen the role of the Humanitarian Coordinator outlined, and experiments with pooled funding at country level have taken place. In the lead up to further deliberations on reform in Geneva next week — at the Economic and Social Council meetings and other events — it is imperative to consider the management of leadership and coordination reform in particular. Getting this right will improve reform efforts across the board.

HPG has produced a Policy Brief drawing on extensive document review and interviews in the field and at headquarters. It outlines key areas of ambiguity in the reform process and how effective reform management is critical to improved humanitarian outcomes.

Further information about the ongoing project, and related reports are also available from the link above.