Study to examine the coordination of COVID-19 response in humanitarian settings
Final Report
Overview
The purpose of this study was to better understand and review how the coordination of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 responses has been occurring in humanitarian settings, including maintenance of essential health services in such contexts. The study aimed to identify good practices, successful strategies, and challenges faced within and between the various coordination structures established to support COVID-19 responses, during and after completion of the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) 2020. Within it, is also mapped the coordination structures in place across humanitarian settings and how they were adapted.
Main study questions
- What good practices and challenges have emerged within and between different coordination structures for COVID-19 responses and humanitarian health responses?
- What good practices do health cluster partners use and what challenges to they face to engage with coordination of COVID-19 responses at national and sub-national levels? Findings should also explore the different experiences of national partners/nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and international partners/NGOs.
- How did the different coordination mechanisms (both separately and in concert) enable or limit COVID- 19 responses, including maintaining essential health services in humanitarian settings?
Project background
In response to the unprecedented threat to global public health and socioeconomic stability, particularly in countries affected by humanitarian crises, the Global Health Cluster (GHC) scaled up its country coordination support to provide context-appropriate technical and operational guidance to effectively implement the COVID- 19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) 2020a and GHRP 2020,b then subsequently the SPRPs 2021 and 2022,c,d as an integral component of subsequent humanitarian response plans. These serve both to mitigate the direct impact of COVID-19, and to maintain the provision of existing humanitarian health action, including essential health services.