SEA/RC67/15 - South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEA/RC60/R7)

Abstract

Countries in the South-East Asia Region are vulnerable to different types of hazards such as annual monsoons, flooding, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, conflicts and devastating fires. The magnitude of disasters and their effects have a considerable impact on the morbidity and mortality in the Region, where approximately 25% of the world’s population resides. Deaths in Member States of the Region accounted for 37% (‎426 152 persons)‎ of the global total mortality from natural disasters in 2003–2012. Health action in emergencies is a crucial area of WHO’s support to countries. It is within this context that the Emergency and Humanitarian Action (‎EHA)‎ programme in the South-East Asia Region has been conceptualized. The programme and its focal points in all WHO country offices work with national governments as well as development partners to reduce casualties and damages. The EHA programme has four areas of work – risk reduction, preparedness and response, information management and research, and capacity development.In order for Member States to provide a timely response to disasters and crises, the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (‎SEARHEF)‎ was established in 2008. The Fund is meant to conduct emergency field operations from the first week of an emergency till the following three months, covering the early recovery phase. Funds are released within 24 hours of receiving a request for assistance from a WHO country office and used to support relief work by the ministries of health. Since its inception, SEARHEF has provided financial support to 24 disasters in eight Member States of the WHO South-East Asia Region.The High-Level Preparatory (‎HLP)‎ Meeting held in the Regional Office in New Delhi, India, from 14 to 17 July 2014 reviewed the attached working paper and made the following recommendations:Action by Member States(‎1)‎Member States should participate actively in the SEARHEF working group meetings. (‎2)‎The needs of SEARHEF should be supported through advocacy and resource mobilization. Action by the WHO Regional Office(‎1)‎A meeting of the SEARHEF Working Group should be organized prior to the Sixty-seventh Session of the Regional Committee. (‎2)‎Advocacy materials should be further disseminated by the Regional Office. The working paper and the HLP recommendations are submitted to the Sixty-seventh Session of the Regional Committee for its consideration.