Skip to main content
Outcome
23. Health emergencies preparedness and risk reduction
Health Emergencies
23. Health emergencies preparedness and risk reduction
Budget
Approved Budget PB 22-23
38.6
US$ MILLION
Priority

High

Proposed Budget PB 24-25
39.4
US$ MILLION
Related Outputs and Indicators
  • 23.1.a. Number of States Parties completing annual reporting on the International Health Regulations (2005)
    Baseline
    35
    Target
    35
  • 23.1.b. Number of countries and territories that have evaluated disaster and emergency preparedness capacities in the health sector
    Baseline
    23
    Target
    32
  • 23.2.a. Number of States Parties with national action plans developed for strengthening International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities
    Baseline
    8
    Target
    35
  • 23.2.b. Number of countries and territories with full-time staff assigned to health emergencies
    Baseline
    29
    Target
    39
  • 23.3.a. Number of States Parties that have conducted simulation exercises or after-action review
    Baseline
    13
    Target
    35
  • 23.4.a. Number of countries and territories that include safe hospital criteria in the planning, design, construction, and operation of health services
    Baseline
    24
    Target
    34
  • 23.5.a. Number of countries and territories that include criteria for disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation in the planning, design, construction, and operation of health services
    Baseline
    14
    Target
    19
How PASB will deliver

Key Technical Cooperation Interventions
 

  • Step up leadership
    • Work with countries to strengthen the leadership role of national health authorities with respect to emergency preparedness, readiness, and response; to develop and implement national multi-hazard preparedness, readiness, and response plans following a cross-cutting approach; to identify and implement gender and equity approaches and inclusive strategies, particularly for groups in conditions of vulnerability; and to maintain the essential public health functions to provide quality health services that are resilient to health emergencies and disasters while still advancing toward universal health care. Countries will be supported in scaling up their preparedness efforts for specific geographic, political, and socioeconomic contexts, including urban settings, Small Island Developing States, overseas territories, conflict settings, and migration crises, among others.
    • Support Member States’ participation in the global debate about the new convention, agreement, or other international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
  • Support countries
    • Provide technical cooperation to countries to ensure that they have the capacities for all-hazard health emergency and disaster risk management, including the core capacities needed to fulfill their responsibilities under the International Health Regulations (IHR), as well as to address the priorities for action in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the health security–related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening areas of low capacity and addressing lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Promote and facilitate the implementation of disaster risk reduction actions, including strengthening and expansion of the Safe/Resilient Hospitals initiative, in order to reduce the health consequences and socioeconomic impact of health emergencies, disasters, and crises, particularly as they may impact populations in conditions of vulnerability.
  • Produce technical products on norms and standards, data, and research
    • Build and strengthen science-based platforms and tools to address public health emergencies.
    • Support countries in the adoption and monitoring of benchmarks for health emergencies and disaster preparedness, and support IHR States Parties in their efforts to prepare and submit the State Party Annual Report to the World Health Assembly and to conduct simulation exercises, after-action reviews, and voluntary assessment of country core capacities. PASB will work with countries to develop and apply quantitative and qualitative assessments that complement/reinforce the IHR monitoring and evaluation framework to illuminate gaps and weaknesses in national systems, including in the areas of governance, preparedness, and readiness capacities at subnational and national levels. The Bureau will also work to translate that knowledge into action to better protect against the impact of future public health crises and advocate for greater investment in preparedness based on best practices in countries that responded effectively to COVID-19 and prior emergencies.
    • Support development and implementation of standardized assessment tools and approaches to assess, map, prioritize, and communicate about health emergency risks according to local context. In response to those risks, PASB will support countries and territories to establish and update coordination procedures based on current subregional, regional, and global systems and strategic partnerships for humanitarian health assistance. Efficient and effective response teams must also be established, and tools will be adapted for the coordination of international humanitarian assistance in the health sector and the strengthening of national and subnational health emergency coordination mechanisms. This will include the promotion of intra- and intersectoral coordination mechanisms, the implementation of Incident Management Systems, and the development of national emergency medical teams as part of country capacities for a rapid response to health emergencies and disasters.