Humanitarian Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) - UNFPA 2020

March 2020 – In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic the United Nations launched the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) on March 25th 2020. The GHRP seeks to respond to the direct public health and immediate humanitarian consequences of the pandemic. The GHRP’s three strategic priorities include: (1) containing the spread of the pandemic; (2) decreasing the deterioration of human assets and rights social cohesion and livelihoods; and (3) protecting assisting and advocating for refugees internally displaced people migrants and host communities particularly vulnerable to the pandemic. With GAC’s support the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is contributing to meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of vulnerable women and girls and preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence. Project activities include: (1) ensuring the continuity of national and local health system capacity to provide access to integrated quality sexual and reproductive health; (2) mitigating the impact on supply chain and logistics management for sexual and reproductive health supplies ensuring continuity of supplies and care for life-saving sexual and reproductive health services; (3) providing and protecting health workers by ensuring that basic personal protection equipment is available; and (4) providing risk communication and community engagement for primary prevention and stigma reduction on COVID-19.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic is contained and morbidity and mortality has decreased; (2) decreased deterioration of human assets and rights social cohesion and livelihoods; and (3) increased protection assistance and advocacy for refugees internally displaced persons migrants and host communities particularly vulnerable to the pandemic. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or that are food insecure.