IASC Briefing on “Public Health and Social Measures for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Operations in Low Capacity and Humanitarian Settings”

Missed the briefing?

Watch the recording of the full briefing here: Recording of the IASC Briefing on “Public Health and Social Measures for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Operations in Low Capacity and Humanitarian Settings” 

View the presentation slides here: Presentation slides for the IASC Briefing on “Public Health and Social Measures for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Operations in Low Capacity and Humanitarian Settings” 

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COVID-19 has heightened the particular vulnerabilities and needs of populations living in low capacity and humanitarian settings. Prevention and control measures such as tracing, testing and isolation as well as the implementation of critical hygiene measures have been more challenging to implement, particularly in densely populated areas such as IDP and refugee camps, as well as urban areas, including informal settlements and slums. In recognition of these challenges, the IASC Principals endorsed the IASC Interim Guidance on COVID-19:  Public Health and Social Measures for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Operations in Low Capacity and Humanitarian Settings in May 2020, which sets out a seven-step framework to adapt public health and social measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission and facilitate the detection and management of infected and exposed individuals.

This IASC briefing will bring together expert panelists to discuss the challenges being faced on the ground and the concrete actions that have been taken to address them.

Speakers:

• Ms. Khardiata Lo N'Diaye, RC/HC a.i., Niger
• Mr. Zakayo Kalebo, Programs Manager, World Vision
• Dr. Hur Amer, Head of Medical Committee, Dary, Iraq 
• Ms. Renee (Reinhilde) Van de Weerdt, Chief of Emergency Management and Support & EDG member, WHO

Moderator:

• Ms. Mervat Shelbaya, Head, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) secretariat

Speaker bios:

Dr. Hur  Salman Amer who is the Head of the Medical Committee with Dary in Iraq. Dr. Hur Amer holds a medical degree and has worked in the humanitarian sector since 2012 having founded Dary.  In his previous medical roles, Dr. Hur Amer led vaccination campaigns in displacement sites and primary health care centers. He represents Dary in humanitarian coordination bodies and leads on external engagement with UN agencies.

Mr. Zakayo Kalebo is a Team Leader with World Vision Tanzania. He leads efforts to provide food and nutrition assistance to approximately 135,000 refugees as part of the Kigoma Refugee Programme.  Zakayo has more than 15 years of experience in the humanitarian sector having worked on camp management, gender-based violence, child protection and social services, among others. He also holds a master’s degree in community economic development.

Ms. Khardiata Lo N’Diaye  is currently the RC/HC a.i in Niger since February 2020, a role she fulfilled previously as the Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative from 2007 to 2011.  Her distinguished career includes several managerial stints with World Bank funded projects on women’s empowerment and social development as well as advisory roles in the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning  in Senegal. Ms. N’Diaye holds a bachelor's degree in geography, and a master's degree in economic geography (with honours) from Sorbonne University in Paris

Dr. Renee Van de Weerdt currently serves as the  Director a.i. Health Emergency Interventions with WHO. A native of Belgium, Renee is leading and managing teams of vulnerable countries by providing overall operations support to emergencies. She has significant and diverse experience having started her career as an MSF Medical Coordinator and worked in DRC, Sierra Leone, Chad, Rwanda and Chechnya. She spent six years with WHO working in the Polio department.  She also  worked with UNICEF as Chief of Health and Nutrition as well as several other capacities both in the field and headquarters.  Prior to re-joining WHO in2017, Renee was the Senior Technical Advisor for Reproductive Health Commodities with UNFPA in New York (2013 – 2017). Renee is a holder of a medical degree from the University of Leuven, a MSc in Epidemiology from LSHTM and an MBA from the University of Wales.