WHO provides emergency funds to scale up health response in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka – World Health Organization (WHO)

Report on WHO’s Emergency Response to Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

In response to the severe humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah’s landfall on November 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated a significant emergency response. This report details WHO’s actions, including the provision of emergency funds and the deployment of support teams, contextualized within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The response prioritizes immediate health needs while addressing broader challenges related to climate resilience, infrastructure, and international cooperation, directly contributing to several key SDGs.

2.0 Crisis Impact and Immediate Health Response: Advancing SDG 3

The cyclonic storm has caused widespread devastation across all 25 districts, leading to a state of emergency. The impact directly threatens progress towards SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

• Unprecedented flooding and landslides have resulted in multiple casualties and significant population displacement.
• Major damage to infrastructure has severely disrupted the provision of essential services, including healthcare.
• Livelihoods have been severely impacted, increasing the vulnerability of affected communities.

To mitigate these impacts, WHO has allocated US$ 175,000 from sources including the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF). This funding is crucial for achieving SDG 3 targets in a crisis context.

1. Strengthening Health Services: Funds support the mobilization of Rapid Response medical and public health teams to deliver essential on-site care, including trauma/first aid and referrals for hospital treatment. Special attention is given to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
2. Disease Surveillance and Prevention: A key objective is to fortify health information management and surveillance systems. This proactive measure is vital for the timely detection and response to potential disease outbreaks, a critical component of public health security under SDG 3.

3.0 Multi-Sectoral Needs and Broader SDG Implications

The disaster’s effects extend beyond the immediate health crisis, impacting a range of SDGs. The government of Sri Lanka has requested multi-sectoral international assistance, highlighting the interconnectedness of the global goals.

3.1 Water, Sanitation, and Community Resilience (SDG 6 & SDG 11)

• Response teams are tasked with assessing medical needs, water quality, sanitation, and food safety. This work is fundamental to upholding SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, by preventing water-borne diseases.
• The widespread infrastructure damage underscores the challenges to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, particularly its target to reduce the impact of natural disasters. The recovery and rehabilitation interventions aim to rebuild more resilient communities.

3.2 Climate Action and Livelihoods (SDG 13, SDG 1, SDG 2)

• The cyclonic storm is a clear manifestation of climate-related disasters, making the response an essential part of SDG 13: Climate Action, which calls for strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity.
• The request for assistance in food security, livelihoods, agriculture, and nutrition directly addresses the potential setbacks to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) caused by the disruption.

4.0 Collaborative Framework: A Commitment to SDG 17

The response effort exemplifies SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, demonstrating a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach to disaster management.

• Lead Agency Coordination: As the lead agency for the health sector, WHO is working closely with national authorities and humanitarian partners to ensure a cohesive response.
• Joint Needs Assessment: WHO is supporting a Joint Rapid Needs Assessment to guide the government-led response, ensuring that interventions are evidence-based and targeted.
• International Cooperation: Sri Lanka’s official request for international humanitarian assistance and the support from United Nations Agencies underscore the global partnership required to address large-scale crises effectively.

Dr. Rajesh Pandav, WHO Representative designate to Sri Lanka, affirmed, “WHO remains fully committed to supporting the national response and safeguarding the health and wellbeing of all affected communities.” This commitment reflects the overarching goal of building resilient health systems and advancing sustainable development, even in the face of acute emergencies.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. The article highlights the provision of emergency funds to “support essential health services for the affected communities,” including trauma care, hospital referrals, and specialized care for pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks. The WHO’s support for “strengthening health information management and surveillance, key for timely detection of disease outbreaks” and deploying “Rapid Response medical and public health teams” directly addresses this target by enhancing Sri Lanka’s ability to manage health risks following the disaster.

2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Target 6.1 & 6.2: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all, and achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all. The article mentions that response teams will “assess medical needs, water quality, sanitation, food safety, and environmental health risks.” This assessment is a critical first step in restoring access to safe water and sanitation, which are severely disrupted by flooding.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations. The article is centered on the response to a cyclonic storm that caused “unprecedented flooding, landslides, and major infrastructure damage,” resulting in “multiple casualties, significant displacement, and severe disruption to essential services.” The entire humanitarian effort described is aimed at mitigating the impact of this disaster.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The cyclonic storm is a climate-related hazard. The response efforts, including deploying rapid response teams, strengthening disease surveillance, and conducting needs assessments, are actions that build resilience and improve the country’s capacity to cope with such events.

5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources. The article exemplifies this target through the collaboration between the WHO, “national authorities and humanitarian partners.” The provision of US$ 175,000 in emergency funds and Sri Lanka’s request for “international humanitarian and early recovery assistance” further demonstrate the mobilization of financial resources and partnerships to address the crisis.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Indicator 3.d.1: International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness. The article implies this indicator through its focus on strengthening “health information management and surveillance” and deploying “Rapid Response medical and public health teams,” which are core components of a country’s health emergency preparedness capacity.

2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Indicator 6.1.1 & 6.2.1: Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services and sanitation services. The need to “assess… water quality, sanitation” implies that these services have been disrupted. The assessment itself is a step towards measuring the impact on these indicators and restoring services.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population. The article directly refers to the elements of this indicator by mentioning “multiple casualties” and “millions of affected people.”
   • Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss… damage to critical infrastructure and number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters. This is clearly implied by the mention of “major infrastructure damage” and “severe disruption to essential services.”

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population. As with SDG 11, the mention of “casualties” and “affected people” from the cyclonic storm serves as a direct measure for this indicator in the context of a climate-related disaster.

5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Indicator 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks. The coordinated response involving the WHO, “national authorities and partners,” and the “Joint Rapid Needs Assessment” is a practical example of such a multi-stakeholder framework in action during a crisis.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators’ to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: who.int