Small drinking-water supplies commonly experience operational, managerial, technical and resourcing challenges that impact their ability to deliver safe and reliable services. The needs and opportunities associated with these supplies therefore warrant explicit consideration
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in policies and regulations.
These Guidelines, specifically tailored to small water supplies, build on over 60 years of guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO) on drinking-water quality and safety. They focus on establishing drinking-water quality regulations and standards that are health based and context appropriate; on proactively managing risks through water safety planning and sanitary inspections; and on carrying out independent surveillance. The guidance is intended primarily for decision-makers at national and subnational levels with responsibility for developing regulatory frameworks and support programmes related to these activities. Other stakeholders involved in water service provision will also benefit from the guidance in this document.
Designed to be practical and accessible, these Guidelines offer clear guidance that is rooted in the principle of progressive improvement. State-of-the-art recommendations and implementation guidance are provided, drawn from a comprehensive evidence review and established good practices. Additionally, case examples are provided from countries and areas around the world to demonstrate how the guidance in this publication has been implemented in practice in a wide variety of contexts.
Together with WHO’s 2024 Sanitary inspection packages – a supporting tool for the Guidelines for drinking-water quality: small water supplies, these Guidelines update and supersede WHO’s 1997 Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Volume 3: surveillance and control of community supplies. Key changes to this updated publication include a greater focus on preventive risk management and a broader range of small water supplies covered, including those managed by households, communities and professional entities.
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Working towards better COVID-19 outcomes in the WHO European Region.From the first COVID-19 cases in Europe reported on
24 January 2020, the pandemic reached 1 million cases
within 3 months, 10 mi
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llion cases within 8 months, and
100 million cases in Europe alone within 2 years. Over
the course of its two years, COVID-19 has claimed over
1.6 million lives across Europe and Central Asia. The
World Health Organization (WHO) European Region has
accounted for close to a third of the cumulative global
COVID-19 cases and deaths.
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More than two years since the first SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported, the COVID-19 pandemic remains an acute global emergency. In this Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response plan for 2022
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, WHO sets out a number of key strategic adjustments that, if implemented rapidly and consistently at national, regional, and global levels, will enable the world to end the acute phase of the pandemic.
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Disaster Management Reference Handbook Series Overview.
Floods, storms, and wind account for large proportions of displacement compared to other disasters. Floods are the most frequent type of disaster whereas wind-related disasters constitute the
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biggest losses in terms of economic damage, displacement, and number of affected people. ASEAN has succeeded in developing institutions not only for addressing the threat posed by natural hazards but also for building resilience into communities at risk
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Disease Control Priorities, 3rdEdition: Volume 4.
Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are common, highly disabling, and associated with significant premature mortality. The impact of these disorders on the social and economic well-be
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ingof individuals, families, and societies is large, growing, and underestimated
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This document is the third iteration of the Flash Appeal for Ukraine, which was originally published on 1 March 2022 and revised once in mid-April. This updated Flash Appeal covers the period of 10
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months following the onset of the war in Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022 (i.e., from March to December 2022). The financial requirement of this Flash Appeal reflects the humanitarian needs from March until the end of 2022, taking into account the funding status and the response achievements to date, as well as the realistic projection of response capacity in the second half of the year.
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The report will describe how the Ebola Response MPTF, which has attracted contributions from 38 Member States, one business and many individuals, has offered a transparent and strategic tool to support the Ebola response. As of 31 January 2015, the
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Fund had total pledges amounting to US$142 million, out of which US$132 million have been deposited
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According to the International Science Council, the report focuses on identifying the scope of hazards that should be considered in risk reduction efforts, and provides scientifically robust and int
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ernationally agreed definitions of these hazards.
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Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) & injuries and mental health conditions constitute a serious impediment to achieving the vision of Agenda 2063 to build an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens. Each year, these cond
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itions cause millions of premature deaths and disabled lives across Africa. These conditions also lead to annual economic loss of multiple billion US-Dollars. Their burden both in terms of disease morbidity/mortality and socio-economic impact is increasing.
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A Technical Brief for Breakthrough ACTION Field Teams
The COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving global crisis and there
is much that is still emerging in terms of the psychosocial and mental
health consequences
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for the diverse populations affected by this
emergency. This toolkit is based on what is currently available and
will be updated as additional resources become available.
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An interagency guidance note on working with communities in high density settings to plan local approaches to preventing and managing COVID-19. This guidance note is intended for anyone involved
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in COVID-19 risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) efforts in complex and fragile settings in Africa.
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This report is primarily intended for the community of policymakers and researchers concerned about the rising risks of domestic, regional, and global infectious disease epidemics, and the collective failure to take the coordinated actions required
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to reduce such risks. These risks include the expected health, economic, and societal costs that are borne by countries, regions, and even all nations in the case of pandemics (which are worldwide epidemics). These risks also include the consequences of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and its spread within regions and globally. A necessary first step is to monitor whether a broad range of stakeholders are acting to prevent outbreaks from becoming epidemics, whether their capacities to respond to epidemics are robust, and whether preparedness to respond to pandemics and limit the resulting economic and health damage is improving. Analyzing the adequacy of these efforts is vitally important for the decisions of policymakers to invest in the public health and disaster-risk management capacities. Early and effective control of disease outbreaks prevents substantial health and economic costs whether or not the disease can spread globally and become a pandemic.
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The Global vector control response 2017–2030 (GVCR) provides a new strategy to strengthen vector control worldwide through increased capacity, improved surveillance, better coordination and integrated ac
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tion across sectors and diseases.
In May 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA 70.16, which calls on Member States to develop or adapt national vector control strategies and operational plans to align with this strategy.
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For centuries, indigenous peoples around the world have used their traditional knowledge to prepare for, cope with and survive disasters. Their methods and practices originated within their communit
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ies and have been maintained and passed down over generations. Until recently, policy makers have largely ignored this vast body of knowledge, in favor of ‘Western’ science and technologybased methods of disaster risk reduction and response. Today, however, many of these traditional practices are considered important and necessary contributions to the conservation of biodiversity and environmental sustainability. Yet at the same time, this knowledge is under constant threat of being eroded or lost, making these communities more vulnerable...
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This new plan has been developed to build on successes made and lessons learnt from implementation of the two initial plans and to provide a short to medium term strategic anchor against which preparedness and response plans to the corona virus dise
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ase COVID-19 epidemic in the country should focus on for the period June 2021 to June 2022.
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In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States adopted the revised International
Health Regulations (IHR) (2005). The Regulations provide a unique public health fr
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amework in the
form of obligations and recommendations that enable countries to better prevent, prepare for and
respond to public health events and emergencies of potential international concern, including chemical events.
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The purpose of this Emergency Response Framework (ERF) is to clarify WHO’s roles and responsibilities in this regard and to provide a common approach fo
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r its work in emergencies. Ultimately, the ERF requires WHO to act with urgency and predictability to best serve and be accountable to populations affected by emergencies.
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The Handbook is primarily addressed to child protection coordination teams, which may include coordinators, co-leads and information managers, the guidance is equally valid for all members of the child protection coordination group, including nation
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al and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), government representatives and other members, who seek to achieve an effective and coordinated response
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This briefing pack serves this purpose by sharing RCCE/humanitarian coordination experience from country level, feedback from global consultations and addressing frequently asked questions. In paral
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lel, the RCCE Core Group has been working to revise the RCCE Collective Service Strategy. Where possible, we have tried to integrate feedback from relevant stakeholders into this document.
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