Attacks on Health Care

As part of its advocacy strategy, the Health Cluster has identified improving the protection of health care providers and service users in crisis-affected contexts as key change area. This is in line with WHO's Attacks on Health Care Initiative that aims at ensuring that essential life-saving health services are provided to emergency-affected populations unhindered by any form of violence or obstruction.

Gender-based violence in health emergencies

With funding from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration, WHO is implementing a project to strengthen its work on GBV in emergencies. The project aims to improve the capacity of the health sector to deliver services to GBV survivors and to enhance prevention in Afghanistan, Bangladesh (Cox's Bazar), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Sexual reproductive health and rights in emergencies

With funding from The Netherlands, WHO in collaboration with UNFPA implemented a project to build the capacity of Health Cluster partners to address unmet reproductive health needs of women and girls in Bangladesh (Cox’s Bazar), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kasai) and Yemen, through cluster and sector coordination mechanisms. 

The Sexual reproductive health and rights in emergencies project ended in July 2021 and has been externally evaluated.