Healthcare Waste - within the Sector Environmental Guidelines (SEGs) prepared for USAID under the Agency's Global Environmental Management Support (GEMS and GEMS-II) Program and Environmental Compliance Support (ECOS) Contract. Read More
This study, conducted in 2020 by Groupe URD on behalf of DG ECHO, analyses the environmental footprint of humanitarian assistance. The report looks into both operational and programmatic approaches of areas spanning the greening of offices through to what type of seeds to distribute in livelihood programmes. The report also examines multi-dimensional approaches ranging from the global (e.g. CO2 emissions) to the local (e.g. water table depletion) with indirect, short and long-term impacts. Acknowledged by Groupe URD is that environmental issues can be cross-sectoral including the supply chain and cash transfer programmes, or they can be sector-specific (Shelter, WASH, Health, etc.) and therefore the report highlights the importance to acknowledge adopting multi-pronged approaches in addressing environmental protection. Read More
Download the two page annex here.
Integrating environmental considerations into the humanitarian programming cycle from the onset of the operation enables the prevention and mitigation of future environmental damage, increases the likelihood of humanitarians doing no harm, and helps to increase the resilience of (potentially) affected peoples.
For more information on the development of HNOs, click here.
To access recent HNOs for given countries, click here. Read More
This document highlights the key aspects of safe health-care waste management to guide policy-makers, practitioners and facility managers to provide services in health-care facilities. It is based on the comprehensive and detailed WHO handbook Safe management of wastes from health-care activities. Read More
This study, conducted in 2019 by WHO, looks at safe health care waste management, including segregation, collection, transport, treatment and waste disposal and understands that it is fundamental to wider efforts to provide quality and safe health care. Read More
This study, conducted in 2020, sheds light on a variety of potentials and pitfalls of remote sensing for disaster risk analyses in fragile contexts. This topic gains importance in light of the need to formulate more systemic and better-integrated approaches to risk-informed development. Evidence-based policy recommendations encourage organizational learning and action such as resource pooling, project evaluation and multi-stakeholder cooperation.
The research reveals cutting-edge practical experiences from a dozen in-depth expert interviews, including the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit and UN-SPIDER, the aerospace community NASA, DLR and Maxar, the German development agency GIZ and civil protection authority BBK. Supported by an extensive body of interdisciplinary literature, this work offers a contribution to understanding ambiguous feedback effects of digital technologies in dynamic environments.
The study is available in English only. Read More
This factsheet provides an overview of the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit's IKI Project, an inter-agency project which aims to strengthen climate change adaptation in target humanitarian hotspots. The project supports vulnerable communities, internally displaced people, refugees and host communities that face climate-related risks.
The projects involves three implementing countries, Burundi, Chad and Sudan. The partners involved in the project involve the United Nations World Food Programme, the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit,, UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA).
The IKI Project aims to improve understanding and integration of climate-environment risk planning. It aims to improve clean energy access, proper waste management and encourage reforestation. It also aims to empower communities on a local level so they have the capacity to address the impacts of climate change.
Download the factsheet here.
This study, conducted in 2019, focuses on the definition of climate vulnerability with operational and political perspectives and delivers guidelines for assessing climate vulnerability in long-term crises, such as in conflict-affected countries and recurrent disaster-prone areas.
The research draws on an extensive academic literature review in the fields of biology, political science, sociology and geography. It derives data from a variety of innovative projects and methods in the field of development and humanitarian aid, induced and encouraged by the Grand Bargain. In addition, the research offers a contribution to the IKI Project carried out by the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit in the refugee camp of Gitega Province in Burundi.
The study is available in French only. Read More
The OECD has published a brief on the immediate steps that governments can take to ensure that emergency measures implemented to tackle the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. The brief highlights that the crisis should not derail governments efforts to address pressing environmental challenges and improve environmental health and resilience of societies. Read More
WHO has conducted a Glossary that aims to enable all actors, sectors and communities to work together more efficiently. The glossary is developed to remedy the lack of standardized terminology in the field of Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM). Read More
The Environmental Checklist & Guidance for Shelter Response in Vanuatu was produced to fill the knowledge gap of the Vanuatu Shelter Cluster highlighted during past responses. The Checklist and associated Guidance Notes (in Annexes) link to the Cluster’s Technical Guidelines for Shelter Preparedness and Response to Natural Hazards and aims to inform environmentally sustainable shelter programming by making providing information about environmental considerations, impacts, concerns related to shelter operations. The Environmental Checklist for Shelter Response is designed to guide the shelter coordination team, program managers and field staff through the steps required to ensure that environmental considerations are adequately considered and implemented in humanitarian shelter programs. The tool is in the pilot phase and will be updated after being tested in future responses.
Download the Checklist here
Download the Guidance here
This factsheet is a special issue from the Lessons Learned Bulletin (LLB) and intends to raise awareness of risks associated with shutdown and startup of industrial sites where dangerous substances are present. Read More