Health
Key environmental issues linked to health in a humanitarian response
Key environmental issues linked to health in a humanitarian response
Credit: Unsplash.com/David Thielen Finding substantial reserves of oil and natural gas offers significant opportunities for the social, economic and political development of any country. However, oil & gas exploitation can also pose significant risks, from major accidents as well as from routine operations that cause serious environmental…
Welcome to the online edition of the Disaster Waste Management (DWM) Guidelines. This section contains the relevant tools and general information for those who plan to deploy on disaster waste management missions and those dealing with disaster waste management. We recommend reading the Disaster Waste Management Guidelines…
The impact of Climate Change has already increased the insecurity of vulnerable communities in serval regions across the globe, including exacerbating the loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, competition over scarce resources, human mobility and political and economic instability.
The UNEP division of Technology, Industry and Economics International Environmental Technology Centre has written a compendium which outlines the process of technology selection in the health-care sector based on UNEP's Sustainable Assessment of Technologies (SAT) methodology.
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Latin America and Caribbean Office have developed a policy paper setting out the response services that UNEP can offer in the region. Both through continuing support to ongoing emergencies and response to new requests for support from governments and other UN agencies, UNEP will focus support…
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.
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.
The 'Quick guides' contain key guidance on environmental issues relevant to six sectors of Food Security and Agriculture Sector, Basic Needs Sector, Health Sector, Education Sector, Protection Sector and Livelihood Sector of humanitarian response to population displacement. They underscore the opportunities to minimize negative environmental impacts during humanitarian action.
The Disaster Waste Management Guidelines for Asia Pacific, published by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, is developed to enhance preparedness for disasters by exchanging information, awareness and human resources during normal (non-hazard) times. The guidelines aims to provide a practical tool during a potential disaster as well as in…
The focus of the UNDP Guidance Note on debris management is to provide urgent post-crisis and post-disaster assistance. It offers practical advice to UNDP Country Offices on how to plan, design and implement short-term projects that effectively connects governments and communities in the process of assessment, clearance, recycling and management…
The UNDP Guidance note forms part of a series of UNDP's signature products that aims to respond and support early recovery in immediate crisis and post-crisis contexts with practical advice and guidance to UNDP Country Offices. The objective is to provide guidance on how to plan, design and implement projects…
The Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disaster (REA) is a tool to identify, define, and prioritize potential environmental impacts in disaster situations.
The Sphere Minimum Standards for Healthcare are a practical expression of the right to healthcare in humanitarian contexts. The standards are grounded in the beliefs, principles, duties and rights declared in the Humanitarian Charter, including the right to life with dignity, protection, security, and the right to receive humanitarian assistance…
The guidelines outline the typical environmental impacts of healthcare waste and provides options on how to mitigate or prevent these.
Quick identification of serious environmental concerns in small-scale sanitation activities.
These guidelines were developed with the aim of supporting the full cycle of disaster waste management, from risk reduction and contingency planning through to emergency planning response following a disaster or conflict.
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.
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).
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,…
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.
A policy briefing provided by the international research collaboration The Lancet Countdown, offering an updated analysis of the intersection of climate change and global health. The briefing integrates the findings of the 2018 Lancet Countdown on Climate Change’s International Report with MSF’s documented on-the-ground experiences.
The WHO UNFCCC Climate and Health Country Profile Project provides country-specific estimates of current and future climate hazards. It also identifies the effects of climate change on human health and identifies mitigation and policy change actions. The data is collected via biennial surveys and was completed in 2017.
The Knowledge Hub on Health and Migration is a joint effort committed to building expertise on the public health aspects of migration and making information in this area widely available. The Hub provides tool kits, training materials, reports and schooling to better prepare for the health needs which arise during…
This strategy addresses awareness, assessment and management of asbestos following Cyclone Idai in Mozambique (2019). Drawing from the case study, the strategy provides a general outline of key steps to raise awareness; design trainings; and plan and implement safe removal, handling and disposal of asbestos in emergency situations.
A report conducted by the UNEP regarding the international expert mission to Japan targeting the management of post-disaster debris.
The guidelines for implementing Cash-for-Work Projects (CfW) in the waste management sector is an initiative of Caritas, Action Against Hunger and the Danish Refugee Council. They provide guiding principles and criteria for implementing cfW programs in the waste management sector as a means to achieve environmental goals and improve the…
This document highlights the complex relationship between armed conflict and environmental pollution.
The guide is targeted to emergency planners and environmental technical staff working in a disaster context. It provides detailed guidance on environmental health activities in the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery stages of an emergency.
This WHO page gathers guidance concerning the public health response to technological incidents, e.g. chemical accidents and accidents related to the transport of hazardous goods.
The Health and Environment Linkages Initiative (HELI) is a global effort by WHO and UN Environment to promote and facilitate action in developing countries to reduce environmental threats to human health, in support of sustainable development objectives.
A case study of the disastrous environmental and public health impacts due to the ongoing conflict in Syria.