Joint Operational Framework: Improving Coordinated and Integrated Multi-Sector Cholera Preparedness and Response within Humanitarian Crises

Humanitarian actors often play a significant role in supporting national public health capacity to assess, plan, coordinate and implement preparedness and response measures. There is wide support in strengthening the intersectoral response to disease outbreaks to more efficiently and effectively respond to, contain and potentially prevent disease outbreaks in humanitarian crises. The Global Health Cluster and the Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster have the shared objective of ensuring coherence in achieving common objectives, avoiding duplication of efforts and ensuring areas of greatest need are priortised.

The aim of the Joint Operational Framework is to bring together the Health and WASH Clusters, Humanitarian Country Teams, OCHA, the WHO and UNICEF country offices and others in facilitating and supporting the government to guide a timely and effective response to cholera through effective leadership and multi-sectoral coordination.

The Global Health and WASH Clusters undertook a joint project to develop strategies, in the form of a Joint Operational Framework (JOF), to improve the coordinated and integrated preparedness and response to cholera in countries in humanitarian crisis. The JOF was created in consultation with partners working on the cholera response across different humanitarian contexts and promotes a set of key tasks in the critical areas of leadership, coordination and integrated response to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the cholera preparedness and response efforts.