COVID-19 Portal Update

Urban areas have been epicentres of COVID-19 and continue to be important areas of focus for humanitarian response. This edition of ALNAP's COVID-19 learning updates shares an upcoming webinar and two key resources recently released on urban response and COVID-19.

The Geneva Cities Hub is hosting a webinar on 3 December to consider opportunities and challenges for urban health and well-being with speakers from a number of cities included.

The World Cities Report from UN Habitat looks at the value of sustainable urbanisation in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic which has put urban areas at the centre of the crisis. The report provides policy and evidence analysis to show that resilient cities can be built to bounce back from the pandemic and leveraged in the fight against poverty, inequality, unemployment, climate change and other pressing global challenges.

This annual flagship report by the Mixed Migration Centre looks at cities as the urban frontlines of displacement and mobility. The COVID-19 crisis has affected mobility and mixed migration in a variety of ways, having functioned both as a driver of mixed migration and leading to a standstill in mixed migration elsewhere.

The pandemic has had a strong impact on the health and well-being of children and youth, particularly due to the economic shock that increases risk of child poverty. This week we share two recently published resources relating to the health and welfare of children and youth during COVID-19.

Save the Children calls for Universal Child Benefits (UCB) in this new report as a response to the economic shock of COVID-19. Though many countries face fiscal pressures, the report provides examples of how to establish steps towards UCBs. You can find both the report and short summary below.

This report from the WHO and UNICEF looks at the progress made in improving the health of the world’s women, children and adolescents following the launch fo the Every Woman Every Child movement 10 years ago. It looks specifically at the direct and indirect implications and what needs to be addressed to ensure further progress.

The mental toll on people living through disasters, conflicts and emergencies has been exacerbated during the pandemic and requires consideration in humanitarian response. This week's newsletter shares two resources published in the last week on mental health and psychosocial support as well as a new portal focusing on inclusion.

“The Greatest Need Was to Be Listened to”. This report by the ICRC and IFRC looks at the psychological implications of the pandemic due to both the worries and fears of the virus as well as the consequences following from lockdown measures.

This InterAction report provides insight into the challenges emerging from increased societal stigma around COVID-19. It examines some of the key areas of increased stigmatisation and a clear set of recommendations for different humanitarian actors.

IASC RG2 with ALNAP has launched a new portal on AAP, PSEA and Inclusion. The portal is designed as a go-to place for practitioners working on accountability and inclusion, and also includes some of the latest relevant COVID-19 related resources.

COVID-19 increases the vulnerability of people living in areas impacted by the adverse effects of climate change. As climate change makes disasters more likely, it is imperative to understand the challenges brought on by the pandemic and consider any necessary adaptations to humanitarian disaster preparedness and response measures. This week, we're sharing a key brief and two examples of climate disasters during COVID-19, as well as two upcoming events.

This brief by UNHCR and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research highlights the linkages between COVID-19, displacement and climate change. It presents key facts and an overview of key compound risks as a consequence of these linkages.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has published a study looking at the cascading risks from climate extremes and COVID-19 in South Asia. The study outlines specific cascading risks across the region and shares three key messages for making sure that the most vulnerable are protected during the pandemic.

Bangladesh has been devastated with one of the worst and longest-lasting flooding in recent years, and this report by the Flood Resilience Alliance looks at the latest situation in vulnerable communities.  Through remote online discussions, the report produces findings that show the necessity of improved support as cases of COVID-19 rise simultaneously.

With country borders across the globe tightening up and limiting mobility, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on vulnerable migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The impact means responses must consider how to ensure the safety of these populations. This week, we are sharing three recent resources that look at the effects of the pandemic on migrants and refugees in different parts of the world, and provide insight into how humanitarian organisations and governments alike can adapt to increase protection.

This IFRC report looks to answer fundamental questions about the safety of migrants during COVID-19 and calls for inclusive action to improve protection. Several barriers to their safety are identified and a particularly reoccurring challenge is the way in which national responses and legal frameworks exclude migrants and therefore increase risk during a time of heightened uncertainty. 

The Organization of American States has released a report detailing the current situation of Venezuelans who have returned and are trying to return in the context of COVID-19. The pandemic has resulted in a significant number of Venezuelans returning to their country, with Colombia and Brazil setting up humanitarian corridors to facilitate returns, but the criminalisation of those returnees has aggravated existing vulnerabilities and made the importance of action greater.

Efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 has impacted migrants along the Central Mediterranean Route on different levels. This report by IMREF under DFID looks at the challenges faced by migrants through a mixture of desk reviews, surveys and interviews with stranded migrants and key informants. Through those data sources, the report clearly outlines changes to mobility patterns, vulnerabilities and access to health and protection services.

The nature of the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of national and local actors in responding effectively to the pandemic. However, the question is whether this increased focus can lead to systemic change in the humanitarian sector. This week's newsletter shares 3 resources looking at the importance of localisation in responding to COVID-19 and the challenges local actors face. You can also find upcoming events and other recent resources.

This briefing note by the Humanitarian Policy Group looks at the early implications of COVID-19 for driving systemic change towards more local humanitarian action and leadership, and more complementarity between international and local actors. It outlines the challenges to increasing localisation and how the pandemic can be turned into an opportunity for overdue systematic change.

As part of Groupe URD's COVID-19 Observatory, this briefing note looks at how local solutions have come to light during the crisis and why they should lead to reflection and rethinking of existing aid models. The brief particularly calls on donors to provide flexible and long-term financial support in order to increase the influence of local organisations.

This paper provides a snapshot of the Covid-19 response to date in terms of access to funding, partnerships and decision-making for women-led organisations (WLO) and women's right organisations (WROs). Authored by a number of INGOs partnered with local and national WLO/WROs, the paper provides a series of recommendations for how to increase political and financial support for WLOs and WROs.

Nearly 6 months have passed since the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the spread has had significant repercussions in the humanitarian sector. This week, we're sharing resources that reflect upon the humanitarian response and provide holistic guidance going forward. You can also find upcoming events and other recent resources as usual.

Accompanying the Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2020, Development Initiatives hosted this webinar to discuss humanitarian support to the COVID-19 response. Following a presentation of relevant findings from the report, a panel from across the sector discuss their perspectives on COVID-19 financing and the wider implications for crisis financing.

Following the Global Humanitarian Response Plan from late March, UN OCHA has published a progress report summarising the collective response to the humanitarian impacts of COVID-19 in the 63 countries covered by the response plan. The progress report provides updates on the operational context and the necessary programme adjustments, as well as on funding, sectors, strategic priorities and more.

WHO has developed a guidance document to guide countries to conduct periodic review(s) of their national and subnational COVID-19 response. The guidance document outlines the purpose, scope and approach to conduct the reviews.

Cities are the epicentre of the pandemic, because of which it is crucial that the complexities of urban areas are taken into account in humanitarian responses. Informal settlements in particular have vulnerabilities that invoke significant risk during COVID-19. This week, we've highlighted three key resources on urban response under COVID-19, and you can also find a list of upcoming COVID-19 related webinars and recent resources.

This policy brief by World Vision outlines the risks of COVID-19 to children in urban contexts due to the challenges of protecting against the virus in urban slums, informal settlements and low-income neighbourhoods. Children suffer disproportionately from the difficult living conditions in these spaces, and World Vision has outlined recommendations in this brief for national and local governments, UN agencies, NGOs and donors to best mitigate these risks.

This paper highlights the major challenges and considerations for addressing COVID-19 in informal settlements. It discusses vulnerabilities in a number of different areas and potential health impacts in such settings and looks at how to support local actions and strategy to ensure that responses to COVID-19 do not repeat historical mistakes of stigmatising informal settlements and their residents.

The United Nations has produced a policy brief looking at the challenges in urban areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities are the epicentre of the pandemic, and it is crucial that conscious policy choices are made to ensure that they navigate through the crisis efficiently. This brief provides a set of recommendations touching upon inequalities, local capacities, a green inclusive recovery and more.

COVID-19 is threatening the food security of millions of people around the world. Global supply chains have been disrupted, and coupled with income losses, access to food has become an even bigger challenge during the pandemic. You can find 3 resources identifying food security, agriculture and nutrition issues in this week's newsletter. 

This UN policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition emphasises how the pandemic has exacerbated existing food security issues for hundreds of millions of people who were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition. The brief suggests three sets of actions to address the immediate, near- and medium-term needs to protect people during and beyond the crisis, and to ultimately reshape and build resilient food systems.

Groupe URD's COVID Observatory has released this briefing note on agriculture and food security during COVID-19. It analyses key issues behind the growing threat on food security, and presents proposals for action on agricultural reform, strengthening supply chains and providing financial assistance.

The International Food Policy Research Institute has compiled a selection of blog entries from their extensive COVID-19 blog series which serves to provide key insights and analysis on how the pandemic affects global poverty and food security. The entries range in focus from labour restrictions and remittances to gendered impacts, and constitutes a great source of insights on COVID-19 and food security.

The pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerability and marginalisation of people with disabilities, making it critical that they are not left behind in COVID-19 humanitarian response and recovery. This week's newsletter includes 3 recent resources that provide clear recommendations for humanitarian actors to ensure disability-inclusive action is taken.

UN's policy brief on a disability-inclusive response to COVID-19 highlights the pandemic's impact on people with disabilities on a global scale across a variety of sectors. By doing so, they manage to pinpoint the actions needed on a sectoral level to make the response inclusive and examine how this contributes towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Handicap International has collected and reviewed evidence in this study to illustrate how COVID-19 triggers disproportionate risks and barriers for people with disabilities. The study draws on data and testimonies from a plethora of different humanitarian settings which provides the foundation for a clear set of recommendations to all humanitarian actors in their actions.

OCHA has written an article emphasising the importance of supporting people with disabilities and provides guidance in 6 steps for humanitarian actors

Women and girls face specific risks during a crisis due to gender role expectations and sexual violence. The humanitarian response to COVID-19 must take steps to prevent and mitigate gender based violence. This week, we highlight resources that can help with this, as well as two upcoming COVID-19 webinars.

UN Women has released a briefing note that presents the emerging evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on violence against women and girls. The brief sets out recommendations for all sectors of society, from governments and multilateral institutions to civil society organisations, private companies, and donors.

A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) document provides practical guidance to support frontline gender-based violence (GBV) service providers. As the COVID-19 pandemic is seen to have a negative impact on GBV trends, the guidance note provides useful and concrete steps to be taken.

CARE has published a paper which analyses gender implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in development and humanitarian settings across a range of sectors. The paper also provides specific recommendations to health service delivery actors, development and humanitarian organisations, national governments and donors to ensure that gender implications are considered in COVID-19 responses.

In upcoming events, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), IPC professional societies and Project ECHO have been hosting a weekly webinar series for infection prevention and control (IPC) in healthcare settings. This upcoming webinar will be the last in the series. Recordings of previous webinars can be found here.

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative is running an on-going webinar series to look at how we can continue to build resilience in urban environments during an era of pandemic, climate emergency and rapid urbanisation. An upcoming webinar will look at the scale of corruption in fuelling disasters, and what realistically can be done to make a difference, especially to those most vulnerable in towns and cities.