scholarly journals The Effectiveness of International Non-Governmental Organizations’ Response Operations during Public Health Emergency: Lessons Learned from the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in Sierra Leone

Author(s):  
Yoon Shin ◽  
Jungwon Yeo ◽  
Kyujin Jung
2016 ◽  
pp. 245-255
Author(s):  
Massoud Samiei

Despite all the progress made in cancer research and in the fight against cancer, the disease cannot be completely eradicated in the foreseeable future. A logical public health measure must therefore focus all efforts on preventing and confining the disease, i.e. a systematic and coordinated approach to reduce the impact of cancer on populations. Such an organised approach is called cancer control. It forms part of a holistic and coordinated approach, called a national cancer control plan/ programme (NCCP), involving the public sector, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector. Policy makers and cancer advocacy groups should consider cancer control planning, and its financing and implementation, a public health necessity and not an option. The model proposed here is a hybrid one. The success of cancer control planning depends greatly on the availability and functionality of local cancer data and knowledge, in addition to adequate resources and government commitment.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrzad Pakjouei ◽  
Aidin Aryankhesal ◽  
Mohammad Kamali ◽  
Hesam Seyedin ◽  
Mohammad Heidari

Purpose Earthquake usually causes death, injury, disability and destruction of buildings and infrastructure, and people with disabilities are usually affected more than healthy people. As undesirable experiences may also have positive outcomes, this study aims to investigate the experiences of PWD and identify the positive effects of earthquakes on them in Iran, as an earthquake-prone country. Design/methodology/approach In this qualitative study, 20 participants were selected purposively among those having physical disability, aged 23-55 years and with experience of an earthquake. Their opinions were collected using semi-structured interviews. Analysis was performed using thematic approach and MAXQDA software was used to organize the data. Findings The positive effects of earthquake were categorized into five main themes: promotion of preparedness, knowledge enhancement, improvement of structures, socio-economic improvement (economic situation enhancement and social cohesion promotion) and outstanding role of national and international non-governmental organizations. Originality/value Although disasters are generally unpleasant, in the long term, they can result in positive effects and may be considered as opportunities to improve the situation and eliminate certain limitations. It is also important to learn from experiences of people with disabilities and apply the lessons learned, for enhancing preparedness and providing better services in the response phase of disaster management. Additionally, paying attention to the positive attitudes of such people, with special conditions and limitations, indicates their enhanced resilience to cope with disasters and emergencies, including COVID-19, which should be taken into consideration by policymakers and planners in future programs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (06) ◽  
pp. 686-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Spang ◽  
Christopher M. Lemieux ◽  
Silvia Strobl

In southern Ontario, multiple organizations apply various approaches to identifying natural heritage systems (NHS). Natural heritage systems comprise a network of natural features and areas, such as protected areas, forests, wetlands, river corridors, lakes, and meadows, as well as the associated natural processes to be conserved and/or managed for various environmental and public services. The application of a variety of approaches can lead to a lack of connections between natural heritage features across political jurisdictions. To further complicate the situation, not all municipalities have the necessary tools and information available to identify and protect NHS nor do they have the capacity to coordinate designing NHS with neighbouring jurisdictions. To address these challenges, a new approach was developed and tested that engages many stakeholders in the collaborative design of a NHS for an ecologically based landscape that crosses several political boundaries. Engagement is an opportunity to work together on common goals with stakeholders, communities, and citizens to find solutions to complex problems and move beyond the traditional consultation that government has used extensively in the past. We engaged a representative group of stakeholders to design and map a scientifically based, quantitatively derived NHS. The engagement process alternated data preparation and analysis activities with target-setting and decision-making by a diverse group of stakeholders, including municipalities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, stewardship groups, landowners, and other interests. Throughout the target-setting process, observations and feedback from the stakeholders were collected. This paper both documents a number of lessons learned through the engagement process, and demonstrates that stakeholder engagement in NHS design has great potential to coordinate conservation efforts across political jurisdictions and the varied mandates of several organizations.


Author(s):  
Rolf Skjong

In the maritime industry the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the UN organization responsible for developing international safety and environmental protection regulations. IMO has now developed the second version of ‘Guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) for use in the IMO rule making process’. The Guidelines are available as circulars both from the Marine Safety Committee (MSC) and the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC). This standard is, as far as the author knows, the first risk assessment standard adopted in an UN organization. The work with developing this standard was initiated in 1995 at IMO based on an UK initiative. As there have been some attempts to develop internationally accepted risk assessment and risk management standards also in other industries, this paper tries to describe some of the experience and lessons learned from developing and implementing FSA at IMO. Paralleling the development of the guidelines there has been a number of applications of the guidelines, recently focusing on bulk carrier safety. Relevant studies have been carried out by UK, by Japan, by Norway and International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), and by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). These studies will be briefly reviewed with respect to methods used, assumptions made and conclusions drawn. The entire process from the initial terms of reference formulated by IMO to the final decisions is considered. The main conclusion is that the maritime industry has made a lot of progress, quite fast, in the use of risk assessment as part of the decision making process. This being the case, despite the many communication problems that arises in discussing risk issues in international forums. Furthermore, the FSA has helped balancing the often conflicting interest of the flag states and non-governmental organizations present in IMO. In 2004, a new initiative was taken on developing Goal Based Standards at IMO. This initiative was taken by Greece and Bahamas, and has now been debated at three meetings of MSC. The paper will also discuss the relationship between GBS and FSA based on the experience gained.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Patel ◽  
Maryann M. D'Alessandro ◽  
Karen J. Ireland ◽  
W. Greg Burel ◽  
Elaine B. Wencil ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Landman

As disasters and conflict increase, a higher proportion of total food aid is given as humanitarian aid. Most food aid is in the form of cereals, primarily wheat. The main donors are the USA and the EU, but there is an increase in the numbers of donors, including non-governmental organizations, buying food rather than using surpluses. Alongside the greater diversity and complexity of food aid, there is more controversy about policy and practice. If disasters are development failures, emergency food aid must be a step in the continuum from relief to rehabilitation. Comparisons of the seventeen countries that were major recipients of food aid (> 10 000 t) in 1997, show diversity in social development, dietary pattern, number of refugees, relative food inadequacy and wasting (i.e. % standard weight-for-height > 2 SD). In the absence of information of consistent quality, what influences the scale of emergency aid is unclear and susceptible to politicization, so that need and supply may not be matched. Local considerations seem to be as important as external food aid for the nutrition of the recipients. Challenges for the future include assuring the nutritional quality of rations to solve deficiency problems. The implications for the professional public health nutritionist working on emergency food provision include continuing professional development to enhance the technical expertise necessary to design appropriate feeds or rations. These public health nutritionists, more than others, require a grounding in social science theories that underpin management, ethics of professionalism and the politics of food aid.


2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Greenberg

AbstractCollaboration at many levels – between governments, non-governmental organizations, regional groups, and academic disciplines – will create the fabric from which a durable peace can be established in the post-9/11 era. Private foundations, even without the vast resources of government agencies, can play an important catalytic role in encouraging collaboration across the spectrum of peacebuilding. Transaction costs and barriers to negotiation can make collaboration difficult for foundations and grantees, but the potential gains from collaboration overcome the costs of time and the risks of uncertainty inherent in collaborative ventures. Foundations can be especially helpful in establishing collaborations linking theory and practice (especially in the area of evaluation); in bringing together grantees in particular geographical areas; and in helping disseminate best practices and lessons learned from peacebuilding experiences. Foundations can create an even stronger voice for peacebuilding if foundation leaders are willing to join together as effectively in the peace and security area as they do in areas such as the environment and public health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Holzmeyer

This article examines research uses and knowledge stakeholder politics that emerged in an exploratory study of the relevance of open access policies to a spectrum of U.S.-based public health non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This study demonstrated the clear relevance to public health NGOs of open access to peer-reviewed articles, as one form of community informatics. Though not always visible to those oriented toward academic knowledge ecosystems, public health NGOs utilize and conduct a wide range of research, both peer-reviewed and otherwise. Hence, findings indicate that public health NGOs should be more fully recognized, by researchers and policymakers in other contexts, as key stakeholders in knowledge, research, and open access ecosystems. These findings contribute to examination of community information seeking and use in the public health field, with an eye to leveraging community informatics on behalf of health equity.


Author(s):  
Ashley Walker ◽  
Jody Oomen-Early

Sierra Leone currently has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. Among those children who have the greatest chance of survival are those who have access to life’s basic needs. Because the government of Sierra Leone does not provide child welfare programming, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often lifelines for millions of children. Few studies have explored the barriers facing these NGOs or have used participatory action research methods to do so. This case study serves agencies working to address barriers to individual and community health in war-torn and developing countries. This research also makes a case for using technology as a tool for community engagement and empowerment. This chapter will highlight the findings of a participatory action research study and describe how Photovoice can be used to build community capacity and mobilize communities, organizations, and governments to bring about social change.


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