Speeches Shim
Relief organizations continue to assess the extent of damages from Hurricanes Eta and Iota on Colombia’s San Andrés and Providencia islands, where approximately 9,100 people were affected by the storms, according to the UN. To support Colombia’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) and other actors responding to humanitarian needs on the islands, on November 23, USAID/BHA established a humanitarian air bridge to shuttle relief supplies from San Andrés to Providencia—the more heavily impacted of the two islands.
USAID’s Shared Future project works with youth and community and religious leaders to support the durable return for internally displaced persons from the Ninewa Plain.
USAID is supporting the return of displaced populations from ethnic and religious minorities through an integrated, multi-sectoral approach that tailors services to the unique needs of the communities that call this region home.
Through a joint partnership with the Archdiocese of Erbil, USAID is supporting the sustainable reintegration of internally displaced persons in northern Iraq.
USAID’s Safe Return project aims to reintegrate internally displaced persons from minority communities in the Ninewa Plain and Sinjar who are survivors of severe human rights abuses.
USAID is providing direct support to the Ankawa Humanitarian Committee (AHC) of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil to strengthen its ability to deliver relief services for IDPs. The AHC, established by the Archdiocese of Erbil in 2020, is a non-governmental organization that seeks to provide relief programs for displaced persons.
Hurricanes Eta and Iota caused widespread damage and destruction in Colombia’s Providencia and San Andrés islands, including to houses and health facilities, as well as electricity, telecommunications, and water supply infrastructure. More than 2,800 people in San Andrés and approximately 6,300 people in Providencia—the entire population of the island—were estimated to have been affected by the storms, the UN reports. Emergency food assistance, health services, hygiene kits, shelter, and potable water were among the most urgent needs identified as of November 19, according to the UN.
With maximum wind speeds of 140 miles per hour, Hurricane Eta—a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale—made landfall over Nicaragua’s North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region on November 3 and then continued to track inland over northern Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala while gradually weakening before reaching the Caribbean Sea on November 5. Due to the large size and slow movement of the storm, heavy rainfall impacted the entire Central America region for several days.
Health has improved in most countries in Asia over the last several decades. However, public health threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic underscore critical remaining gaps in the insufficient and overstretched health systems, compromising their ability to respond effectively and rapidly.
The Global Health Supply Chain - Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) activity supports the Thai and Laotian Ministries of Health and malaria partners in the procurement, supply chain management, and monitoring and reporting of malaria commodities, such as long-lasting insecticide treated nets, artemisinin-based combination therapies, and malaria rapid diagnostic tests. Through this program, USAID enables Thailand and Laos to become more self-reliant in managing malaria commodities through domestic resources, and to achieve their goals of eliminating malaria by 2024 and 2030, respectively.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.