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ADPC conducted training on Weather Research and
Forecasting (WRF) Modeling in Maldives
with funding support from UNDP Maldives.
National study tour for emergency
preparedness,
21-23 Jul, Thailand
The International Organisation for
Migration (IOM) Thailand
and ADPC hosted a study tour for
participants from organizations working
with vulnerable communities in Thailand.
The study tour was held in Chiang Rai
and involved participants in the
pandemic simulation exercise coordinated
by IOM in cooperation with the Thai
Ministry of Public Health. International
Rescue Committee’s presentation of
pandemic preparedness planning in
refugee camps in Thailand provided a
contrasting perspective to IOM’s work
with migrant communities.
Through their observation of IOM’s work
in emergency preparedness planning and
through discussions with stakeholders –
including representatives of migrant
communities – study tour participants
identified some key lessons that might
benefit community-based emergency
preparedness planning elsewhere. For
example:
Lesson 1: Emergency preparedness plans are incomplete if they do not
take into account the risks specific to
vulnerable communities. Morevoer, when
dealing with vulnerable groups such as
migrants or refugees, it is important to
take into account the contexts, needs
and priorities of these groups. For
groups characterized by insecurity and
poverty, AHI is often far from an
immediate priority – projects should
therefore address AHI within the context
of more immediate livelihood and
security concerns.
Lesson 2: There are challenges specific to working with groups such
as migrants or refugees in Thailand. For
instance, many migrants in Thailand are
unregistered and have no legitimate
access to mainstream health and
education services; language, cultural,
social and political barriers also exist
to the integration of migrant groups in
national emergency preparedness plans.
These factors need to be taken into
account and a pragmatic attitude to
emergency planning often needs to be
adopted (e.g. to access migrant
communities, it is often necessary to
work through informal channels for
communication and service provision).
The study tour was an activity under the
‘Strengthening Community- Based
Approaches to Management of Avian and
Human Influenza (AHI) in Asia’, an AHI-NGO-RC/RC
Asia Partnership, comprising of ADPC,
CARE, IFRC and the IRC. For more
information on this ADB-funded project,
please visit
http://www.adpc.net/communityAHI-Asia/.
Workshop on strengthening and sustaining
capacity to manage psychosocial aspects
of disasters and complex emergencies in
Asia, 31 Jul-1 Aug, Bangkok, Thailand
The workshop strengthened the regional,
national and community capacities to
manage the mental health and
psychosocial aspects of disasters,
complex emergencies and epidemics on
communities in Asia in collaboration
with
USAID. The
workshop reviewed and presented the
output developed from an initial scoping
workshop and field studies conducted in
four countries, Indonesia, Philippines,
Sri Lanka and Thailand. The workshop
finalized a set of recommendations and a
plan for developing a regional program
for strengthening and sustaining
regional, national and community
capacities for reducing the impact of
disasters, complex emergencies and
epidemics on communities in Asia.
Public Health in Complex Emergencies
training program (PHCE-7), 11-23 Aug,
Bangkok, Thailand
The seventh international training
course on Public Health in Complex
Emergencies (PHCE) course is underway
and focuses on critical public health
issues faced by NGO/PVO personnel
working in complex emergencies. The goal
of the course is to enhance the capacity
of humanitarian assistance workers and
their organizations to respond to the
health needs of refugees and internally
displaced persons affected by these
emergencies. Participants will master
key competencies in the sectors:
Context of Emergencies,
Reproductive Health, Epidemiology,
Weapons, Violence and Trauma,
Communicable Disease, Protection and
Security, Psychosocial Issues,
Environmental Health Nutrition.
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