Disclaimer: the information provided below should be considered as general recommendations on the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) activities to prioritize and suggestions on how to implement them due to the COVID-19 situation in Iraq. Each organization retains the final responsibility for the implementation of activities and should carefully consider the adoption of risk prevention and mitigation measures to ensure the safety and security of its staff and beneficiaries.
- General information
1.1. Humanitarian Operations Cell A COVID-19 Humanitarian Operations Cell (HOC) composed of the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC), Heads of UN agencies and NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) was established on 5 March 2020 to lead the strategic management of the humanitarian response to the COVID-19 situation, including coordination and engagement with government authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and Federal Iraq.
The HOC asked the Clusters to conduct a prioritization exercise of the HRP 2020 activities based on Programme Criticality 1 (PC1)/Programme Criticality 2 (PC2) levels, including the categorization of activities directly relating to COVID-19 containment, prevention or response. On the 9 March 2020, the list of activities was endorsed by the HOC and they were shared with the Government of Iraq and the KRI authoritiesfor their assistance in guaranteeing humanitarian transit and access.
1.2. Prioritization of Activities Priority activities were identified by the Protection Cluster in line with the priority criteria of (1) life-saving response, (2) sensitive protection work, (3) COVID-19 awareness-raising and hygiene outreach related to containing the virus, and (4) specific logistics activity to support 1-3. The criticality of the non-priority activities will be reassessed after a 30 day-period (expected to be conducted by mid-April 2020). These activities have been classified as non-critical within a two week to 30 days window, meaning that activities can be put on hold temporarily if required as preventative measure to limit the opportunity for transmission of COVID-19. However, after 30 days, the level of criticality of activities may be reviewed in light of contextual developments. While activities related to COVID-19 containment, prevention or response are being prioritized, the humanitarian leadership will continue to advocate with the government authorities in KRI and Federal Iraq that all identified PC1/PC2 level activities continue if practicable under current health protocols and government directives.
1.3. Generic Principles The HOC outlined some generic principles that should guide humanitarian partners in conducting their activities including:
Response to COVID-19 needs to be uniform across the operation;
Large gatherings and meetings need to be minimized;
Humanitarian actors are advised to exercise common sense in all movements and activities as this may optically appear against COVID-19 guidance by the beneficiaries. If there are any concerns about their health, staff should not set out on mission as the agencies’ ability to overrule governmental health protocols are limited.
1.4. Communication with Communities All partners are encouraged to use the information materials produced by WHO in relation to the containment, prevention and response to COVID-19 when sharing information with the affected population. Partners who wish to engage in information dissemination should request the technical guidance and support of the Health Cluster prior to conducting awareness-raising activities. The WHO information documents are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PB90ELMHOaQmDYRY8rcUvtNlOOeA78sU