Borno, 6 February 2023 - The 12th Joint Operations Review (JOR) on humanitarian support to the northeast commenced on 6 February 2023, in Maiduguri, Borno State. 

The 3-day meeting (6-8 February) is the 12th in a series of its kind, since the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016, declared the humanitarian situation in the northeast at grade 3, owing to its gravity and impact on public health that put intense pressure on healthcare services in the affected communities. 

The WR   reaffirms WHO’s commitment to continue providing the critical leadership and coordination of the health sector partners to provide healthcare services to the population across of the three states, as well as strengthen the capacities of healthcare workers to quality health services to the underserved and vulnerable communities in the region.

Dr Mulombo stresses that the JOR will help identify opportunities and pilot ways to incorporate the recommendations from the Lake-Chad conference which focuses on stabilization, localization, and resilience processes, into the humanitarian response.

Grade 3, is WHO's highest emergency response level in terms of emergency interventions. 
The affected states are Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (tagged BAY States). The humanitarian crisis in the BAY States remains protracted, with an estimated eight million people at risk of displacement, impoverishment and threats of violence. 

WHO and its partners have been implementing operational plans to ensure the provision of quality health services to populations at risk.

The ongoing JOR aim at reviewing the 2022 humanitarian operations in the states and adapting operational strategies in line with the current health challenges in the region. It will also identify the best practices,  especially on the 2022 epidemic outbreaks of both cholera and mpox, and understand what has worked,what has not worked and how to ensure a responsive and relevant approach. 

The discussion will revolve around WHOs four strategic objectives (for northeast humanitarian response) which include:
•    to maintain and improve access and quality of health service delivery and strengthen health systems, 
•    strengthen health information management, including surveillance, prevention, and alert, 
•    strengthen national and partner capacity to promptly respond to and contain outbreaks and other health emergencies, and 
•    ensure effective local leadership, partner coordination, and operations support.

Based on the needs assessment report, baseline data, and strategic analysis, approximately 5, 757,483 people in the region will require health interventions. The interventions targets  4,285,848 persons -  with 621,939 persons in IDP camps, 837,285 out of camps, 1,485,066 returnees, and 1,341,558 persons living in host communities, with life-saving health services.

Meanwhile, the majority of the targeted persons are in Borno State, the epicentre of the crisis.

Asserting the importance of this meeting, an official from Federal Minister for Health (FMOH), Mrs Adegbite Olufunmilola Bolape, says WHO has been a crucial partner in providing targeted life-saving intervention to the vulnerable and underserved populations in the region. 

She expressed appreciation for the WHO for its leadership in championing universal health coverage.
“I remain positive that the WHO would continue to help the BAY states government to ensure effective coordination and provision of essential health services, she says.

The JOR meeting brings together public health experts from the WHO 3-levels (Headquarters, African Region, and the WHO Country Office, Nigeria), officials from the host governments of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Center for Disease Control, Partners, and Donors including ECHO, USAID, and the Government of Germany. 

At the end of the review meeting, it is expected that emergency humanitarian experts will endorse a revised response plan to address residual challenges from 2022 and provide inputs into 2023 plans.

Technical Contacts:
Dr Balami, Kumshida Yakubu; Email: balamik [at] who.int (balamik[at]who[dot]int)
Dr Muraguri, Beatrice; Email: bmuraguri [at] who.int (bmuraguri[at]who[dot]int)