Attachments
East Asia and the Pacific
Despite strong economic growth in many countries in East Asia and the Pacific, children throughout the region, particularly the most vulnerable, remain significantly affected by humanitarian crises. Today, an estimated 4.7 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition across the region.1 East Asia and the Pacific is also the most disaster-prone region in the world, accounting for 70 per cent of the total number of people affected by disasters globally.2 In 2018, a rising number of extreme weather events, such as typhoons, cyclones and floods, struck countries across the region, including the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Tonga and Viet Nam. Increased seismic activity led to a series of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that affected millions of people in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
In total, an estimated 25 million people, including more than 7.5 million children, were affected.3 The impact of natural disasters on the region is likely to increase in 2019, as rapid urbanization, population growth and climate change further exacerbate vulnerabilities and put more children at risk. There is a high likelihood that El Niño conditions will develop in late 2018/early 2019 and increase the risks of severe flooding and drought in several countries.4 During the last El Niño episode in 2015-2016, more than 5 million people were affected by related disasters in six countries in East Asia and the Pacific.5 In addition, unresolved conflict and ethnic strife continue to impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly in Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
Regional humanitarian strategy
The East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office humanitarian strategy focuses on six priorities to strengthen UNICEF’s capacities to address the needs of children affected by emergencies in the region. First, the Regional Office will continue to support small- and medium-sized country offices to respond to emergencies when the needs are beyond government capacities.
This includes country- and regional-level support for preparedness planning, emergency preparedness and response training and simulation exercises and the expansion of the regional standby emergency roster. Second, national actors will receive technical assistance to strengthen systems to provide more child-sensitive and inclusive humanitarian action. Third, UNICEF will support disaster risk reduction, resilience building and stronger linkages between humanitarian action and development programming across the region. This includes building or expanding inclusive shock-responsive social protection and cash transfer systems; implementing safe school initiatives; integrating risk reduction strategies into development plans; and developing strategic approaches to tackling underlying threats such as air pollution and climate change. Fourth, cross-sectoral programme integration will be strengthened to address the needs of children with disabilities, adolescents, women and girls in humanitarian settings, and meet UNICEF’s global commitments on accountability to affected populations and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in emergencies. Fifth, UNICEF will continue to foster regional partnerships with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and the Children in a Changing Climate coalition to improve regional humanitarian action for children. Finally, knowledge management will be strengthened to ensure greater predictability and accountability in humanitarian settings, and efforts to advance humanitarian innovations will be expanded.
Results from 2018
As of 31 October 2018, UNICEF received US$7.2 million for its US$20.1 million appeal (36 per cent funded).6 This includes funding received for the earthquake response in Papua New Guinea. In 2018, the Regional Office supported country office humanitarian responses in eight countries, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Pacific islands, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, reaching an estimated 2.2 million children with life-saving assistance in nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection and education.7 Support included 18 surge deployments within the region through the regional emergency response roster and other mechanisms, as well as the provision of technical and financial support to country offices. In addition, emergency preparedness in all 14 country offices in the region was strengthened through in-country preparedness and disaster risk reduction trainings and the provision of technical support on the implementation of UNICEF’s new global guidance on emergency preparedness. The regional emergency roster training enhanced the emergency response capabilities of 22 staff from 12 countries who were added to the pool of immediate surge capacity in the region. The regional knowledge management function has also been significantly improved through regular webinars and the commissioning of an important research study, entitled ‘Enhancing UNICEF’s Programme Effectiveness in Fragile Contexts in the Pacific’.