Emergency preparedness for SRH in ESA: Results of the MISP Readiness Assessment 2022

In 2022, the 2gether 4 SRHR programme engaged with 22 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region to conduct a MISP Readiness Assessment (IPPF, IAWG, UNFPA, 2020), which allowed countries to identify gaps in preparedness.

This region-wide assessment provided a unique opportunity to  take stock of strengths and weaknesses regarding  preparedness and will serve as a baseline for future  targeted SRH preparedness work.

Whereas the overall results of the assessment highlight that countries may have provisions for preparedness and disaster risk management, activities and strategies specific to SRH preparedness are often limited, resulting in weak resilience capacity. Very few countries have a supportive  legislative environment that supports specifically  SRH in emergencies; SRH-specific data collection tools in emergencies are inadequate; coordination mechanisms rarely focus on preparedness issues, but are rather reactive, covering emergencies; and specific funding for SRH preparedness is very scarce and is to a very limited extent covered by domestic  resources.