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Rapid response means taking quick action to support life-saving humanitarian activities at the beginning of a sudden-onset crisis or for slow-onset crises. This requires anticipation and preparation.

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In simple terms as defined by the oxford dictionary, a rapid response refers to having the necessary training and equipment to be able to act quickly when there is an emergency such as an accident, an attack or a natural disaster. As climate changes nad other brought on by pandics and wars can bring about more natural disasters, a rapid response that coordinates support by many entities requires a coordination mechanism.  I believe this mechanisms or strategies help to mobilize resources and coordinate and monitor the actions all involved.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, UNAIDS as part of the UNCT contributed to developing proposals for MPTF funding to support people and regions most affected by the pandemic and a monitoring system was setup. UNAIDS directly conducted online surveys with people living with HIV to understand their needs and how to support them. As a result, we were able to support the national programme to change their policy for multi-month dispensing and prioritization of people living with HIV for the vaccine.

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Rapid response is having the capabilities to solve a critical emergency trough a reactive coordinated mechanism including rapid assessment of the situation, team coordinated work, the use of qualitative and quantitative information and also the use of learned experiences in similar contexts. I have used rapid response during COVID-19 crisis in my former duty station to avoid disruption of HIV critiacl services by creating a coordination plan and mechanisms with HIV development partners and country auhorities.

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The successful gains made in the response HIV are fragile and require more attention and action to protect. This situation becomes more pronounced during the emergency and humanitarian crises.

My understanding of rapid response is that during emergencies, all efforts should made to alleviate the suffering of the affected population, restore basic services and facilitate continuation or services. The planning and response has to be done within the shortest possible time as the situation is not normal and therefore the response has to be rapid.  The longer it takes to response the more likely  that lives will be lost, services disrupted and this can compound the situation .

Malawi has been severely affected health and weather related emergencies and the recent ones being the outbreak of cholera , polio and  Cyclone Freddy at a time the country is still recovering from COVID19.

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Rapid response is the immediate actions taken to save the lives and livelihoods of people affected by a disaster. Meeting the needs of those people immediately after the disaster strikes while undertaking a needs assessment for the needs in the medium and longer terms. Rapid response to crises require coordination among partners to address the multi-faceted needs of the affected population.

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According to the dictionary, rapid response means : having the necessary training and equipment to be able to act quickly when there is an emergency such as an accident, an attack or a natural disaster.
I have been posted to many countries facing emergencies, and from my own experience, I can say the use of a "rapid response" in term of emergency, is the prerrogative of the national authorities at the highest level.

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Rapid response approach entails quickly making decisions to strengthen the readiness, recognition and response to a sudden-onset, or significantly deteriorating, humanitarian crisis such as pandemics, climate disasters or wars that cost lives and livelihoods.

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For UNAIDS, I believe rapid response refers to: urgent and time-sensitive actions need to be taken under various types of humanitarian and other crises (e.g. political, security, environmental) to ensure continuation of access to HIV-related services (prevention, treatment, etc.) as well as access to humanitarian aid and basic services (provided by the government, UN and other humanitarian agencies/outlets) for people living with and affected by HIV (key populations and others who face elevated risks including family members and communities) and addressing any human rights violations faced by them.

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Rapid response presumes an emergency situation needs to be address to avert a serious outcome or to mitigate an already bad situation. For instance, the access to ARVs by PLHIV during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions to movement. It was necessary in this situation to put in place hotlines and rapid response teams to reach out to PLHIV who had ran out of ARV stock.

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Rapis response is a quick reaction to an emergency or dangerous situation with aim to prevent and resolve the problem

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A rapid response refers to a swift and coordinated action taken in response to a specific situation or crisis - a public health emergency, a natural disaster, etc

I was involved in the UNAIDS WCA rapid response to the COVID, or supply chain disruptions in Guatemala which had led to a shortage of ARVs for children.

Key elements of a rapid response include efficient communication, effective coordination, mobilization of resources, and swift decision-making.

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Rapid response means immediate life-saving interventions targeting a population during a crisis. A rapid response approach was used during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue the provision of ARV to patient during the lockdown and the confinement. Using the existing network of community health workers, we have established a community distribution system of ARV including the set up of a hotline for patients and a WhatsApp line for their ARV requests. This system was established the first weeks of the pandemic before it was formalized with an official note from the Ministry of health and included in the contingency plan.

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Rapid response refers to a mechanism in humanitarian crises to have access to rapid funding, in order to monitor humanitarian action, conduct multisector assessments, and respond to households suffering from a crisis.
UNAIDS did not lead on this in Togo or Benin, but we were of course part in both countries of the rapid response to COVID-19 where the RC/WHO played a leading role.

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Rapid response_UCO Armenia, Roza Babayan

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Rapid response_UCO Armenia, Roza Babayan

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Rapid response means a response action to a situation that may cause an immediate and serious threat of harm to human health or the environment.
The UNAIDS UCO in Armenia used a rapid response approach in 2022 due to the situation in the Lachin corridor – the only road, connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the entire world.
The blockage of the Lachin corridor in fact constitutes a blockade of the entire Artsakh with 120 000 population. The blockage of the only road in and out of Artsakh has also generated a serious medical crisis for Artsakh’s healthcare system. The UNAIDS UCO Armenia actively collaborated with relevant organizations Ministry of Health, the National Center for Infectious Diseases and RWRP NGO,  and the International Committee of the Red Cross. As a result of this joint effort, ARV medication was rapidly and successfully delivered to more than 60 beneficiaries living with HIV in Artsakh.

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The term "rapid response" refers to immediate life-saving intervention through the deployment of technical and financial resources in programmatic actions to address the needs of a humanitarian crisis or emergency. This requires a rapid assessment of the situation with sequential monitoring of the evolution of the situation and the response capacity according to the identified needs, providing assistance to the affected populations. The effective coordination of the different actors, organized in a network, is fundamental in order to have an adequate administration of the technical and financial resources.

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What do we mean rapid response? - Marc SABA

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What do we mean rapid response? - Marc SABA

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Rapid response applies when we must address needs in an urgent and emergency context. It means lifesaving interventions undertaken to respond to crisis where populations at large scale is put at risks or exposed consecutively to epidemic, natural catastrophes such as floods, food insecurity, earthquake, volcano eruption etc ….). The rapid response involves a rapid assessment of needs which is to be the first work to do before organizing, coordinating, and providing the services to victims, affected and vulnerable populations. In connection to the HIV response in humanitarian context, UNAIDS country office should be fully involved at the different phases from the rapid need assessment to the effective services delivery (prevention package, treatment, care, and support package to PLHIV, vulnerable populations etc…). The role of UNAIDS is to make sure HIV services are integrated in the package of services for direct victims and affected people. Usually, governmental infrastructures and systems are overwhelmed when happen crisis and emergencies situation which need rapid response to save and protect life. In these circumstances, additional human and financial resources are needed for need assessment, quick and strong mechanism and quick and efficient services delivery to victims and affected situation. As the world is facing emergencies increasingly, it become necessary to anticipate planning responses to crisis including epidemic crisis preparedness. UNAIDS as a convener and facilitator is called to play a critical role in supporting country to be ready to face any upcoming epidemic crisis and to mitigate the risks on the HIV response.

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Rapid response in the context of humanitarian/emergency operation: Richard AMENYAH (Jamaica)

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Rapid response in the context of humanitarian/emergency operation: Richard AMENYAH (Jamaica)

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In the context of the United Nations humanitarian and emergency operations, "rapid response" refers to the immediate and swift deployment of technical and financial resources including humanitarian experts, technology, and equipment assistance to address urgent and critical needs in a humanitarian crisis or emergency situation. The primary goal of rapid response is to provide timely, effective and efficient assistance to affected populations, alleviate suffering, and save lives.

Any successful rapid response has key elements:

·       Speed to save lives

·       Intelligence gathering via rapid situational assessments and accurately collecting regular information on the changing nature of the situation and the on-going response; doing critical risk analysis of threats in terms of likelihood and impact and safety recommendations to mitigate the risk/threats.

·       Effective coordination within and among partners with clear division of labor within the disaster response in the form stewardship of humanitarian clusters and clearly defining reporting mechanism and agreement on who takes ultimate responsibility and ownership of the rapid response to mitigate impact and to save lives whiles protecting safety of UN personnel deployed.

·       Rapid mobilization of financial resources using flexibilities for contingency responses.

·       The pre-positioning of essential humanitarian supplies in strategic reserves and warehouses, such as food, water, shelter materials, medical kits, and logistics equipment, is often done in strategic locations before a crisis occurs.

·       Deployment of humanitarian experts who are fit-for-purpose is critical for any successful rapid response in a humanitarian context with the ultimate goal of ensuring that life-saving assistance and protection are delivered promptly to those in need during crises such as natural disasters, conflicts, epidemics, or other emergencies.