Neglected and in Crisis: NCDs as a Priority in Humanitarian Settings

Living with and managing a chronic condition can be challenging in any circumstances. However, people living with NCDs face even greater challenges when living in a humanitarian setting.

Humanitarian emergencies threaten the health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people.They include natural disasters, public health emergencies and armed conflict, and may combine multiple crises, such as war and the ever-increasing threat from climate change. Over time, an acute emergency can become protracted, with people potentially displaced people from their homes for decades.

This policy brief addresses the need to prioritise people living with NCDs in any humanitarian setting – whether a short-term emergency or a more protracted crisis.

The publication is complemented by a collection of three case studies from the North Africa and Middle East region (MENA), Ukraine and Kenya.