Global experience shows that in any emergency and humanitarian setting, large groups of people would be displaced, fleeing their homes in search for safety and shelter. Under these conditions, women and girls become the most vulnerable and are at the highest risk, when it comes to their lives and sexual and reproductive health.Neglecting sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs in a humanitarian crisis has serious consequences in terms of increased deaths from unsafe births, sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies and risky abortions, and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
Recommended and used by the global community since 1996, the Minimal Initial Service Package for Sexual and Reproductive Health (MISP) is a coordinated set of priority life-saving SRH interventions and services to be implemented from the outset (if possible, within 48 hours) of each humanitarian emergency and used ideally within 3-6 months. After this period, ideally, MISP should be integrated into the primary health care sector or replaced by a rebuilt health care system.
The results of the MISP readiness assessment in Kazakhstan demonstrate a certain degree of maturity of the regulatory environment and the civil protection management system, which has significant potential for improving the specific mechanisms for MISP deployment readiness.