Annual report

108
Annual Report 
2022

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Measles cases rose by almost 80 per cent glob-
ally in the first two months of 2022. Measles 
outbreaks are more likely to occur in countries 
with low measles vaccine coverage. For Asia 
Pacific, such countries include Afghanistan, 
Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Papua New 
Guinea, Myanmar, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands.
Some 327 million people in Asia Pacific lacked 
access to basic drinking water and almost 1.2 
billion lacked a basic sanitation facility. Cholera 
remained a high risk across South and South-East 
Asia, including Bangladesh and India. Asia Pacific 
was also home to more than half of the world’s 
malnourished children, with 79 million children 
aged under five suffering from stunting, and 34 
million children affected by wasting.
Health inequalities were a persistent challenge 
in the Europe region, which is also the worst 
affected by non-communicable diseases. 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia struggled to 
control the spread of HIV, with new infections 
and AIDS-related deaths both continuing to 
rise. At the same time, while the rate of active 
tuberculosis cases has declined in Europe, eight 
countries – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and the 
Russian Federation – experienced challenges 
with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.
In the Middle East and North Africa, instances 
of communicable diseases dropped in 2022 but 
cases of non-communicable diseases were rising. 
Further health challenges were created by the 
ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Palestine, 
and Yemen. Meanwhile, regional refugee crises 
strained the health systems of host countries, 
and refugees and other displaced populations 
faced challenges in accessing and paying for 
health services.
Our approach
The IFRC works with National Societies to reach 
millions of people every year with a wide range 
of health and care services, improving health 
and wellbeing for all.
For many National Societies, their permanent 
presence in at-risk communities is based on 
decades of work to boost health and wellbeing. It 
is this community-based work that has built the 
trust and acceptance required for skilled volun-
teers to build resilience and respond swiftly and 
effectively during emergencies.
As Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers live 
in the communities they support, they have 
an intuitive understanding of the health needs, 
vulnerabilities, and inequities in their own spe-
cific contexts.
This is the power of local humanitarian action. 
This work is supported by the IFRC and our 
generous partners and donors, but it is the local 
responders who are best placed to save and 
improve lives at the community level.
Their local action provides a critical bridge 
between at-risk and marginalized communities 
and their local health and WASH systems. It also 
provides a life-saving frontline response in the 
event of a disaster or crisis.