PROTECTION NOTE Healthcare In most of the countries in the region, persons of concern have the right to access to national health services and are included in Governments’ response plans. However, in West and Central Africa, and in particular in remote areas hosting refugees and IDPs, public health services are illequipped to deal with the COVID-19 as a result of limited number of trained health personnel, weak case detection management, inadequate treatment units, etc. Ongoing armed conflicts have resulted in the closure of hundreds of health centers, and displaced populations are contributing to overstretching the capacity of those that remain open. In addition, the health situation is already fragile, characterized by the persistence of diseases such as malaria, respiratory infections, measles and diarrhea, exacerbated by a precarious security situation. Response • • • Advocacy at national and regional level for the non-discriminatory access of refugees to public health services and their inclusion in all national, provincial and local contingency, prevention and response plans; Direct support to national health systems to strengthen their infection prevention and healthcare responses, including through the provision of medical equipment and supplies (ambulances, prefabs, personal protective equipment, sanitation products, medicine, etc.) and training of health personnel; Scale-up of UNHCR response in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health sectors in areas with high concentration of displaced population. Education In West and Central African countries, all Governments have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID19 pandemic. These nationwide closures are impacting over 120 million children across the region, including refugee children who are integrated in national education systems in all the countries, and is an unprecedented situation in the history of education. regions. While posing great challenges for education systems throughout the region, these closures are likely to exacerbate the pre-existent learning inequalities. The impact will fall disproportionately on the poorest countries and the most marginalized and vulnerable communities, including refugees and IDPs, especially those living in remote rural areas where the digital divide will worsen the education divide. Closure of schools due to COVID-19 has generalized the realities already faced by many displaced populations coming from areas where hundreds of schools had to close due to violence, especially in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin With regard to tertiary education, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to closure of academic institutions, student dormitories and disrupted learning. www.unhcr.org 5