Statistics and pandemics effects during 2021
When MSB sums up its operations for 2021, the figures show that we carried out 261 operations in 55 countries, including Sweden. The pandemic still affects our operations, but not to the same extent as last year.
The number of national operations went from a peak of 144 operations in 2020 to 134 in 2021. This is mainly because requests for support due to the corona pandemic decreased, but at the same time, MSB received a record number of requests for airborne fire-fighting support from local rescue services. During the year, 14 regions in Sweden received airborne support through 77 operations, of which 66 by helicopter and 11 by scooping aircraft.
International MSB operations
The humanitarian needs around the world remained very high and the global pandemic affected MSB's humanitarian operations during 2021, just like the previous year. However, adaptations to the situation provided for more staff to be based in the field again and the number of humanitarian operations increased from 70 in 2020, to 78 in 2021. The countries where MSB conducted the highest number of humanitarian operations were Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan. Looking at the financial aspect of MSB’s operations, we see that Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Venezuela also adds to the list of the largest recipients of MSB humanitarian support.
Also, building resilience through strong national and regional disaster risk management systems to prevent and prepare for crises, remained important for MSB. Despite the need to largely shifting to digital activities during the pandemic, MSB's resilience building projects could maintain effective partnerships and provide learning opportunities. Through flexibility and adaptation, as well as creating to new ways of working during 2021 important capacity development activities could continue despite the pandemic.
MSB's peace building and conflict prevention support in 2021 continued to contribute to prevent and decrease consequences of conflict, and create conditions for sustainable peace. These operations where directed to support the EU, UN and OSCE. While some experts continued to work home-based due to the pandemic, many staff also stayed in the field. During 2021, among other activities, MSB revised the UN global Emergency Trauma Bag Training, and developed the security training with the OSCE.