The MISP Readiness assessment tool was developed by the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health (RH) in Crises for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2013 to help country teams assess their readiness to provide the Minimum Initial Service Package for Reproductive Health in the event of a humanitarian crisis.

A total of 18 countries with more than 95 organisations performed their MISP Readiness assessment in 2014, a unique achievement thus far at such a large scale. The tool is composed of 38 indicators, grouped according to the five MISP Objectives and describing an ideal state of preparedness in the country to provide the minimum vital services of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) from the onset of a manmade or natural disaster.

The main results of the assessment show that there is a good enabling environment in most countries to provide SRH services; that the integration of MISP services into the national health emergency response plan and the compliance with international standards are fair on average; and that the comprehensiveness of planned services is best for the MISP Objective 4 dedicated to priority maternal and neonatal health. Crises with temporary settlements and population movements (in-country or cross-border), however, are not sufficiently addressed in planned services. Finally, a key area of improvement in this preparedness phase is coordination, whether it involves national partners or external actors from other sectors and neighbouring countries.