Building a Stronger, More Predictable Humanitarian Response System

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reform
HUMANITARIAN
reform
HUMANITARIAN
Building a Stronger, More Predictable
Humanitarian Response System
Humanitarian Reform Support Unit, OCHA
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• Whose reform?
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
• Composed of NGO consortia, Red Cross and Red
  Crescent Movement, IOM, World bank and UN
  agencies

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The Three Pillars of the Reform
The Cluster Approach
Humanitarian Coordinators
Humanitarian Financing
Partnerships
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Strengthening Leadershipthe Humanitarian
Coordinator System

• HC/RC strengthening project
• HC Pool of qualified leaders
• Appropriate training and support system for
  existing and future HCs and RCs
• Agreed system for designation of HCs

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Predictable Humanitarian Financing

• CERF
• Emergency Response Funds
• Common Humanitarian Funds (pooled funds)

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Ensuring Capacity Predictability The Cluster
Approach
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AIM OF THE CLUSTER APPROACH

• High standards of predictability, accountability
  and partnership in all sectors or areas of
  activity
• Responsibility to include all humanitarian
  partners
• More strategic and inclusive responses
• Better prioritization of available resources
• Strengthening humanitarian response

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• Cluster/Sector Working Group
• Agriculture
• Camp Coordination Camp Mgmt
• Early Recovery
• Education
• Emergency Shelter
• Emergency Telecomms
• Health
• Logistics
• Nutrition
• Protection
• Water, Sanitation Hygiene

Global Cluster Leads FAO UNHCR IOM
UNDP UNICEF Save the Children UNHCR IFRC
(Convenor) OCHA (UNICEF WFP) WHO WFP UNICEF
UNHCR UNICEF
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What is a Cluster

• A group of organizations providing services
  within the same theme, e.g. health or
  protection with ONE lead
• The cluster ensures overall inclusion of all
  partners, who can then divide into working or
  thematic groups (e.g. child protection or gender)
• Ensures cross-fertilization between organizations
  working within same theme despite different
  focus (e.g. child protection and SGBV)
• Ensures a collective agreement and planning for
  the overall direction of the response within a
  given theme
• Ensures a needs rather than capacity driven
  response

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What is a Cluster Lead

• A cluster lead is an agency/organization that
  commits to take on a leadership role within the
  international humanitarian community in a
  particular sector/area of activity, to ensure
  adequate response and high standards of
  predictability, accountability partnership.
• A cluster lead transcends the agency
  mandate/agenda and coordinates rather than
  dictates

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Responsibilities of field-based cluster/sector
leads (Terms of Reference)

• Inclusion of key humanitarian partners
• Appropriate coordination mechanisms
• Coordination with national/local authorities,
  local civil society etc.
• Participatory and community-based approaches
• Attention to priority cross-cutting issues (age,
  environment, gender, HIV/AIDS etc)
• Inclusion of early recovery strategy in sector
  plans
• Ensure capacity building
• Needs assessment and analysis

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Predictability, Accountability and Partnership
in all response sectors

• Better support to national-led response efforts
• Needs rather than capacity driven response
• Common standards and tools
• Predictable stockpiles and trained expertise
• Unified interface for Governments, donors other
  actors
• First port of call and provider of last
  resort
• Mainstreaming Gender, HIV/AIDS, Environment

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Government/National Authorities

• The Government has primary role in organizing
  humanitarian assistance in a disaster (GA
  Resolution 46/182).
• Reform promotes closer cooperation and linkages
  between national and international partners.
• All humanitarian action must be inclusive
• Training and capacity building.

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Responsibilities of global cluster leads

• Normative
• Standard setting and consolidation of best
  practice
• Build response capacity
• Training and system development at local,
  regional and international levels
• Surge capacity and standby rosters
• Material stockpiles
• Operational Support
• Emergency preparedness
• Advocacy and resource mobilization
• To date, donors have provided USD 60 million to
  build global capacity

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What is the same from previous ways of working?

• Government still responsible for leading the
  response (GA Res 46/182)
• When international assistance is required, UN
  RC/HC still coordinates international response in
  support of government response

What is different from previous ways of working?

• For the first time, clear, agreed focal points
  for every area of humanitarian work
• Governments now have clearer, more predictable
  sectoral counterparts
• Each area led by a designated organisation,
  with a terms of reference
• Terms of Reference sets the standard for a
  coordinated response and accountability
• NGO/Red Cross partners fully included in
  decision-making and planning
• Access to global resources stockpiles,
  technical expertise, tools, standards
• Provider of last resort leads have agreed to
  fill gaps

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• www.humanitarianreform.org