UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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Introduction

In the modern world, the global humanitarian crisis is becoming an issue of paramount importance, which continues to expand in its scale (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). Since the problem grows in complexity, the system of rendering humanitarian aid to those who are in need must adapt to the changing environment to keep pace and stay relevant (OCHA, 2016). The number of people who now desperately need help because of different disasters that occurred to them is always on the rise during the last several decades (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). To improve the effectiveness of the response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the UNOCHA was founded.

UNOCHA Concept and its Major Tasks

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) is an organisation that was established under the resolution 46/182 by the United Nation general assembly in 1991 (WHS, 2016). Now, it is a part of the Secretariat and its primary objective is to unite the forces of all the actors to guarantee that the response provided to each separate emergency is as effective and immediate as possible (WHO, 2016).

The UNOCHA pursues the same goals as the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRC) used to be responsible for before merging with the newly created agency (De Mul, 2002). Having been united, these organisations now carry out the common missions:

to estimate the problems connected with the global humanitarian crises quickly and precisely (OCHA, 2016);
to find solutions to each separate case and to render humanitarian aid with the assistance of both national and international actors (OCHA, 2016);
to relieve by all means human sufferings from natural disasters (OCHA, 2016);
to defend the rights of people who need help (OCHA, 2016);
to promote quick and efficient prevention measures (OCHA, 2016);
to look for partnership (OCHA, 2016)
to find and implement the latest technologies and the most promising ideas (WHS, 2016).

UNOCHA has many offices located throughout the world. There are offices in Afghanistan, Colombia, Chad, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Siria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and a lot of other developing countries (Morris, 2006).

The Range and Effectiveness of the “Clusters” which Resulted from the Humanitarian Reform of the Late 2000s

Almost fifteen years after the foundation of the present humanitarian coordination system, the Humanitarian Reform Agenda introduced a series of new elements into its structure (Dorn, 2009). The purpose of this novelty was to improve the predictability of emergencies, enhance their accountability, and ensure support and partnership. One of the main elements among the new ones was the so-called Cluster Approach (Dorn, 2009).

Clusters can be defined as groups of coordinated humanitarian organisations including those that are not operating within the UN. These agencies are designated by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and represent the main directions of humanitarian aid, i.e. water and food supply, logistics, and health care (Stumpenhorst, Stumpenhorst, & Razum, 2011).

Cluster Lead Agencies are focal points of all clusters, no matter whether they act at the international or national level. Major Cluster Leads are meant to enhance the readiness of the entire system. They also maintain their technical capacity, which is required to react to emergency cases in different regions. Local Cluster Leads are needed to ensure the implementation of the common policy and to contact the government in case of necessity (Stumpenhorst, Stumpenhorst, & Razum, 2011).

The number and the range of clusters for each country, as well as the organization that must control them, are identified following the particular needs of the region and the population (Hicks & Pappas, 2006). The division of labour should be clear-cut as all the sectors must know what exactly they are responsible for. This partially accounts for the success of the Cluster Approach (Stumpenhorst, Stumpenhorst, & Razum, 2011).

The effectiveness of clusters was proved for the first time after the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005. Following the disaster, nine clusters were created in a very short while, which provided the government with a clear picture of the events and the required actions. These clusters also maintained interaction and information sharing. Since then, the system has made progress and is now successfully implemented in thirty countries. However, according to regular evaluations, it still has a long way to go. The major recommendations include the necessity to establish long-lasting coordination systems and to pay more attention to the collaborative result (Hicks & Pappas, 2006).

Conclusion

Despite being criticized for its policy and leadership problems (mainly because of the high turnover rates of coordinators of agencies and the absence of the proper preparation), the UNOCHA continues proving its efficiency all over the world. Its main achievements are:

strengthened partnerships that ensure a quick and effective response to emergencies;
accountability of humanitarian aid;
coordination of efforts among responders which helps find the best ways of working in a team;
operational relevance for each separate region;
successful alleviation of people’s sufferings.

To my mind, all the results obtained prove that the UNOCHA now meets the requirements of the global humanitarian agency with good prospects for further development.

References

Central Intelligence Agency. (2009). The CIA World Factbook 2010. Skyhorse Publishing Inc.

De Mul, E. (2002). Coordination of humanitarian aid—a UN perspective. The Lancet, 360(9329), 335-336.

Dorn, A. W. (2009). Intelligence-led peacekeeping: the United Nations stabilization mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), 2006–07. Intelligence and National Security, 24(6), 805-835.

Hicks, E. K., & Pappas, G. (2006). Coordinating disaster relief after the South Asia earthquake. Society, 43(5), 42-50.

Morris, T. (2006). UNHCR, IDPs and clusters. Forced Migration Review, 25, 54-55.

OCHA. (2016). Global 2016 Humanitarian Overview.

OCHA. (2016). Who We Are.

Stumpenhorst, M., Stumpenhorst, R., & Razum, O. (2011). The UN OCHA cluster approach: gaps between theory and practice. J Public Health, 19(6), 587-592.

WHO. (2016). Complex Emergencies.

WHS. (2016). World Humanitarian Summit Participation.

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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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