1. HUMANITARIAN REFORM:
STRENTHENING HUMANITARIAN
REPONSE
BUILDING A STRONGER, MORE
PREDICTABLE HUMANITARIAN
RESPONSE SYSTEM

2. WHY WAS A HUMANITARIAN REFORM NEEDED?
Findings from the 2005 Humanitarian Response Review
• Unpredictable capacity and insufficient accountability by
humanitarian actors
• Erratic coordination, weak partnerships
• Long-standing gaps in the humanitarian response, including lack
of commitment to recovery interventions at early stage
• Donor policies inconsistent

3. A CHANGING HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT
• Diverse group of actors
• Increasing number of humanitarian crises
• Competitive funding environment
• Challenges in maintaining necessary humanitarian space
and independence
• Increased public scrutiny of humanitarian action

4. Inter-Agency Standing Committee
Full Members and Standing Invitees
Full Members Standing Invitees
Food and Agricultural International Committee of the
Whose reform?
Organisation (FAO) Red Cross (ICRC)
Office for the Coordination of International Council of Voluntary
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Agencies (ICVA)
United Nations Development International Federation of Red
Programme (UNDP) Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC)
United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) American Council for Voluntary
International Action (InterAction)
United Nations High Comissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) International Organisation for
Migration (IOM)
Composed of NGO consortia, Red United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) Office of the High Commissioner
Cross and Red Crescent
for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Movement, IOM, World bank and World Food Programme (WFP) Office of the Special
Representative of the Secretary
UN agencies General on the Human Rights of
Internally Displaced Persons
World Health Organisation (RSG on HR of IDPs)
(WHO)
Steering Committee for
Humanitarian Response (SCHR)
World Bank (World Bank)

5. Enhance humanitarian response capacity
Predictability, Accountability and Partnership
STRENGTHENING
HUMANITARIAN
RESPONSE
PREDICTABAILITY
LEADERSHIP
CAPACITY &
FINANCING
PARTNERSHIPS

6. WHY PARTNERSHIP?
Humanitarian agencies acknowledge that no single agency can
cover all humanitarian needs
Principles of Partnership:
• Equality
• Transparency
• Results Oriented Approach
• Responsibility
• Complementarity

7. OVERALL HUMANITARIAN LEADERSHIP
• Humanitarian Coordinators
• Selection
• Skills
• Humanitarian Country Teams
• Inclusive
• Strategic
• Accountability

8. ROLE OF THE HC
• Establish and lead Humanitarian Country Team
• Facilitate agreement among humanitarian actors on establishment
of sectors/clusters and designation of sector/cluster leads
• Establish appropriate mechanisms for inter-sectoral coordination
• Coordinate needs assessment, strategic planning, response
planning, monitoring & evaluation, integration of cross-cutting issues
• Advocate for respect for human rights, humanitarian law,
humanitarian principles, and access
• Coordinate inter-agency resource mobilization efforts, including
appeals and requests for CERF funding
• Accountable to the Emergency Relief Coordinator

9. WHAT IS GOOD HUMANITARIAN FINANCING?
• Plurality, diversity and complementarity of funding mechanisms
(majority of funds are bilateral grants)
• Predictable, impartial, equitable, timely
• Ensure UN and non- UN have equitable and transparent modalities to
obtain funding
• Strategies and channels should not inhibit or be to the detriment of
partnerships.

10. THE CLUSTER APPROACH
11 Clusters established and endorsed by IASC
At global level:
• Clear accountable lead agencies
• Stockpiles, surge capacity, and resources
• Operational guidance, toolkits and handbooks
At country and field level:
• Coherent coordination systems
• Less gaps/duplication
• Strengthened partnerships and links to government

11. THE 11 GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN CLUSTERS

12. 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, coordination and resource mobilization

13. COUNTRY LEVEL
Cluster Lead Agencies responsible for ensuring:
• Inclusion of key humanitarian partners
• Establishment of 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)
• Needs assessment and analysis
• Emergency preparedness
• Planning and strategy development
• Application of standards
• Monitoring and reporting
• Advocacy and resource mobilization
• Training and capacity building
• Provision of assistance and services as „provider of last resort‟

14. RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT MOVEMENT
ICRC
• “ICRC is not taking part in the cluster approach”
• Coordination between ICRC and the UN continues to the extent necessary to achieve
efficient operational complementarity
IFRC
• “convener” rather than “cluster lead” for emergency shelter in disasters
• “not committed to being provider of last resort, nor is it accountable to any part of the UN
system”

15. INCLUSION OF EARLY RECOVERY
• Early Recovery is a necessary framework to transition out of
humanitarian assistance
• Lack of commitment to Early Recovery by development agencies,
government and donors
• Responding to critical gaps in response addressed by no one else.

16. PROGRESS TO DATE…
• Roles and responsibilities clearer
• Partnerships and coherence improved
• Fewer response gaps
• Engagement with national authorities – or tracking of ...
• Convergence on definitions, guidelines, and assessment
methodologies
• Shift towards a more programmatic, rather than project-based,
approach
• „Significant potential to enhance overall effectiveness of humanitarian
response‟

17. CHALLENGES REMAIN…
• Stronger in-country leadership
• Inclusive humanitarian country teams
• Preparedness and contingency planning
• In-country and regional capacity development
• Clearer accountability mechanisms
• Sustained political commitment
• Government ownership
• Demonstrated impact on affected population?

18. TRANSFORMATIVE AGENDA
Main elements constituting the Transformative Agenda:
• Etabslishing a mechanism to deploy strong, experienced senior humanitarian
leadership at highest levels.
• Stengthening of leadership capacities and rapid reployment of humanitarian
leaders within the cluster mechanism
• Improvement of strategic planning at country level that clarifies the collective
results – across and within clusters
• Enhancing accountability of the Humanitarian Coordinator and HCT –
ensuring achievement of collective results
• Streamlining coordination mechanisms – adapting to operational
requirements – to better facilitate delivery of results

19. INTER-CLUSTER COORDINATION OF EARLY RECOVERY
Example: Zimbabwe – Context and key challenges