Relevance of Contingency Planning to the Humanitarian Nutrition Cluster, Assessment of Nutrition Cluster contingency planning globally, analysis of challenges and lessons learnt of cluster contingency planning

1. Interagency Contingency
Planning and Emergency
Preparedness:
Challenges and Lessons Learnt
V. Harutyunyan M.D.
Head of Health / Merlin
Global Nutrition Cluster Annual Meeting
Geneva, 9 – 11 July 2013

2. Contingency Planning and Emergency
Preparedness: definitions
Contingency planning is a management tool used to
analyse the impact of potential crises and ensure
that adequate and appropriate arrangements are
made in advance to respond in a timely, effective
and appropriate way to the needs of the affected
population(s). (IASC)
Emergency preparedness consists of all activities
taken in anticipation of a crisis to expedite effective
emergency response. This includes contingency
planning, but is not limited to it. (HPN paper No59)

3. Relevance of the Issue
EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database

4. Relevance of the Issue
Commonly accompanied
by food scarcity
(Sphere 2011)
Disaster Data: A Balanced Perspective. Cred Crunch issue 31. March 2013

5. Relevance of the Issue
Uppsala Conflict Data Program

6. Nutrition in disaster prone and conflict
affected countries
• GAM is above 10% in 54% of conflict affected
and 25% of disaster prone countries
GAM >10% Stunting >40%
Haiti, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia,
Chad, Eritrea, India, Indonesia,
Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal,
Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South
Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Yemen,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi,
Central African Republic, DR Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, India,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal,
Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, Yemen
Childinfo.org, UNICEF
Uppsala Conflict Data Program
EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database

7. Overview of Nutrition Cluster Contingency
Planning Status (process)
• 23 humanitarian nutrition coordination groups,
including 21 NC-s currently active: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
CAR, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Guinea, Indonesia, Madagascar,
Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Pacific Region, Pakistan,
Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Yemen
• Sources of data: UNICEF, OCHA, individual NC web
sites, Google search
• Criteria: documented CP, indicative elements of CP,
timelines of developing CP

8. Overview of Nutrition Cluster Contingency
Planning Status (results)
6
17
Contingency Plan
Yes No
1
5
Developed within 1 year
Yes No
33
Scenarios / Risk analysis
Yes No
2
4
Response Strategies
Yes No
2
4
Coordination Arr.
Yes No
2
4
Cluster Partner Contacts
Yes No
33
Preparedness Actions
Yes No
2
4
Standby Capacities
Yes No

9. Challenges
• Resistance to conduct Contingency Planning
• Increasing number of actors, diversity of approaches
and formats
• Complexity of inter-cluster CP process
• Uneven technical and operational capacities of
cluster partners
• Rapid staff turnover, loss of institutional memory
• Ambiguity of roles and responsibilities
• Weak involvement of government
• Limited CP guidance, capacity to facilitate CP
• Underfunding

10. Recommendations / Lessons Learnt
• Advocate with the HCT, Donors, cluster partners and
governments in support of CP/EP
• Give greater attention to the process of CP
• Provide leadership to the CP process and encourage
others to do the same
• Integrate CP within response planning cycle
• Make CP a participatory, multiagency exercise
• Agree level of detail in advance, keep it simple
• Ensure clear allocation of roles with regard to the CP
• Regularly test and update CP

11. Make CP a participatory, multiagency exercise to:
Secure partners’
buy-in and
support
Mobilize technical and
operational capacity of
the cluster
Build
Capacities
Enhance quality
of humanitarian
response
Increase NCC
legitimacy and
teamwork within
the NC

12. Discussion
• What challenges have you faced with enhancing
preparedness of nutrition cluster / sector to respond
to new emergencies?
• How you have addressed them?
• What GNC can do to facilitate / improve country level
Nutrition Clusters contingency planning?