|
|
South Asia Earthquake-2005
Photo by HIC Pakistan
|
Humanitarian worker in Grenada after
Hurricane Ivan, 2004
|
The Resident Coordinator (RC) is one of the first persons to be contacted by the Duty Officer at the onset of a natural disaster. The RC, at this stage, becomes responsible for and accountable to the USG/ERC for the facilitation of the international response to the crises. He will be responsible in contacting the appropriate government agencies in the stricken country and provide updates to the USG/ERC. (More on the UN Country Teams....)
In a full-blown crises, such as the Southeast Asia tsunami, the USG/ERC, in consultation with the members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, may identify the need to designate a humanitarian coordinator (HC). In this case, the HC becomes the most senior UN humanitarian official on the ground for the emergency, accountable to the USG/ERC. (Click here for Terms of Reference of HCs.)
In addition to providing the USG/ERC with updates of developments on the ground, the RC/HC's functions primarily include negotiating humanitarian access, defining the minimum standards for ensuring a safe and effective operating environment, and facilitating coordination through conducting assessments, developing plans of action and monitoring outcomes.
As such, support functions of the Field Office may include:
- Providing support for humanitarian diplomacy or other negotiations, such as for access;
- Contributing to comprehensive and coherent humanitarian action through the collection, analysis and timely dissemination of information, including public information;
- Advising the RC/HC on humanitarian issues and supporting the HC in guiding and overseeing development of the Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) and the preparation of the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP);
- Advising the RC/HC on the allocation of tasks and responsibilities and ensuring that they are reflected in a strategic plan in accordance with agency mandates;
- Participating in inter-agency needs assessments;
- Developing programme coordination with all concerned authorities, donors, peace support operations, the media and the broader humanitarian community, including NGOs;
- Maintaining links, primarily through the relevant desk officer, with OCHA's policy, response, advocacy and information branches in order to provide the RC/HC and country team with advice on policy and advocacy issues; and
- Facilitating the establishment of common logistics, security and communication networks.
OCHA also maintains Regional Disaster Response Advisers (RDRAs) in disaster-prone regions. In addition to supporting country teams, the RDRAs provide technical, strategic and training assistance to governments, UN agencies and regional organizations to improve natural disaster planning and response and to ensure a smooth transition to rehabilitation. For more on RDRAs, click here.
|
Related Links
Role of OCHA New York Office
Role of OCHA Geneva Office
Tools and Services
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
ReliefWeb
How to make donations to OCHA
OCHA Business Orientation Guide
Resources
Humanitarian Appeals
Report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (A/59/228)
General Assembly resolution on the Tsunami A/RES/59/279 Adopted 19 January 2005
Paper published at the Journal of International Affairs, Spring/Summer 2006, on "The uniqueness of international disaster response" by Arjun Katoch
OCHA Geneva Natural Disasters Highlights
|