Early Warning and Contingency Planning Section

The Early Warning and Contingency Planning Section (EWCP) within the Coordination and Response Division (CRD) was formed on 1 January 2007, as a result of merging OCHA’s early warning and contingency planning functions in New York.  It is envisaged that by combining these two functions, and placing them in the response side of the organisation, OCHA will be better able to respond with more targeted and timely preparedness actions, both internally and through its partners.

EWCP aims at mainstreaming an Early Warning – Early Action (EW-EA) culture within OCHA by identifying best practices and the improved sharing of EW-EA practices, tools, and systems, and by developing a system that better links Information Management with Early Warning and Emergency Preparedness.  The new Section also puts particular emphasis on sensitising the Regional Offices and CRD desk officers to the latest developments in EW-EA through the provision of training and support through workshops, training sessions and other exercises both in headquarters and in the field.

Provision of  guidance, e.g. the Methodology, to OCHA field and HQ colleagues on how to use humanitarian early warning indicators to assess risks, evaluate trends and write early warning analyses is also another priority to ensure a multi-sectoral and multi-hazard approach in the assessment or evaluation of human vulnerability to potential crises.

The Section also plays an important role advising OCHA management on potential emergency scenarios and preparedness actions that can be pursued at a strategic level to ensure that early warning drives early action at senior levels within OCHA.  It also works closely with the Emergency Preparedness Section in Geneva (EPS) and the Regional Offices (ROs) to develop a common approach to vulnerability assessment, risk analysis, emergency preparedness, contingency planning and training.

The Section also coordinates its work closely with other partners both inside and outside the UN system to identify ways in which the UN can mitigate risks and threats in order to prevent crises and enhance system-wide humanitarian preparedness.  Although the concept of early warning and emergency preparedness has become increasingly mainstreamed among Member States, it remains a sensitive political issue which poses a challenge for HC/RCs and IASC Country teams to fully engage in and support programmes related to early warning, crisis prevention and emergency preparedness.

For further information regarding the activities and priorities of the EWCP, please send an email to: ocha-earlywarning@un.org.