The purpose of the Emergency Services Branch (ESB) is to expedite the provision of international humanitarian assistance.
Within the overall mandate of OCHA, the ESB is responsible for developing, mobilizing and coordinating the deployment of OCHA’s international rapid response tools and services in support of countries affected by major emergencies.
ESB facilitates humanitarian activities by providing disaster assessment and response coordination, international standard setting for urban search and rescue, and establishing on-site operations coordination centres.
ESB supports OCHA offices in the field through surge capacity and standby partnerships, military and civil liaison and mobilization of military and civil defence assets.
ESB also oversees the dispatch of relief supplies and specialized assistance in environmental emergencies and communication. Disaster-related information is disseminated by means of Reliefweb, the Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities and the Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (Virtual OSOCC).