Policy Development and Studies Branch (PDSB)

Role and Mission

• to provide policy guidance and clarity on humanitarian issues
• to support OCHA’s role in the broader humanitarian community, particularly its mission to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.

Focus

• developing a humanitarian policy agenda
• fostering strategic and operational coherence
• improving accountability and effectiveness.

Activities

• crafting practical policies, guidance and analytical tools for use in the field by humanitarian practitioners
• developing aide memoirs and diagnostic tools for political actors
• training to ensure staff and other actors in emergencies are aware of key humanitarian policies and methodologies
• initiating and managing a portfolio of reviews and studies for OCHA and its humanitarian partners
• assisting the field and branches with designing and implementing results-based monitoring and evaluation systems