Humanitarian Coordinators

When faced with the threat of a full-blown crisis, the USG/ERC, in consultation with the members of the IASC, may identify the need to designate a humanitarian coordinator, who becomes the most senior UN humanitarian official on the ground for the emergency, accountable to the USG/ERC for ensuring a quick, effective and well-coordinated assistance.  The appointment of an HC signals both the need for a full-time coordinator of the humanitarian response during the crisis and the need for a long-term humanitarian presence in the country.

Criteria for appointing a humanitarian coordinator

The USG/ERC, in consultation with the IASC, may conclude that a situation requires a humanitarian coordinator because there is a need for:

• Intensive and extensive political management, mediation and coordination to enable the delivery of humanitarian response, including negotiated access to affected populations
• Massive humanitarian assistance requiring action by a range of participants beyond a single national authority
• A high degree of external political support, often from the Security Council

Click here for Terms of Reference for Humanitarian Coordinators