|
|
|
| St. George's, capital of Grenada, after Hurricane Ivan, September 2004 |
News of an occurence of a natural disaster is first received by the on-call duty team, in either of the headquarters based in Geneva or New York. These duty officers provide emergency response coverage of new and ongoing emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The duty officers receive information on emergencies by telephone, cables and faxes from various news, weather and alert services. As soon as information is received, the duty officers ensure that it is desseminated immediately to their counterpart and to a list of UN officers who need to be informed. The duty officer will also contact the head of the UN coordinating body in the field to get an initial briefing on the situation and an assessment of damage and casualties.
In most natural disasters, international assistance is extended only when the affected government requests or welcomes it. OCHA's role is to enhance the coherence, effectiveness and timeliness of international response to a disaster through effective coordination.
The New York-based Under-Secretary-General/Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC)
|
|
|
Gonaive, Haiti, following Tropical Storm Jeanne in 2004
|
is responsible for coordinating the overall response to any natural disaster of UN agencies at headquarters and in the field, as well as the various partner agencies. In his role as the principal adviser of the Secretary-General on humanitarian affairs, he will hold consultations with the various actors, including donor governments, established bodies such as the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA) and the Inter-Agency Steering Committee (IASC), media and the public.
OCHA offices in New York, Geneva and the Field follow a series of pre-determined mechanisms and procedures in cases of natural disasters. Each office has an assigned role. (Click on more description of New York, Geneva and Field offices roles.)
OCHA maintains a "tool kit" - the expertise, systems and services - that aim to improve assistance in emergencies (more...).
|
Related Links
Role of OCHA New York Office
Role of OCHA Geneva Office
Role of OCHA Field Offices
Tools and Services
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction:
ReliefWeb
How to make donations to OCHA
OCHA Business Orientation Guide
Resources
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
Humanitarian Updates/ Situation Reports - www.reliefweb.int
|