About Us
lundi 13 février 2012   
 OCHA in Nepal Réduire
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OCHA has been present in Nepal since 2005 with the aim of coordinating effective and principled humanitarian action.  The OCHA Office works on four core functions: alleviate human suffering in Nepal caused by Conflict; promotion of preparedness and prevention efforts to reduce future vulnerability to natural disasters; advocating for the rights of people in need; and facilitating sustainable solutions to address root causes.


The office functions as the secretariat and chief adviser to the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Nepal. The HC is appointed by the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator (also Under-Secretary-General and Head of OCHA) after consultation with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee of organisations from the UN system, Red Cross Movement, and key non-governmental consortia.

As a coordinating body, free from the day-to-day operational challenges, OCHA Nepal focuses on the full spectrum of issues associated with humanitarian assistance. This includes anticipating changes in operational environments and supporting the HC and UNCT set the agenda for common humanitarian actions in Nepal.

OCHA plays a key role in examining and addressing the immediate challenges to humanitarian assistance.  It also plays a role in identifying, monitoring and providing technical and policy support both before and after a crisis. This means working on behalf of, and in consultation with, the larger humanitarian community to seek out ways to predict and possibly avert crises, and to ensure that relief programmes contribute to the larger goals of sustainable development and peace.

For more information on OCHA's activites, visit OCHA On-line.
  
 A Brief History of OCHA Réduire

In December 1991, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 46/182, designed to strengthen the United Nation's response to both complex emergencies and natural disasters.  In addition it aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of the UN's humanitarian operations in the field. 

The resolution also created the high level position of Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC).  This new function would combine into a single UN focal point the functions carried out by representatives of the Secretary-General for major and complex emergencies, as well as the UN's natural disaster functions carried out by the UN Disaster Relief Coordinator, UNDRO. 

Soon after, the Secretary-General established the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and assigned the ERC the status of Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs with offices in New York and Geneva to provide institutional support.

Resolution 46/182 also created the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and the Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF) as key coordination mechanisms and tools of the ERC.

As part of the Secretary-General's programme of reform in 1998, DHA was reorganized into the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA.  Its mandate was expanded to include the coordination of humanitarian response, policy development and humanitarian advocacy.

OCHA carries out its coordination function primarily through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which is chaired by the ERC.  Participants include all humanitarian partners, from UN agencies, funds and programmes to the Red Cross Movement and NGOs. The IASC ensures inter-agency decision-making in response to complex emergencies.  These responses include needs assessments, consolidated appeals, field coordination arrangements and the development of humanitarian policies.

Budget and staffing

The core functions of OCHA are supported by 860 staff members in New York, Geneva and in the field.  OCHA's budget for 2007 is $165,000,000, of which about 10 percent or $11,141,561, comes from the regular UN budget and the remainder (more than $99 million, including projects and field activities) from extra-budgetary resources donated by Member States and donor organizations. 
See OCHA in 2006 for more details.

Emergency Relief Coordinator

The functions of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) are focused in three core areas:

(a) policy development and coordination functions in support of the Secretary-General, ensuring that all humanitarian issues, including those which fall between gaps in existing mandates of agencies such as protection and assistance for internally displaced persons, are addressed;

(b) advocacy of humanitarian issues with political organs, notably the Security Council; and

(c) coordination of humanitarian emergency response, by ensuring that an appropriate response mechanism is established, through Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) consultations, on the ground.

John Holmes of Britian was appointed by the Secretary-General to replace Jan Egeland of  Norway as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.  Mr. Holmes took up his post in March 2007.
  
This website was developed with the assistance of Thematic Funding from the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission in 2004 and 2005