Office of the Under-Secretary-General/Emergency Relief Coordinator Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator; Director, New York; and Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator/Director, Geneva

Executive and Administrative Offices

Donor and External Relations Section

Inter-Agency Standing Committee/Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (IASC/ECHA) Secretariat

Office of the Under-Secretary-General/Emergency Relief Coordinator Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator; Director, New York; and Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator/Director, Geneva

OFFICE OF THE USG/ERC; DERC; DIRECTOR, NEW YORK AND AERC/ DIRECTOR, GENEVA

Planned Staffing	Regular Budget	Extra-budgetary	Projects	Total
Professional	7	4	-	11
General Service	4	5	-	9
Total	11	9	-	20
Staff costs (US$)	1,889,076	1,240,604	-	3,129,680
Non-staff costs (US$)	185,500	454,260	-	639,760
Total costs (US$)	2,074,576	1,694,864	-	3,769,440
Total requested (US$)				1,694,864

NEW YORK

Planned Staffing	Regular Budget	Extra-budgetary	Projects	Total
Professional	6	2	-	8
General Service	3	3	-	6
Total	9	9	-	14
Staff costs (US$)	1,543,080	582,049	-	2,125,129
Non-staff costs (US$)	147,800	255,380	-	403,180
Total costs (US$)	1,690,880	837,429	-	2,528,309
Total requested (US$)				837,429

GENEVA

Planned Staffing	Regular Budget	Extra-budgetary	Projects	Total
Professional	1	2	-	3
General Service	1	2	-	3
Total	2	4	-	6
Staff costs (US$)	345,996	658,555	-	1,004,551
Non-staff costs (US$)	37,700	198,880	-	236,580
Total costs (US$)	383,696	857,435	-	1,241,131
Total requested (US$)				857,435

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), one of the departments of the UN Secretariat, is headed by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC). The USG/ERC has responsibility for all aspects of the functioning of OCHA in New York, Geneva and the field and acts as the principal advisor to the Secretary-General on humanitarian affairs.

The USG/ERC provides regular briefings to the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Member States and partners on issues with humanitarian consequences. The main functions of the USG/ERC are to: coordinate the response of humanitarian agencies, particularly those of the UN system, in emergencies; to work with governments of affected countries, donors and other interested states in advocating humanitarian initiatives; to chair the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), and to oversee the implementation of their recommendations; to mobilize resources and support for humanitarian programs; and to catalyze better public support for humanitarian issues. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs also has responsibility for overseeing the inter-agency secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) and chairing the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction (IATF/DR). Together with the other members of the Senior Management Team, the ERC ensures effective cooperation with field-based humanitarian, development, political and peacekeeping components of the UN system and travels to countries with prospective or ongoing humanitarian crises to undertake negotiations or review coordination arrangements.

The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator (DERC) supports the USG/ERC in the discharge of these responsibilities. The DERC is the principal advisor to the USG/ERC, with an emphasis on key policy and management issues, and exercises a managerial overview of OCHA, ensuring effective cooperation between New York, Geneva and the field. The DERC ensures liaison with other United Nations Secretariat departments, particularly political affairs and peace-keeping operations as well as UN agency partners. The DERC also oversees the coordination and people management responsibilities of the Directors of the New York and Geneva offices. The Director Geneva is the Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator (AERC) and manager of Geneva-based activities. The AERC supervises the Emergency Services Branch, the Donor and External Relations Section and the IASC Secretariat in Geneva. The AERC also ensures supervision of other Geneva-based functions of OCHA New York. The AERC serves as chair of the IASC Working Group and represents the ERC to governments and organizations in Europe.

The Director New York has OCHA-wide functional management responsibility for all financial management, administrative and personnel issues. The Director New York supervises the Policy Development and Studies and Advocacy and Information Management Branches, as well as the Executive Office, and oversees the coordination and people management responsibilities of the Coordination and Response Division.

The Senior Management Team, in additional to the USG/ERC, the DERC, and the New York and Geneva Directors, includes the Deputy Director Geneva and the Director and the Deputy Director of the Coordination and Response Division, the Director of the Emergency Services Branch, the Director of the Internal Displacement Division and the Director of the Advocacy and Information Management Branch.

Executive management’s overall strategic objectives are to better serve the Secretary-General’s country representatives, to strengthen affected governments’ capacity, and to aid the UN governance bodies in their decision-making processes. In 2006, the ERC will ensure the objectives of OCHA through the following activities:

Activities:

• Improve the humanitarian system’s capacity to respond quickly and effectively to natural
  and human-made crises by pursuing the Secretary-General’s reform agenda and the findings of the Humanitarian Response Review.
• Strengthen OCHA’s, and the UN humanitarian system’s, capacity for response, coordination, advise and support in natural disasters.
• Coordinate, support and monitor the implementation of the strengthened response mechanisms.
• Mobilize and strengthen the coordination support to the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators through the development of tools and initiatives.
• Work actively with donors, including non-traditional and the private sector, to secure funding for appeals and the CERF.
• Contribute to a strategic and substantial development of UN action through cooperation with political, peacekeeping and development elements to promote humanitarian principles and action in integrated missions.
• Bolster management staffing to ensure the appropriate management and development of OCHA’s human and financial resources.
• Lead and promote the functioning of the strengthened International Strategy for Disaster Reduction for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action.
• Promote humanitarian principles, including protection of civilians and neglected emergencies.
• Bring neglected emergencies to the attention of member governments, donors and relevant actors.
• Respond effectively to ongoing and emerging crisis on the basis of the strengthened inter-agency humanitarian response mechanisms.

Indicators:

• A functional, upgraded Central Emergency Response Fund with a grant facility of more than US$ 200 million.
• More equitable funding to neglected emergencies.
• The cluster lead approach adopted in three agreed existing emergencies and in all responses to new crises.
• More timely appointments of Humanitarian Coordinators.
• Amount of private sector and non-traditional donations to appeals and CERF.
• Degree of buy-in of humanitarian actors and donors to humanitarian reform process as determined by acceptance of lead roles in cluster arrangements, participation in upgraded CERF, etc.
• IASC WG produces concrete follow-up to agreements reached on Humanitarian Reform, including conditions for disbursement of CERF funds and support for cluster lead agencies and the identification of 20 possible candidates for HC positions to meet requirements of expanded pool.
• Staff for working-level posts in AO and EO hired; vacant senior posts in AO and EO filled; three vacant D-level posts advertised and filled by end 2006.