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

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) was established in 1992 to shape humanitarian policy and ensure coordinated and effective humanitarian response. This was in response to General Assembly Resolution 46/182, calling for strengthened coordination of humanitarian assistance. Under the leadership of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), the IASC is a unique inter-agency forum for humanitarian dialogue and decision-making involving a range of UN and non-UN humanitarian partners.

The Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA) is one of four Committees created by the Secretary-General in the framework of the United Nations reform. Under the leadership of the Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs, the primary aim of ECHA is to bring together political, peacekeeping, and security departments of the UN Secretariat to address critical policy and operational matters concerning humanitarian issues and/or crises.

A joint IASC/ECHA Secretariat has the essential role of facilitating the work of the IASC and ECHA as effective, action-oriented and well-coordinated decision-making bodies. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat has a strategic role in supporting the USG/ERC as Chair of both Committees, and the Director of OCHA-Geneva as Chair of the IASC Working Group.

In 2007, the IASC/ECHA Secretariat will continue to focus on key aspects of humanitarian coordination, policy and reform and continue to strengthen the dialogue between UN and non-UN humanitarian agencies. It will support the improvement of the outreach capacity of the IASC in order to ensure an efficient consultative and inclusive process among all members as well as with field stakeholders. The ECHA Secretariat will support the USG and ECHA in ensuring continued coordination among UN Secretariat departments and UN Agencies on humanitarian policy and operational matters and will continue to strengthen and monitor its follow-up on the Committee's decisions and action points.

Against this background, IASC/ECHA's key objectives for 2007 are as follows:

Fully deployed, functioning and funded cluster system (in new emergencies and countries selected by IASC): The IASC Secretariat will play a supporting role toward the implementation of the Cluster Guidance Package (to be endorsed by the IASC Principals in December 2006) and the development of an IASC training module for cluster leads.

Greater engagement and coordination with national and international NGOs:The IASC Secretariat will focus on improving the linkages and synergy of IASC's work by participating in and helping facilitate an annual platform meeting of UN humanitarian agencies and NGOs; establishing pilot humanitarian community partnership teams in selected countries and encouraging greater participation of NGOs in IASC Working Group meetings, Subsidiary Bodies and other IASC initiatives.

Strengthened in-country coordination: The IASC Secretariat will help achieve better coordination at the field offices level by supporting the implementation of the IASC Action Plan to Strengthen the Humanitarian Coordinator's System; the establishment of inclusive humanitarian country teams; and the management of the IASC Pool of Humanitarian Coordinators for rapid deployment to the field.

Shared policy positions (in pursuit of a common humanitarian understanding and messaging) on all issues: The IASC Secretariat will act as a catalyst among IASC member agencies and ensure increased dissemination of IASC products by: facilitating the endorsement and monitoring of IASC agendas, action points and conclusions of all meetings; facilitating the dissemination strategies of specific IASC policy tools, such as the Guidelines for Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings and the Guidelines on Human Rights in Natural Disasters; and improving information management systems to facilitate strategic and timely exchange of humanitarian information through the improved IASC Website.

The ECHA Secretariat will support ECHA in its role of providing strategic advice to the Secretary-General and UN leadership on humanitarian policy issues as a UN inter-agency and inter-departmental forum by: assisting ECHA in preparing background information on humanitarian issues and/or crises and ensuring follow-up on ECHA decisions and action points; and ensuring the efficacy of the interface between ECHA and other inter-agency and inter-developmental bodies, such as the Executive Committee on Peace and Security (ECPS) to strengthen the linkages among humanitarian, peacekeeping and political actors in advocating for and strategizing on humanitarian issues.

Key indicators for 2007

• Number of new situations where the humanitarian country teams are implementing the cluster approach; number of IASC agencies using the training module for cluster leads
• Number of agencies participating in the annual UN and NGO Platform Meeting at the Principal or CEO level; number of pilot humanitarian community partnership teams established in selected countries; number of NGOs presenting in IASC Working Group Meetings and number of NGOs actively participating in IASC Subsidiary Bodies and other IASC initiatives
• Number of RCs and HCs trained; number and percentage of field operations with inclusive humanitarian country teams; greater gender and geographic balance in the HC pool than in 2006
• Percentage of IASC and ECHA action points acted upon and monitored; number of IASC developed tools (or services) aligned with humanitarian reform priorities that have a dissemination strategy; percentage of ECHA meetings attended by senior level executives