Humanitarian Cluster System
The Humanitarian Cluster System is used by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to coordinate multi-agency responses to large humanitarian emergencies.[1][2]
History
In 2004, Jan Egeland, the United Nations (UN) Emergency Response Coordinator commissioned a reviewer of the operation of the international humanitarian system, known as the Humanitarian Reform Agenda.[3] The review identified gaps in coordination between UN, Red Cross and non-governmental humanitarian organizations.[3] The cluster system was introduced in 2005 to address the lack of coordination.[1][4]
Clusters
The clusters are defined and categorized by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.[1] Each of the eleven clusters has one UN institution as a coordinator, with some having a secondary UN or non-UN coordinator, as follows:[1]
| Cluster | Coordinating Institution(s) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Camp Coordination and Camp Management | International Organization for Migration and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | Response |
| Early Recovery | United Nations Development Programme | Response |
| Education | UNICEF and Save the Children | Response |
| Emergency Telecommunications | World Food Programme | Service |
| Food Security | World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization | Response |
| Health | World Health Organization | Response |
| Logistics | World Food Programme | Service |
| Nutrition | UNICEF | Response |
| Protection | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | Response |
| Shelter | International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | Response |
| Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Health | UNICEF | Response |
Clusters coordination is done by at meetings chaired by the coordination institution (above) as frequently as deemed necessary during an emergency, as often as daily or as infrequently as quarterly.[3]
In addition to the eleven clusters, there are four identified cross-cutting themes, each with a coordinating agency or agencies:[3]
| Issue | Coordinating institution(s) |
|---|---|
| Age | HelpAge International |
| Environment | United Nations Environment Programme |
| Gender | Which ever two agencies co-chair the Inter-Agency Standing Committee sub-working group on gender |
| HIV/AIDS | UNAIDS |
Clusters coordinate fundraising for their respective humanitarian aid sector.[3] Between the 2005 launch and the 2010 assessment, the cluster coordination mechanism had raised US$57 million through the cluster system, representing less than 1% of total fundraising for the institutions during that period.[3]
Cluster coordination always occurs at a global level, national level, and local level and sometimes happens regionally or provincially depending on the specific circumstances of the emergency.[3]
The cluster system was first used in response to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.[1]
Critique
A 2010 independent assessment of the cluster system found that the use of the cluster system has improved the humanitarian response to gender based violence, inclusion of people with disabilities, child protection, nutrition, water and sanitation in some countries.[3] Use of the cluster system improved the participating organizations' ability to identify gaps in humanitarian needs, and avoid duplication of efforts.[3] Use of the cluster system increased the rate of learning between organizations, and improved the coordination of efforts due to an increase in the predictability of each others actions.[3] The amount of collaboration between United Nations and non-UN organizations improved as a result of the use of the cluster system.[3]
Despite localisation aspiration, the cluster system centers around international humanitarian agencies, and exclude local and national organizations from coordination.[3] Use of the cluster systems challenges the humanitarian principle requiring humanitarian organizations to operate with independence from governments.[3] Poor coordination of clusters prevents activity occurring within that cluster from reaching its maximum potential; many of the coordinators working in clusters lack the necessary skills.[3] Coordination between clusters is absent or weak, resulting in the compromised responses to issues that are relevant to more than one cluster.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e "What is the Cluster Approach? | HumanitarianResponse". www.humanitarianresponse.info. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ "UN IASC Cluster Approach". Disaster Philanthropy. 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Steets, Julia; Binder, Andrew; Krüger, Susanna; Meier, Claudia; Grünewald, François; de Geoffroy, Véronique; Kauffmann, Domitille; Sokpoh, B. (1 April 2010). "Cluster Approach Evaluation II Synthesis Report". www.gppi.net. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Emergency Manual". International Organization for Migration. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)