Workshop on Humanitarian Reform and Coordination by NHRPII for Members of SHOC Mogadishu, 17 June 2012 How do we coordinate?

Who is responsible for coordination? How do we coordinate? What mechanisms or structures? Group work 10 min

Coordination - Context Responsibilities of first resort: governments What happens when government services break down? NGOs co-ordinate amongst themselves Examples include: SHOC and the Nairobi- based Somalia NGO Consortium

Coordination - Context Does the UN have responsibilities?

Coordination - Context Does the UN have responsibilities? Yes! The 2005 UN Humanitarian Response Review (HRR) created new coordination mechanisms. Roles and responsibilities of UN Humanitarian Coordinators were more clearly defined, UN agencies (and some non-UN bodies) were assigned as Cluster Leads with formal responsibilities agreed at a global level, and a Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was established to make funding more reliable. Enter: the Inter-agency Standing Committee

Inter-Agency Standing Committee Establishment of the Humanitarian Reform Structure by the IASC IASC: The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is an inter-agency forum of UN and non-UN humanitarian partners founded in 1992, to strengthen humanitarian assistance. The overall objective of the IASC is to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations. The Committee was established following UN General Assembly Resolution 46/182 and resolution 48/57 confirmed that it should be the primary method for inter-agency coordination.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee Full members of the IASC are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (HABITAT), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Inter-Agency Standing Committee Standing invitees of the IASC are the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), the American Council for Voluntary International Action (InterAction), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response and the World Bank.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee Overall Responsibility for Humanitarian Coordination at the UN: Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Chief of the IASC: Mr. Mr Arafat Jamal HQs in Geneva and New York For more information:

So what does the IASC do? In 2005/2006, “Humanitarian Reform” was introduced The set-up for Somalia today is based on that structure What does it entail?

Structure for Somalia For the national level: Humanitarian Coordinator OCHA Tasked by IASC to oversee overall response (incl funding) Tasked by UN Secretary General and General Assembly to coordinate the response and oversee Clusters Health WASHShelterNutrition Food SecProtectionEducation

Structure for Somalia For the Mogadishu/South-Central level: Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator OCHA Tasked by HC to oversee overall response (incl. funding) Tasked by UN Secretary General and General Assembly to coordinate the response and oversee Clusters Health WASHShelterNutrition Food SecProtectionEducation

If the UN is so active, why do NGOs need to be involved? The activities of the Humanitarian Coordinator as a UN representative do not always align fully with the interests of NGOs. Sometimes the Cluster approach is not implemented; where it is, Clusters may cover major operational sectors, but not address broader issues, such as humanitarian space. NGO coordination has a role in addressing these issues and providing accountability.

What is the role of NGOs in the cluster system? Clusters are open to humanitarian actors willing to coordinate their actions and participate in complementary activities. NGOs engage with clusters based on their perception of the relevance of cluster activities to meeting their humanitarian response objectives, their own operational presence and capacity, past performance record and accompanying technical expertise. Involvement in cluster coordination can include: participation in cluster meetings; sharing information on programmatic activities; contributing to the three Ws (Who does What, Where) database; and engagement in cluster functions such as needs assessments, planning, resource mobilisation, response delivery, monitoring implementation and strategic priority setting.

What is the difference between the UN coordination bodies and NGO mechanisms? Most NGO coordination bodies are generally set up in response to one of three conditions: An attempt to externally impose coordination by the UN or government, A gap (or perceived gap) in existing coordination mechanisms, or A need to address NGO interests that will not be addressed by other actors. Government and UN coordination of NGOs can be broadly described as “top-down”, while NGO coordination bodies usually operate “bottom-up” from within the community. However, although common NGO aims can be addressed more effectively on a collective rather than individual basis, an element of leadership from within the NGO community is usually essential for success.

How can my NGO support coordination? Ensure that your field staff have an understanding of what coordination involves, and a clear mandate to coordinate as part of their job descriptions. In some cases, NGO senior management have agreed that a specific percentage of their staff time will be spent on coordination activities, and have included coordination activities within performance evaluations.

What else is being done? Haiti and Pakistan were crucial “Humanitarian Reform” did not work there The UN decided to move to the next level: the Transformative Agenda Key message from Valerie Amos: Key message from Heads of Agencies:

What are the challenges for you/your organisation with regards to Coordination? What difficulties or obstacles do you encounter or foresee with regards to coordination? How can your partners (UN, INGOs) support you? What would you like to see changed in the coordination system, what is your vision? What are your most urgent capacity building needs? Group Work

How do we move forward? Increase collaboration, e.g. between SHOC and the Narobi-based Somalia NGO Consortium Build capacity Keep in touch!

That’s it for today! Thank you for your attention! Please fill in the post-workshop evaluation form! – Thanks!!!! All the best and see you again soon!