Disaster Recovery

Managing the Receiving

End of International Aid

Cape Town, 27 July 2006

UN General Assembly Resolution

46/182

• Emergency Relief Coordinator - ERC

• Inter-Agency Standing Committee - IASC

• Consolidated Appeal Process - CAP

• Central Emergency Revolving Fund – CERF

(recently reformed)

OCHA’s Mission

Mobilise and coordinate effective and

principled humanitarian action in

partnership with national and

international actors.

OCHA’s Mandate

• Response coordination

• Policy development

• Humanitarian Advocacy

• Information management

Inter-Agency Standing Committee

• Facilitate inter-agency decision-making

to ensure coordinated and effective

humanitarian response on the ground.

• Broad based membership (UN

humanitarian agencies, IOM, World

Bank, NGOs, and the Red Cross

Movement.

UN Resident Coordinator (RC)

• Appointed by the UN Secretary-General.

• Plays a critical role in coordinating the policies, programmes and actions of the UN system.

• Accountable to the USG/ERC for the facilitation of the international humanitarian response to the crisis.

Normative Framework

• Human rights law;

• International humanitarian law;

• Refugee law.

Principles guiding humanitarian action are

found in the following legal instruments:

Normative Framework

• Codes of conduct,

• Sphere,

• ALNAP.

Some initiatives have been underway to

establish quality and accountability standards

and develop humanitarian targets :

Tenets of International Natural Disaster

Response

• All international assistance is in support of

national authorities - on request

• The UN General Assembly has mandated the

Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) to

coordinate international response. The UN

Resident Coordinator reports to the ERC during

disaster response

Response tools available to OCHA

• 24 hours Duty system

• Situation reports

• Donor Meetings

• Appeals

• ReliefWeb

• Emergency Cash Grants

• Environmental Emergency Section ( VS)

• UNDAC

• INSARAG and International USAR

• OSOCC

•Virtual OSOCC

• Standby Partners staff

•Humanitarian Warehouse

• Military & Civil Defense Assets (MM)

• Surge Capacity ( DZ)

Surge Capacity

• Help set up response coordination

structures;

• Support assessments;

• Issue situation reports;

• Prepare a (flash) appeal.

OCHA Regional Office and Headquarters may deploy staff members during the initial phase of an emergency to:

UNDAC

• For sudden on-set disasters, stand-by

capacity available worldwide, deployment

in (12 - 24 hours)

• On-site coordination in first phase of disaster, essential in international earthquake response

• Coordination/Assessment/Processing information

• Deployed for approx. 3- 4 weeks

• In support of national authorities and UN Resident Coordinator

• Free of cost to recipient country

The UNDAC System

- Staff:

- Deployment:

- Equipment:

- Methodology:

Experienced emergency managers made

available for UNDAC missions by their

respective governments/organizations.

Standard practiced procedures

Mission use immediately available

Ensure standardized methodology by training

in coordination, assessment and information

management. The UNDAC Handbook.

Europe - Africa

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,

France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Norway,

Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK,

Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa

Asia – Pacific

Australia, China

Cook Islands

Fiji, Japan

Korea, India

Iran, Mongolia

Nepal,

New Zealand

Philippines, PNG

Samoa, Singapore

Solomon Islands

Tonga, Vanuatu

176 Active members from 48 Countries and 9

international humanitarian organizations plus trained OCHA Staff

Americas

Argentina, Barbados

Belize, Bermuda

Brazil, British Virgin Is.

Canada, Colombia

Costa Rica, Dominican Rep.

Ecuador, El Salvador

Guatemala, Nicaragua

Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat

Paraguay, Peru, USA,

Turks and Caicos Is.,

Venezuela Int. Humanitarian Org.

IFRC, UNDP, WHO,

WFP, UNEP, UNICEF,

HABITAT, ILO, ECHO

147 UNDAC Missions since 1993 in 74 countries

INSARAG

• Established in 1991 under UN

umbrella

• Global network of stakeholders of

disaster response

• Aim to define standards for

international Urban Search and

Rescue assistance

Collapsed Structures

Natural Manmade

INSARAG Legal Framework

• GA Resolution 57/150 of 16 Dec 2002 on “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International Urban Search and Rescue Assistance” in 2002 – Endorsed INSARAG Guidelines as international standard

– Reaffirmed OCHA as the INSARAG Secretariat

• INSARAG Guidelines – Coordination methodology

– Standardised USAR classification criteria

– Defines responsibilities of responding and affected countries and OCHA

INSARAG Guidelines

• Guidance for international USAR response and preparedness

• The following phases are covered

– Preparedness

– Activation

– Operation

– Reassignment/stand-down

– Return to home base

• Defines responsibilities of affected and responding countries and OCHA

INSARAG Guidelines – USAR TEAM

CLASSIFICATION

• USAR teams classified into:

– Light (10-20 members-rescue or medical). Not recommended for international deployment

– Medium (30-60 staff, equipped & trained, upto 30 tons eqpt, cant sustain 24 hrs operations )

– Heavy (60-150+ staff , 40-60 tons eqpt, capable of full 24-hour operations)

Iran earthquake – Bam, 26 Dec 2003

OSOCC

• The OSOCC is established by the UNDAC

Team in close cooperation with the local

emergency management authorities

(LEMA)

• International USAR teams strengthen the

OSOCC and take active part in the

planning of the USAR operation during

earthquakes

• An OSOCC is not a command centre

Activities taking place in an OSOCC

• Coordination with National Govt authorities

• Platform for General and Cluster Coordination meetings

• Coordination of Needs Assessments

• USAR coordination

• Information display, maps, telecomn facilities

• Briefing of newly arrived entities

• Press information and briefing

The OSOCC in Muzaffarabad

Bam, Iran - The OSOCC and

international responders camp

Bam earthquake -International Response

• 34 USAR teams from 27 countries in 2 days.

• 13 International field hospitals (with 560 doctors & nurses)

• Approx 1600 international staff in Bam from 44 countries

• UNDAC team for coordination

• UN Flash Appeal for $ 31.5 million

• Assistance in cash or kind provided by 60 countries including $ 400 million pledged by UAE

Iran Earthquake – Bam Dec 2003 – Overview of USAR

Teams and international responders

Civil-Military Coordination Section

(CMCS)

• Support for Natural Disaster and Complex Emergency response

• Operational Civil-Military Coordination

– Phased deployment of CMCoord Officers

– Development of Expert Roster

• UN CMCoord Training

• Exercises

• Guidance, Planning, and Tools

Military & Civil Defense Assets (MCDA)

• MCDA comprises relief personnel, equipment,

supplies and services provided by foreign military

and civil defence organizations for International

Disaster Relief Assistance (IDRA, enumerated in

paragraph 61 of Additional Protocol I to the

Geneva Conventions of 1949).

Potential Benefits for the Humanitarian

Community

• Access to extensive logistics capability

• Airlift, sealift, overland transportation

• Medical assistance, supplies, and technical

capabilities

• Communications assets

• Protection

• Manpower

Environmental Emergencies Service

• BACKGROUND:

- integration of humanitarian and environmental

assistance

- joint venture between OCHA and UNEP for almost 15

years

• ROLE:

- mobilization and coordination of assistance in response

to environmental emergencies and natural disasters

with environmental consequences

United Nations Humanitarian

Response Depot

• Provision of life-saving support to victims of disasters or

emergencies.

• Facilitate the provision of emergency relief by actors of

the international humanitarian community

• Advanced storage of essential, non-food, non- medical, emergency relief goods (approx. 20 types of goods in stock)

• Free-of-charge donations to the field

The UNHRD:

Started operations

in August 2000 (before that: Pisa Warehouse,

1985-2000)

Partners to the UNHRD:

WFP (manager + stocks)

OCHA, WHO

World Vision (WVI)

InterSOS

Since 2000:

1,400 tons of relief items

shipped

to 71 destinations

(31 countries)

total value: 9 m US$

Other IASC Response Coordination Tools

UN Humanitarian Air Service

UN Joint Logistic Center

Other Assessment and Coordination

Teams/Mechanisms in the field

USA/Canada DART

IFRC FACT EU DAC

DFID/ERT

WFP FITTEST

EADRCC

HCR ERT

UNDP TRT

UNICEF EMOPS

Emergency Cash Grants

• Made available by UN General Assembly

• At the discretion of ERC

• Up to $ 100, 000 per disaster

• For immediate response to disasters

• Individual UN agencies also have standby

emergency funds

Consolidated Appeal Process

A tool for structuring a coordinated response:

• Strategic planning (common plan),

• Resource mobilisation,

• Coordinated implementation,

• Joint monitoring and evaluation.

Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)

Standby fund to enable more timely and

reliable humanitarian assistance

Up to US $500 million:

• a grant facility of up to US $450 million

• a loan facility of US $50 million

Information Tools and Services

Reliefweb – www.reliefweb.int

• a key source of information on natural disasters and complex emergencies for a wide range of users

IRIN – www.irinnews.org

• a humanitarian news network providing information through text and radio services and provision of photos, films and reports.

SAHIMS – www.sahims.net

OCHA Website

• http://ochaonline.un.org/ (in ‘Tools and

Services’ section)

• http://www.reliefweb.int/

Full information on response tools is available on:

Lessons Learnt

A number of studies provide syntheses of

key lessons learned from relief responses

and recovery programmes following recent

disasters.

Lessons Learnt

• http://www.alnap.org (ALNAP)

• http://www.proventionconsortium.org (Provention Consortium)

• http://www.reliefweb.int (Reliefweb)

• http://www.odi.org.uk (Overseas Development Institute)

• http://www.odihpn.org (ODI’s Humanitarian Practice Network)

Issues affecting coordination and

delivery of assistance

• Responsibility of National Governments

• Capacity of National Governments

• Legal protection for disaster victims

Issues affecting coordination and

delivery of assistance

• Simultaneous Phases of Response

• Varying Levels and Locations of

Coordination

• Unfavourable physical conditions

Issues affecting coordination and

delivery of assistance

• Overwhelming Influx of Mutual and

International Assistance

• International Assistance Provided

Bilaterally

• Role of the Media

Issues affecting coordination and

delivery of assistance

• Numbers and Uneven Standards of

International Responders

• Involvement of the corporate sector

• Collaboration with the military

The Way Forward

• Accumulation of abovementioned factors

significantly influence coordination and

delivery of humanitarian assistance.

• Disaster response preparedness is of the

utmost importance in order to address this

under the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Disaster Response Preparedness

• Structural / organisational preparedness

• Information Preparedness

• Preparedness Planning