About OCHA

OCHA's mission is to mobilise and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to:

- Alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies
- Advocate for the rights of people in need
- Promote preparedness and prevention
- Facilitate sustainable solutions.

In December 1991, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 46/182 (click here for English version - click here for all official languages), designed to strengthen the United Nation's response to both complex emergencies and natural disasters. In addition it aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of the UN's humanitarian operations in the field.

OCHA, a department of the UN Secretariat, operates through a network of field offices which support UN Humanitarian Coordinators and country teams. It also maintains regional support offices and Regional Disaster Response Advisors in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

Although a part of the UN Secretariat, OCHA receives only a small percentage of its funding from the regular budget of the United Nations. OCHA relies largely on contributions from Member States, either directly for Headquarters functions or through the Consolidated Appeals for country offices and activities. Such contributions cover the operational expenses (staff and non-staff costs) of core activities, Headquarters projects, the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), and field offices.

OCHA facilitates the work of operational agencies that deliver humanitarian assistance to populations and communities in need. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) has overall responsibility for ensuring coherence of relief efforts in the field. OCHA supports the HC in needs assessments, contingency planning and the formulation of humanitarian programmes. OCHA also provides response tools, and advocacy and information services. The head of OCHA, as Emergency Relief Coordinator, chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which comprises all major humanitarian actors, including the Red Cross Movement and three non-governmental organization (NGO) consortia. By developing common policies, guidelines and standards, the IASC assures a coherent interagency response to complex emergencies and natural and environmental disasters. OCHA also chairs the Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), which develops common UN positions on humanitarian issues.

OCHA solicits donor support mainly through the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and issues emergency appeals on behalf of countries affected by disasters. The CAP, through the consolidated humanitarian action plan (CHAP), is the UN’s foremost tool for coordination and strategic planning during complex emergencies. It also provides an opportunity for advocacy. The UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and country team are responsible for preparing, implementing and reviewing the CAP. On average, some 15 appeals are launched annually to meet the requirements of nearly 40 million people. In sudden-onset disasters OCHA may issue flash appeals for a three to six-month period.

In addition, OCHA manages the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), established by the United Nations to enable agencies to jump-start relief activities and ensure more timely and reliable humanitarian assistance to victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. The CERF is funded by voluntary contributions from around the globe from Member States of the United Nations, private businesses, foundations and individuals. The CERF is intended to complement not substitute, existing humanitarian funding mechanisms such as the UN Consolidated Appeals.

In today’s complex emergencies, civilians are often the direct targets of violence. OCHA works with key stakeholders to develop policies and advocacy strategies designed to ensure the protection of civilians in armed conflict and respect for international humanitarian law. It also seeks to draw attention to “neglected crises” that are not in the media spotlight. Finally, OCHA works with operational agencies to aid an estimated 24 million internally displaced people in the world.

OCHA maintains an in-house emergency response capacity, supported by a 24-hour monitoring and alert system, to deploy staff at short notice to disaster areas. In addition, OCHA supports several “surge capacity” mechanisms and networks that enable the humanitarian community, as a whole, to respond quickly to emergencies and disasters. These include:

- The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination System (UNDAC) can dispatch teams within 12 to 24 hours of a natural disaster or sudden-onset emergency to gather information, assess needs, and coordinate international assistance.

- The On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC), run by the UNDAC team, assists local authorities with coordinating international response teams during disasters. In addition, an internet-based virtual OSOCC facilitates information exchange between responding governments and organizations throughout the relief operation.

- The Environment Standby Experts, a joint venture with the UN Environment Programme, that functions in environmental disasters the same way UNDAC does in natural disasters.

- The Civil-Military Coordination Section (CMCS) ensures military resources, when available and appropriate, are effectively used to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

- The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) is a global platform for developing standards for urban search-and-rescue teams and coordinating international rescue operations.