Humanitarian Reform Developments

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently prepared an Update on Humanitarian Reform (March 2006). The update describes the humanitarian reform programme that has been adopted based on recommendations made in the Humanitarian Response Review (Aug. 2005), an independent study commissioned by the Emergency Relief Coordinator and supported by the Secretary-General in his June 2005 report on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian assistance. It comprises three components: strengthening the humanitarian response capacity through the “cluster” approach, strengthening the Humanitarian Coordinator System, and ensuring predictable funding through a modernized Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) (due to be launched 9 March 2006).

The World Summit Outcome document has echoed these calls for enhancing coordination of operational activities (see para. 169, pp. 36-37). In a related development, the Secretary-General recently convened a high-level panel to “explore how the UN system could work more coherently and effectively across the world in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment.”

For reports and articles providing background on the humanitarian reform process, please refer to:
- Forced Migration Review 24, IDP Supplement, “Protecting and Assisting the Internally Displaced: The Way Forward” (Oct. 2005)
- HPG Briefing Note, “The Currency of Humanitarian Reform” (Nov. 2005)
- OCHA, Coordination of Humanitarian Response web page
- Talk Back, Special Issue on Humanitarian Reform (Oct. 2005)

Posted in Publications.