The Humanitarian Coordinator:
Effective coordination of humanitarian action in the field hinges on humanitarian coordination leaders: The Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) or Resident Coordinators (RCs). If international humanitarian assistance is required, the HC or RC is responsible for leading and coordinating the efforts of humanitarian organizations (both UN and non-UN) with a view to ensuring that they are principled, timely, effective and efficient, and contribute to longer-term recovery. The HC is appointed by the ERC, in consultation with the IASC, and has the responsibility for the overall coordination and effectiveness of the international humanitarian response in support of and in coordination with national and local authorities, whenever possible.
| The Roles of the Resident Coordinator and the Humanitarian Coordinator |
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In some cases, where a separate HC position has not been established, the Resident Coordinator (RC) is designated as HC (often called an RC/HC) and is accountable for leading the humanitarian effort in addition to being accountable for developmental activities. However, for most major humanitarian crises, a separate position is created. While the HC is the senior humanitarian official of the UN, the RC is the highest UN official overall and generally, the chief of the UN diplomatic mission in a country. The RC is the designated representative of the UN Secretary-General and leader of the UN Country Team (UNCT). Following reforms of the UN development system (2019), the RCs are employed by the United Nations Secretariat and report directly to the Secretary-General of the United Nations The HC or, in the absence of an HC position, the RC, is responsible for ensuring complementarity between the HCT and the UNCT for example in areas of preparedness, early recovery and strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus. More details can be found in the IASC Handbook for the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (IASC, 2021). |
Humanitarian Architecture at Global Level and at Country Level:
Humanitarian Country Team:
The humanitarian country team (HCT), under the leadership of the HC (or RC), is the centrepiece of the international humanitarian ‘coordination architecture’ at country level. The team is set up at the outset of a humanitarian crisis to bring together operationally relevant actors (for reference, see the standard IASC TOR for HCTs (IASC, 2017)). It represents the humanitarian community and includes country representatives (or equivalent) of relevant UN agencies, elected/selected NGOs and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. All UN agencies involved in humanitarian and early recovery response are HCT members whereas international and national NGOs, usually, are selected by the (I)NGOs coordination platforms, with some selected based on their expertise or humanitarian weight.
The government, relevant civil society organisations and donors may be invited to participate in meetings. In some countries, the HCT also conduct “HCT+” meetings with donors and/or other stakeholders while, in some locations, cluster coordinators attend the HCT meetings on regular basis or ad-hoc basis. In some countries, one or more cluster coordinators can represent the coordinators as a while and report back to the ICCG on any relevant HCT decisions/discussions. Where possible, the HCT complements government-led coordination structures and response and will generally ensure a response is coordinated with national, sub-national and local level authorities.
The HCT’s role is to provide the strategic direction for a collective humanitarian response (set out in a common strategic plan) and to ensure that humanitarian action is well coordinated, principled, timely, effective, and efficient. It also ensures that adequate preparedness, risk and security management measures are in place, and it oversees the various coordination bodies (e.g. the Inter Cluster Coordination Group and other task-oriented groups set up by the HCT) that are part of the humanitarian coordination structure. Where possible, the HCT complements government-led coordination structures and response and will generally ensure a response is coordinated with national, sub-national and local level authorities.
TORs highlighting the responsibilities and accountability of HCTs (as well as of the HCs, the CLAs and cluster coordinators), are country specific. The HCT is ultimately accountable to the affected population.
Diagram:
The FSC in a typical humanitarian coordination structure at country level.
FAO and WFP Engagement in the Humanitarian Country Team
The FAO Representative and the WFP Country Director have the responsibility to proactively engage in HCT discussions and strategic decision-making during all phases of a response, representing the interests of both FAO and WFP respectively and the interests of the FSC. Where the FSC has not been activated, the FAO and WFP representatives/country directors still have a responsibility to represent the interests of the sector partners as a collective.
Links between the FSC and HCT Examples of how the FSC Coordinator can work more closely with the HCT and how the system is organized to ensure close links between the HCT and the clusters | |
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Through the Inter Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) | Cluster and inter-cluster meetings are often sequenced, enabling them to feed issues into the HCT’s agenda effectively – the FSC Coordinator can raise key issues at the ICCG and OCHA will then update the HCT if relevant. OCHA, as ICCG chair, provides a link between the HCT and clusters. In addition, the HCT and ICCG should share notes of their meetings. See more on OCHA and ICCG under 4.3. |
HCT Meetings | The FSC Coordinator may attend thematic HCT meetings to provide technical and operational expertise. For example, the Coordinator may be invited to present key assessment findings, analysis or particular FSC/sector updates to the HCT, which might help inform the strategic discussions in the HCT. |
Directly with the HC | The HC may consult with Coordinators and CLAs directly. Though the FSC Coordinator is not directly accountable to the HC but instead reports to the CLAs, he/she may be asked to provide reports directly to the HC, and the HC may contact the Coordinator directly on operational issues. In such cases the Coordinator will seek clearance from the CLAs on any updates prior to sharing with the HC. |
Through the CLAs | Through the CLAs FSC Coordinators can influence HCT discussions via their CLA representatives – he/she should brief the CLAs on any key FSC issues prior to HCT meetings. See more in 3.5.1. |
Sub-national FSC | HCT members may meet with sub-national inter cluster coordination teams during field visits. |
Adapted from the Reference Module for Cluster Coordination at Country Level (IASC, 2015), p. 47.