3.5.1 Cluster Coordinator Responsibilities and Tasks
  • 15 Dec 2023
  • 6 Minutes to read
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3.5.1 Cluster Coordinator Responsibilities and Tasks

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Article summary

The FSC Coordinator’s main role is to ensure timely, coherent and effective food security interventions by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a coordinated and strategic manner to a humanitarian crisis. He/she is accountable to the CLA/s, cluster members/partners and, like all other actors, to the affected population. The Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day coordination and facilitation of the work of the cluster.

The Coordinator reports directly to the FAO Representative and the WFP Country Director or their delegates (WFP Deputy Country Directors and FAO Deputy Representatives or heads of programme). When the cluster or sector is co-led by the government or co-facilitated by an NGO, the Coordinator still reports to WFP and FAO , but will ensure regular and comprehensive (as agreed) coordination and communication with the co-lead or co-facilitator. In such situations, management meetings should be organised.  

Finding the Balance: An FSC Coordinator will be appointed by both CLAs. Where there is joint co-leadership of the cluster as is the case for most FSCs, the Coordinator technically reports to both CLAs, even if the Coordinator necessarily will have administrative ties to the recruiting agency, who is responsible for formal performance evaluation. Where possible both CLAs should consult one another on the performance evaluation. A clear understanding between the Country Representatives of both CLAs concerning leadership and reporting lines is therefore essential.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks  

The role and responsibilities of the Coordinator as set out in the IASC Generic TOR for Cluster Coordinators At The Country Level and building on the six core cluster functions mentioned above, vary according to country specific situation and the range of stakeholders involved in the FSC

However, the FSC Coordinator will generally have the following responsibilities and tasks: 

  • Facilitating Key Activities in the Humanitarian Programme Cycle(HPC):  
    • The Coordinator will, with support from the IMO and in consultation with cluster partners, work to identify needs, severity, geographical scope, and Persons in Need and subsequently provide the required cluster inputs to the HNO. See 9.4.1.
    • The Coordinator will also lead the HRP planning and strategy development process (including design of the response strategy and log frame and for some countries, review of FSC partner projects) in consultation with the cluster partners. See 9.5.2
  • Establishing and maintaining appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms
    • The Coordinator has to ensure that key partners are included at national and subnational level and that regular cluster meetings are organised. 
    • He/she will also establish and maintain Technical Working Groups to support partners in key thematic areas. See 3.6.5.
    • He/she will work to ensure an inclusive governance structure for the FSC (including co-leadership of national authorities where possible, a Strategic Advisory Group, NGO co-chairing, etc.). See 3.6.1 and 3.6.4.
  • Information, Analysis and Assessments:
    • Working closely with the IMO, the Coordinator should ensure timely, inclusive and regular information sharing and discussion with the cluster partners and make sure the response implementation and reporting is monitored. Ensure the development of regular food security reports. Update the FSC country website
    • He/she should also facilitate or lead needs assessment and analysis and support surveys such as EFSA /CFSAM /SMART, secondary data reviews. This also includes making sure available information is analysed in a coordinated manner and utilised for decision- making at different levels (e.g. Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) or Cadre Harmonisé (CH)) See chapter 6
  • Ensuring mainstreaming of AAP and other cross-cutting and cross-sectoral issues and appropriate participatory and community-based approaches in cluster/inter-cluster needs assessments, analysis, planning, implementation and monitoring. See 1.5.3 and 5.7.
  • Ensuring the use of common standards (e.g. SPHERE standards and CHS), and the harmonization of programmatic responses and modalities. See 1.5.5 and 5.6.
  • Contributing to contingency planning and coordinating cluster/sector-wide emergency preparedness and response. See 5.8
  • Participating in various coordination fora including inter-cluster, technical working groups (e.g. Cash WG) and with other relevant clusters, especially Nutrition, WASH and Health. See chapter 4.
  • Undertaking advocacy and support resource mobilization on behalf of the FSC partners in a neutral and impartial manner. Engage different country based pooled funding schemes processes (identification of needs and required interventions, due diligence, review of projects, monitoring of implementation of project, etc.). See chapter 7 and 8
  • Identifying funding for the FSC team in order to have a running FSC, in close collaboration with the CLAs (8.3). Actively track FSC funding status in consultation with CLAs to ensure continuity of operations. See 8.6.
  • Identifying capacity gaps and needs and provide training and capacity building opportunities to FSC partners. See 3.7.
  • Together with the FSC IMO, supporting gFSC initiatives, e.g. Cluster Coordination Performance Monitoring (CCPM), global cluster annual overviews and dashboard etc. See 5.9 and 5.15
  • Supervising the IMO (and other coordination team members, if relevant), which includes ensuring that IM functions are undertaken regularly and timely, and provide guidance to IMOs, potential co-chair and other cluster team members, and ensure a smooth and inclusive relationship of the cluster team with all partners, OCHA and CLAs.

Note: Chapter 5 unpacks the responsibilities, tools and products described in the Coordinator TOR in more detail. 

Recommended First Steps for an FSC Coordinator: Based on his/her specific TORs, the Coordinator should make sure to discuss and agree the following with both CLAs / supervisors:
  • The overall expected structure of the FSC coordination mechanism (including the expected participation level from their side).
  • The priority tasks (in line with HCT discussions).
  • The regularity of FSC meetings.
  • The regularity of bilateral meetings with the CLAs.
  • The approval and endorsement process of FSC documents and products (e.g. FSC inputs for the HNO, HRP or FSC bulletins), and,
  • Required information inputs for example HCT meetings etc. 

It is important to establish these parameters from the outset. 

Ensuring Neutrality: The Coordinator should be a neutral representative of the cluster who works impartially with all members of the FSC and who represents the group as a whole, and not a specific agency i.e. not a representative of WFP and/or FAO . FAO /WFP designated officers from programme or technical units should attend FSC meetings, working group meetings etc. to ensure a clear segregation between FSC Coordinator roles and FAO /WFP roles. The Coordinator should be dedicated full-time to the cluster function and, ideally, have no agency responsibilities to avoid double-hatting.   

Resources: See the generic FSC Coordinator Terms of Reference. See also the IASC Generic TOR for Cluster Coordinators At The Country Level (IASC, 2010).


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