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    4.3.3 Bilateral Coordination with Other Clusters
    • 08 Mar 2024
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    4.3.3 Bilateral Coordination with Other Clusters

    • Updated on 08 Mar 2024
    • 9 Minutes to read
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    Article summary

    Some areas are common across all clusters and are best addressed at ICCG level or through ICCG sub-groups, for example cash and voucher assistance, early recovery and linking emergency response with development-oriented interventions. 

    However, clusters may come together bilaterally to discuss specific strategic objectives or address key thematic issues that require a coordinated response. Where feasible, this may include joint programming or close planning processes to ensure a convergency of interventions. The ICCG (and the HCT) should be kept updated.

    Appropriate linkages depend on the specific context, prioritised needs and response capacities. Negotiation around inter-cluster linkages can take place bilaterally between FSC Coordinator and other cluster coordinators, between the respective CLAs, and through the ICCG. 

    Linkages and collaboration between the FSC and other clusters would commonly include: 

    • Organisation of joint needs assessment and information management – for example coordinated / joint data collection exercises (e.g. food security and nutrition assessments), sharing data, contributing to joint analysis. This can include joint missions with clusters where needs are of the same nature, for example in a drought context it is important to work closely with WASH, nutrition and health clusters. 
    • Defining indicators that reflect the inter-cluster, multi-sectoral approach – for example nutrition-sensitive indicators in livelihood programming.
    • Coordination of site planning to provide services to the affected population – for example common distribution points and joint distribution, camp focal points in a refugee response.
    • Development of country-specific integrated or coordinated guidelines and standards – for example Standard food assistance package in Bangladesh, developed with the Nutrition cluster.
    • Joint advocacy initiatives and documents. 
    • Organisation of joint capacity strengthening activities (to avoid duplication of efforts).
    • Defining clear referral mechanisms between the clusters at operational level.
    • Establish joint plans with relevant clusters in areas of convergence of needs to maximise the impact – see examples of joint activities in the below text box and 10.2.

    Inter-cluster/sector collaboration

    While the first collaborations between the Food Security, Nutrition, Health and WASH clusters were set up in countries at risk of famine (these four sectors being the ones most actively involved in addressing famine conditions - see the 2022 Inter-cluster Statement on Famine and Food Crises, the South Sudan integrated inter-cluster response plan, and the Yemen IFRR initiative), in 2022, the four clusters established a global level initiative to reinforce the collaboration between themselves to improve the operational response and coordination modalities to enhance the outcomes for people affected by drought, conflicts, disease outbreak, or any other crises. These clusters often collaborate because they complement each other in most of the responses needed. This is called Inter-Cluster /Sector Collaboration (ICSC).

    ICSC coordinates joint responses delivered at the same time, in the same place and for the same people based on prioritization of needs to achieve a jointly agreed outcome (see examples under the gFSC dedicated webpage). 

    ICSC does not compete with the essential function of the Inter-Cluster Coordination groups led by OCHA, but rather reinforces their work by bringing together relevant clusters/sectors and their partners to not only share information but to actively plan and work on joint actions. 

    What is the role of the FSC Coordinator: While the FSC Coordinator has to engage with other clusters formally, through the ICCG, he/she should also proactively engage with other cluster coordinators on a bilateral basis, and - as much as possible, with Nutrition, WASH and Health clusters collectively (ICSC).

    TIPS on how the FSC Coordinator can promote collaboration and coordination: 

    • Ensure two-way sharing of relevant information.
    • Invite other cluster coordinators to attend FSC meetings (where relevant, allocate space on the agenda for discussion on joint or coordinated activity, cross-cluster referral mechanisms, etc).
    • Engage in bilateral dialogue with key cluster coordinators and organise periodic joint meetings for example to address a specific issue of mutual concern (e.g. high malnutrition rates).
    • Attend (or, if needed, assign FSC representatives to attend) other cluster meetings to discuss issues of mutual concern and report back to the next FSC meeting. In some countries, the FSC ensures close inter-cluster coordination via designated ‘Volunteer Inter-Cluster Coordination Leads’, who represent FSC issues at, for example, Nutrition, Logistics, WASH, Shelter and Protection Cluster meetings and provide written or verbal feedback to the FSC. See example of Bangladesh here, p. 29. A focal point for specific areas such as Gender (and GBV) can also be identified to ensure proper linkages.
    • Get in touch with the Nutrition, Health and WASH clusters to develop a shared vision on joint programming or convergence of interventions depending on the context and where feasible.
    • Where relevant, this should also be done at sub-national level where direct engagement with other clusters, beyond the usual ICCG meetings, can help build stronger synergies.
    • Encourage WFP/FAO nutrition programme officers to support FSC activities (given their area of focus, they can often help facilitate further collaboration with nutrition and health clusters).      

    Resources:

     Examples of Joint Activities

    Nutrition Cluster - Things to Consider

    • Concrete referral pathways and processes between food security and nutrition programmes should be defined and strengthened.
    • Nutrition and food security assessments can be conducted jointly or be harmonized (i.e. separate assessments conducted using the same nutrition and food security indicators).
    • Nutrition programming can consider targeting beneficiaries in food security programmes and vice-versa and close coordination can ensure that an FSC response is nutrition sensitive or nutrition specific (including for example standardisation of food baskets with nutrition cluster inputs where markets are not accessible and/or functioning and/or where food is not available locally and cash transfers taking this into account).
    • Common behaviour change messages and mechanisms in relation to food security and nutrition could be developed (e.g. nutrition awareness session).
    • Design of the food assistance package as well as the vegetable gardening seeds package.

    Examples:

    In the Whole of Syria operation (2017), a joint working group recommended the following FSC-Nutrition Cluster activities:

    • Joint decision making, joint mapping and analysis and geographic convergence of both sectors intervention. 
    • Exchanging partners list among both sectors subject to partner’s permission. 
    • Ensuring joint quarterly planning and reporting. 
    • Resource sharing (financial and Human) as per the contexts and can be hub specific.
    • Joint implementation monitoring and post distribution monitoring.
    • Joint preparedness, contingency planning and joint response for new displacement and rapid onset crisis. 
    • Reporting forms, joint reporting tool to be developed and provided to partners.
    • Orientation on the SOPs for partners. 
    • Follow SOPs of targeted distribution of breast milk substitute. 
    • Commodities complementarity in the interagency convoys. 
    • Joint fund raising whenever possible.

    Joint response plans can also be developed as part of broader contingency planning efforts. This was done in Bangladesh in 2014 with Nutrition Cluster (and WASH Cluster) – see the joint response plan here, which acknowledge the need to address emergencies in a holistic manner, ensuring synergies and linkages. It incorporates the recommended emergency response activities, targeting and interventions under each cluster. It was developed to assist cluster partners (especially those whose mandates cover elements from all three sectors) in designing their responses in a way that ensures they were complementary, appropriate and timely. It also assists members in adhering to standardised interventions as per cluster and/or national guidelines. 

    See above reference to ‘intersectoral/cluster collaboration’ by the ‘the 4GC’: this webinar/presentation (GNC, 2021) provide details on the Integrated Famine Risk Response model developed in Yemen with the Nutrition Cluster – as well as WASH and Health clusters. 

    Resources: 

    WASH Cluster - Things to Consider

    • Close coordination with WASH cluster can help ensure increased, equal and sustained access to safe and appropriate water, sanitation services and hygiene promotion. 
    • WASH assessments can be encouraged in communities where food insecurity is a concern.
    • Key WASH messages, especially those linked to utilization and manipulation/storage of food (e.g. point-of-use water treatment, handwashing with soap at critical times) can be systematically incorporated into community-level promotion.
    • The WASH cluster can support on the water access for livestock and on irrigation for crops. 

    Example: In Cox’s Bazar: a Joint FSS and WASH Sector Guidance Note on Waste Avoidance and Management in Emergency Food Distributions (2021) was developed to support food security sector partners with operational guidance and to ensure coordination with appropriate operational actors. 

    See also above joint response plan from Bangladesh (2014), which highlights the WASH component in the immediate, short, medium and long term of an emergency response (along with food security and nutrition activities). 

    Through cash for work activities, FSC partners often rehabilitate water and sanitation networks, in coordination with WASH cluster. The WASH cluster can also support with water provision for livestock as per global standards as and when required.  

    See above reference to ‘intersectoral/cluster collaboration’ by the ‘the 4GC’.

    Health Cluster – Things to Consider

    • Specific illnesses may be an entry point to food insecurity causes. 
    • Food security assessments can include information on basic morbidity and mortality. 
    • Education on health and food security (and nutrition) can be jointly promoted and campaigns and materials can be coordinated. 
    • FSC partners can implement safety net activities, which are identified via health institutions (e.g. in-patient food support, families living with HIV – AIDS food rations). 

    Example: During COVID 19, in some countries, the Health cluster supported food security distribution by screening the beneficiaries with a temperature check. See above reference to ‘intersectoral/cluster collaboration’ by the ‘the 4GC’.

    TIP: In case an IPC is planned, and especially in contexts with severe food insecurity and/or in famine likely conditions, the Coordinator should coordinate with the nutrition cluster coordinator to try to ensure that any planned health cluster assessments and data collection can be included in the IPC. See more on the importance of harmonising assessment calendars (also at ICCG level) in 6.7.1 (on IPC and assessments) and 9.4.1 (on assessments and the HPC timeline).

    Resources:

    Examples of Direct Coordination with other Clusters

    Depending on the specific context and response requirements, the FSC will often liaise with: 

    • Logistics Cluster: For information on logistics hubs, mapping of road access, storage facilities, boats and other forms of transport. 
    • Shelter Cluster: To ensure shelter related issues (for example NFIs) are considered in an emergency response. This could for example include coordination on winterisation assistance and NFI cooking kits as well as the access to cooking fuel. 
    • Camp Coordination and Camp management cluster: For the setting up of distribution points. The Protection cluster, the gender and/or AAP focal point should also participate to ensure that the distribution points are safe and accessible to all – including PLW and disable people.
    • Emergency Telecommunication Cluster: Which is very active in the Communication with Communities and in providing internet and mobile services. The FSC can link partners with ETC when response is done through electronic or mobile money transfer.
    • Protection cluster: See 1.5.3 (AAP) and 5.7.4 (protection and food security). 
    • Early Recovery cluster:  If operational, see 4.3.5.
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