During a Humanitarian Response decisions will be made on whether cluster activation is required; this will be driven by the context and the respective needs (see CC Handbook on 3.2.Cluster Activation). Once activated by the IASC, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will typically be responsible for facilitating coordination between the clusters. This is necessary to ensure a harmonised and consolidated response in which clusters are aligned and humanitarian needs are answered (click here for information on Who Does What in an emergency response). In total there are 11 clusters, including the Food Security Cluster; each addressing a specific mandate and operating within a coordination framework.
Each Cluster has a specific structure and respective lead agency(s) (CLA). The following diagram is the most commonly used to display the cluster approach and can be shared with partners and interested stakeholders (What is the Cluster Approach).
Figure 1. The Cluster Approach (OCHA, 2020)