At the country level (FSC generic TOR) the team will be composed of a Cluster Coordinator (CC) and an IMO; however, depending on the scale of the response and demands, there may be more than one co-coordinator and/or IMO, in addition to an NGO co-facilitator. Further positions such as assessment officer, data analyst, food security expert etc may also be present within the country-level FSC team.
Acting as the focal point of the cluster, the Cluster Coordinator partakes in daily coordination and decision making, they are responsible for ensuring CLAs, partners, government bodies and stakeholders are actively engaged and involved in cluster discussions (please see: CC Handbook 3.5.1); while the IMO is the lead on harnessing and delivering data and ensuring that information shared is comprehensive, reliable and robust to inform decision-making and action (please see: CC Handbook 3.5.3). See Chapter 1.6 for further details on the role of the IMO.
FAO and WFP are the cluster lead agencies (CLAs) at both global and national level. Their expertise, support and active engagement is crucial for a unified cluster response; for further details please see CC Handbook, 3.3.2.
Positions may be contracted by CLAs and/ or standby partners, INGOs and NNGOs.
A collaborative working environment is vital to an efficient and effective Cluster response. Please see best practices for building a functional relationship with FSC stakeholders (including Cluster Coordinator, CLAs etc) here (Building functional relationships).
Toolbox