You will be required to report cluster updates to OCHA or the equivalent inter cluster coordinating body that is activated. The information requested will likely refer to where partners are operating (partner presence), where gaps in the response are occurring (gap analysis), how many people have been reached, funding updates and requirements (note that the mandatory products outlined in section 4.6. Information Products will allow you to largely reflect the information that OCHA needs). 

Reporting to OCHA will be context specific, with frequency and information requested agreed upon between IMWG and ICCG, based on HCT demands. It is important to ensure alignment between cluster reporting to OCHA and partners reporting to the cluster (generally there will be a window in which the cluster has time to compile, clean, analyse and generate the figures, and then report to OCHA). 

How the cluster reports to OCHA will also be context specific. In the initial stages it may be through the most accessible and convenient means, such as through email or even handwritten (depending on the context and internet access etc). Sometimes the actual 5Ws database will be provided by the cluster to OCHA while in other cases the cluster may submit data through online platforms, such as the HPC tool “Response Plan and Monitoring Module” (RPM) or through Activity Info/ Report Hub / Online 345W. The mechanism for sharing updates with OCHA will be agreed upon by clusters through the Information Management Working Group (IMWG) of which you will be an active member. 

When reporting to OCHA keep the following in mind: 

• Be cautious of sharing sensitive information (make sure it is clear how the data will be used) – in some cases you may need to anonymise the data provided to OCHA (see section 4.5 Data Protection for more details).
• Be aware that OCHA can generate figures from your database, so make sure that these standards are agreed upon – be vigilant of beneficiary counting and ensure OCHA uses the cluster figures. 

Why we report to OCHA: OCHA is responsible for Inter Cluster Coordination and with data provided by the clusters, is tasked to generate summary response information products (see Ukraine example) for public dissemination. This can help guide the entire response and ensure stakeholders, donors and interested partners are updated. Therefore, it is vital that as the IMO you provide clean and reliable data to OCHA.