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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 2A
    Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • OCHA commits to ensure that protecting people from harm and supporting their rights and dignity remains central throughout its mandated areas of work.
    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    • In 2017, OCHA coordinated the drafting process for the Secretary-General's report  to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict. The report emphasized the impact of hostilities on civilians and civilian objects in armed conflicts and provided concrete recommendations to Member States and parties to conflict to reduce harm. The report also emphasized some positive initiatives taken by Member States.​ 
    • OCHA supported and regularly briefed the informal expert group of the UNSC on the protection of civilians, including the impact of hostilities in key crises. OCHA provided recommendations to the Council on addressing those situations. 
    • OCHA integrated strong messages on the protection of civilians in its advocacy at local and global level with Member States, parties to conflict, the Security Council and other stakeholders.
    • OCHA launched "NotATarget" campaign on enhancing the PoC,
    • OCHA organized a workshop for Member States and other stakeholders on reducing harm of urban warfare on civilians and to promote good practices. OCHA also actively contributed to inter-agency discussions and initiatives on PoC.
    • OCHA published a compilation of practices to reduce civilian harm from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
    • OCHA  and UNHCR coordinated the development of a guidance on Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) protection strategies, to help ensure the centrality of protection in humanitarian action

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • Monitoring of situation on the ground and reaction/action of stakeholders.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    • Lack of compliance with IHL by parties to conflict is the chief impediment to meaningful progress in protecting civilians.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • Continued advocacy and reporting on PoC issues. 
    • Promotion of good practices. 

     

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Need to enhance compliance with IHL

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    • OCHA gathered and disseminated good practice to reduce harm to civilians resulting from urban warfare (a compilation of practice was published; workshop with Member States and key stakeholders were held; etc.)

    Keywords

    Protection

  • 2D
    Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • OCHA commits to promote and facilitate full integration of SGBV prevention and response in all humanitarian action, including at all stages of the humanitarian programming cycle.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • OCHA commits to promote and support gender-responsive policy, planning and programming, including prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence at all levels of humanitarian action.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Implement a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis contexts, including through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Gender-based violence prevention and response

    • The CERF application template includes a self-assessment indicator on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). Of the 397 CERF funded projects in 2017, SGBV was the sole focus of 7% of projects and 59% of projects had a SGBV component.
    • The Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) guidance and tools were developed with GBV experts.  GenCap is consulted on every iteration of the Operational Guidance for Coordinated Assessments in Humanitarian Crises and the Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment to include GBV.
    • The annual Humanitarian Coordinators (HC) retreat discussed GBV and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and OCHA continues to advocate for integration of gender and GBV in all HC compacts.
    • OCHA supported the Real Time Accountability Partnership (RTAP) on GBV in Emergencies launched in South Sudan.
    • SGBV is integrated in briefings to the Security Council’s informal Expert Group on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. OCHA briefed the group 8 times in 2017, including on sexual slavery, trafficking of women and girls and sexual exploitation and abuse.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • The progress on achieving OCHA’s gender commitments, that are aligned with the WHS commitments, is monitored annually through OCHA’s strategic planning, monitoring and reporting process. Change requires collective long-term commitment of the whole humanitarian community.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding amounts
    • Human resources/capacity
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • To prevent and respond to GBV is one of OCHA’s 7 priority commitments on gender. In 2018 OCHA commits to leverage its leadership in humanitarian action to address GBV in emergencies by strengthening collective efforts by humanitarian actors through coordination and humanitarian financing frameworks, promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, prevention efforts, and contributing to creating a safe environment for vulnerable groups during and in the aftermath of disasters.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    • Adhering to already existing global initiatives such as the Call to Action on Protection from GBV in Emergencies, and the Real-Time Accountability Partnership. OCHA is a member of both initiatives.
    • Commitment of leadership at all levels to prioritize the prevention and response to GBV in emergencies.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    • The Aide Memoire on Protection of Civilians (PoC) is regularly updated by OCHA and provides Security Council members with a catalogue of Security Council practice and the normative framework on a range of PoC issues, including GBV.

    Keywords

    PSEA

  • 3A
    Reduce and address displacement

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • OCHA commits to strengthen effective coordination of protection and assistance to IDPs and host communities so as to reduce vulnerability and promote self-reliance.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • OCHA commits to strengthen capacity to work on internal displacement.
    • Capacity
    • Leave No One Behind

    Core Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. Commit to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. Commit to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. Commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programs and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 percent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Acknowledge the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. Commit to providing communities with large numbers of displaced population or receiving large numbers of returnees with the necessary political, policy and financial, support to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact. To this end, commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments. Commit to foster host communities' self-reliance and resilience, as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach outlined in core commitment 1.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to collectively work towards a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees to safeguard the rights of refugees, while also effectively and predictably supporting States affected by such movements.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Commit to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol or the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala convention) or the Guiding Principles on internal displacement.
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    IDPs (due to conflict, violence, and disaster)

    • OCHA published a study "Breaking the Impasse: reducing protracted displacement as a collective outcome." Based on five case studies, the report provides concrete recommendations on reducing protracted displacement. OCHA also started implementing those recommendations in key pilot countries, under the leadership of the government concerned and in coordination with relevant partners. 
    • OCHA supported the UN General Assembly's (UNGA) negotiations on the IDP resolution and provided technical advice on enhancing the protection of and assistance to IDPs.
    • OCHA convened several discussions to mobilize Member States and/or key stakeholders on enhancing the response to IDPs, including in the margins of the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment.
    • OCHA supported the work of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs, including her missions in New York.   

     

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • Monitoring of situation on the ground and policies and discussion with key stakeholders; 

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Data and analysis
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • OCHA will continue to pilot innovative approaches to address protracted internal displacement in pilot countries.
    • OCHA will work with Member States and partners around the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement to mobilize stakeholders, enhance the emergency response and implement new approaches to address protracted displacement. 

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    - Mobilize Member States and other stakeholders around the IDP issue.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    OCHA Study "breaking the impasse" promotes governments' leadership in addressing protracted displacement, around collective outcomes, with the support of humanitarian and development partners. 

    Keywords

    Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 3D
    Empower and protect women and girls

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • OCHA commits to promote and facilitate full integration of SGBV prevention and response in all humanitarian action, including at all stages of the humanitarian programming cycle.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • OCHA commits to promote and support gender-responsive policy, planning and programming, including prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence at all levels of humanitarian action.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • OCHA commits to facilitate meaningful and effective engagement of affected people and communities in humanitarian action, in particular that of women and girls.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    • In 2017 the new IASC Gender Policy and Accountability Framework was endorsed. The policy specifies the principles, standards and tools that IASC Members should abide by to integrate gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls into all preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
    • The IASC Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action and the IASC Gender and Age Marker were revised in 2017, and endorsed in the beginning of 2018. The Ukraine 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is the first HRP to integrate the Gender and Age Marker throughout the planning cycle.
    • In 2017, 25 GenCap advisers were deployed to support gender mainstreaming and gender equality programming, including to L3 crises in DRC, Syria and Yemen.
    • All OCHA managed pooled funds use Gender Marker in all project proposals. In 2017, 79% of Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) projects were designed to contribute significantly to gender equality (76% in 2016), equivalent to $511 million. 0.4% of the projects did not consider gender in project design. All CERF funded projects in 2017 considered gender to some extent. 71% had a Gender Marker code 2a indicating strong gender mainstreaming, 19% had a 2b indicating a targeted gender action, 6% had a Gender Marker code 1, meaning limited gender consideration, 4% were marked “Non Applicable”.
    • CBPFs provide the largest source of direct funding for local NGOs, including women’s organizations.
    • In 2017, in 25% of HRPs gender analysis fully defined how HRP implementation took into account distinct needs/risks related to gender, and in 70% of HRPs gender analysis partially informed implementation.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • The progress on achieving OCHA’s gender commitments, that are aligned with the WHS commitments, is monitored annually through OCHA’s strategic planning, monitoring and reporting process. Change requires collective long-term commitment of the whole humanitarian community.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding amounts
    • Human resources/capacity
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    • Lack of buy-in and low staff capacity across the humanitarian system (including of leadership) hinder the implementation of agreed IASC standards, and hamper coordination to integrate gender analysis throughout the HPC cycle.
    • Lack of recognition of local women’s organizations hinders their access to coordination structures and funding.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • Support the rollout and implementation of updated IASC gender tools. As part of OCHA’s interagency role, OCHA will prioritize raising awareness and application of the IASC Gender Policy, Gender Handbook and Gender and Age Marker.
    • Capacity building of OCHA staff on gender equality programming will be prioritized, including seeking to expand the current gender training to include more staff. OCHA will also continue to support gender mainstreaming in the wider humanitarian community at field level.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    • Dedicated capacity is needed to support the roll-out and implementation of the new IASC Gender Policy and Accountability Framework, IASC Gender Handbook and IASC Gender with Age Marker. IASC has recently updated its key gender tools to support gender responsive humanitarian programming, and integrating these updated tools across humanitarian emergencies is a key priority for 2018.
    • Commitment of leadership at all levels to integrate gender analysis in humanitarian action.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    • In Afghanistan, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) developed a Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action Strategy (2017-2019) to support the integration of gender throughout the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC).
    • In the Philippines, women’s groups participation to humanitarian action is facilitated by a Gender Working Group, comprising of 50 organizations, including INGOs, civil society organisations (CSOs), the Government and the UN.

    Keywords

    Country-based pooled funds, Gender

  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • OCHA commits to promote preparedness efforts by all relevant actors.
    • Advocacy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • OCHA commits to supporting countries that undertake multi-year planning for risk reduction and promoting of sustainable development.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Emergency Response Preparedness (ERP) approach aims to increase the speed and volume of life-saving assistance delivered in the first four to six weeks of an emergency. The ERP approach provides tools for UN Country Teams and/or Humanitarian Country Teams to: 1) Understand risks and establish a system to monitor them; 2) Establish a minimum level of preparedness; and 3)  Take additional action, including developing contingency plans, to ensure readiness to respond to identified risks.

    By end of 2017, the ERP approach has been implemented in 73 (96%) of the priority countries. This signifies a 26% increase in priority countries using the ERP approach from 2016.  

    In 2017, inter-agency Emergency Response Preparedness support missions were fielded to Somalia, Haiti, Nigeria (Borno State), Cameroon, Niger, Ukraine, Mongolia, Palestine, Cote d'Ivoire, Fiji, Morocco, and Egypt. Technical support for ERP implementation was provided to Humanitarian Country Teams as required, and implementation was tracked via a dedicated online platform.

    In 2017, the IASC ERP work stream provided early action recommendations for the countries identified in the bi-annual Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Early Warning analysis and facilitated preparedness support in follow-up as requested. In line with the WHS commitment, the IASC ERP work stream humanitarian and development actors, as well as the  World Bank.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Progress on the implementation of the ERP approach is tracked via a global online platform, which also serves as a knowledge management tool on good practice examples. The IASC ERP work stream has also started a process to review and further develop the guidance documents based on experiences from the implementation of the approach since 2015.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Data on vulnerability and other variables not always up to date particularly at sub national levels making accurate analysis and planning a challenge.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In 2018, the review of the ERP guidance is expected to further clarify the linkages between the ERP approach and a range of the World Humanitarian summit commitments.  Also advancements related to Early Actions and multi-stakeholder reporting on Emergency Response Preparedness progress are envisaged.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    More role out of ERP approach at sub-national level

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    For the early action recommendations in relation to the IASC's Early Warning analysis, the IASC ERP work stream has launched a six-weekly reporting process on progress towards these recommendations to the Emergency Directors Group. 

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction

  • 4C
    Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • OCHA commits to improve transparency and accountability throughout the humanitarian program cycle.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • OCHA adopts the Commitment to Action on Transcending Humanitarian-Development Divides and will work towards context-specific collective outcomes that ensure that humanitarian needs are met while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors.
    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • OCHA commits to establish a new center for humanitarian data in the Netherlands in 2017 with the goal of increasing the use and impact of data in the humanitarian sector.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Joined-up humanitarian-development analysis and planning towards collective outcomes

    OCHA has been leading, together with UNDP, on efforts on behalf of the humanitarian and development communities to further refine and implement the New Way of Working to reduce need, risk and vulnerability. OCHA co-hosted several global and regional meetings on the New Way of Working (Copenhagen, Istanbul and Entebbe) that helped to further build consensus around this agenda. OCHA also advanced internal discussions on how to adapt analysis and planning towards collective outcomes, and supported Resident Coordinators/ Humanitarian Coordinators (RC/HCs) in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan in the articulation of country-specific strategies to implement the New Way of Working. Finally, OCHA supported the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) in his role as the vice-chair of the Joint Steering Committee to advance humanitarian and development collaboration created by the Secretary-General in November 2017.  

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    By its nature, the New Way of Working foresees humanitarian, development and other partners to work towards a measurable reduction of need, risk and vulnerability over 3-5 year time-frames. As such, country-specific plans should include accountability frameworks that measure a tangible reduction and include regular reviews.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding amounts
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    In countries where RC/HCs and partners have moved towards planning for collective outcomes, operationalising these is often constrained by lack of financing. Successful implementation of this approach requires a profound shift in the way we think, plan and finance and that has not yet fully taken place yet.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In 2018, OCHA will advance its dialogue with donors supportive of the New Way of Working to ensure they are involved in defining the modalities of how collective outcomes can be funded. OCHA will work with UNDP on two regional workshops in Dakar and the Middle East in 2018 to allow RC/HCs, country teams and others to exchange best practice. OCHA will also continue to support country level implementation and unblocking of institutional and systemic obstacles through the Joint Steering Committee.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    While buy-in for the New Way of Working is growing, there is a need for the humanitarian community to work out the practical details of how urgent humanitarian needs can be addressed at the same time as working towards collective outcomes.  There is also a need for the development community to define how to work differently in crisis contexts and to scale up their engagement, which is still lacking.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    A three-pronged approach of working at the highest-political/strategic level through the Joint Steering Committee and with donors, at the policy level through dialogues and workshops, and at the field level through support to RC/HCs and country teams has worked well to advance this transformation.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 5A
    Invest in local capacities

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • OCHA commits to enhance engagement with national and local NGOs, leveraging the role as partners in the programming and delivery of humanitarian assistance through country-based pooled funds.
    • Operational
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Direct funding to national/local actors

    In 2017, Country Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) received USD $824 million from 26 Member States,  breaking again the record amount channeled through these funds. Despite the record amount, the funds received still  only represent 5 percent of the sum of  Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) requirements for the 18 countries where CBPFs were operational. In 2017, CBPFs allocated US$683 million, of which $163.5 million (24 percent) were directly allocated to national NGOs; surpassing the net and percentage amount recorded in the previous two years (CBPF allocations to national NGOs in 2015 totaled $74.06 million and in 2016 $133.6 million).  

    Country-based pooled funds

    In 2017, Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) were instrumental in supporting access to funding to local NGOs, and the OCHA continued working with partners to ensure that all funds committed through CBPFs were maximized.  Additional improvements were made in terms of allocation management, common performance frameworks, risk management, remote monitoring and fraud detection and management.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    In terms of access to funding, continuous tracking of the funding levels reached by local NGOs.  Continuous monitoring of projects in the field, either directly through the Humanitarian Financing Units (HFUs) or through third party monitoring in terms of the impact of their interventions.  

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    New implementing partners without prior funding and implementation experience remain without access to CBPF funding. 

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In 2017, OCHA conducted a mapping exercise of the available capacity building opportunities to allow national NGOs and other implementing partners to assess their needs and consider the need to follow up with one of those capacity building initiatives.   During 2018, in the substantive revision of the CBPF Global Guidelines, OCHA will reinforce the role and engagement of affected people in the programming, delivery and quality of aid. 

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Further engagement of other actors that can provide capacity building opportunities to local implementing partners and local NGOs.  The issue of access to funding goes beyond OCHA and is an endeavor that has to be taken collectively by other international stakeholders, UN agencies and NGOs, as well as national governments, to strengthen capacity of frontline responders. 

    Keywords

    Country-based pooled funds, Local action

  • 5D
    Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to enable coherent financing that avoids fragmentation by supporting collective outcomes over multiple years, supporting those with demonstrated comparative advantage to deliver in context.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to broaden and adapt the global instruments and approaches to meet urgent needs, reduce risk and vulnerability and increase resilience, without adverse impact on humanitarian principles and overall action (as also proposed in Round Table on "Changing Lives").
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    OCHA strengthened its advocacy with donors on the need to finance collective outcomes, not fragmented projects, in all its engagements on the New Way of Working (Copenhagen, Istanbul, Entebbe), as well as in donor meetings such as an OECD/ International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF) led discussion in November 2018.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    The change in donor behavior will take time to take hold, but through regular dialogue with field leadership, the PACT reporting on this transformation and OCHA's ongoing dialogue with donors, we will be able to assess progress as well as adverse consequences.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    In contexts where collective outcomes have been identified, lack of funding in general and lack of progress towards more flexible, multi-year financing is hindering the ability of RC/HCs and country teams to implement strategies that are in line with the New Way of Working.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In 2018, OCHA is planning a dedicated workshop with the OECD and UNDP in Washington D.C. on financing collective outcomes, and to maintain dialogue with donors on this issue in order to adjust financing modalities to a point where they can support this transformation.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Donors need to complete the shift to not only provide multi-year funding, but to invest in collective outcomes rather than reinforce fragmentation by funding individual programs and projects.  

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Collaboration with individual supportive donors such as Denmark and Norway as well as the World Bank has helped to demonstrate unified support for this agenda.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 5E
    Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • OCHA commits to exemplify and lead in best practice in its management of the Central Emergency Response Fund and country-based pooled funds towards greater effectiveness and efficiency.
    • Operational
    • Invest in Humanity
    • OCHA commits to work towards expanding the Central Emergency Response Fund to $1 billion annually by 2018.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    During 2017, OCHA continued to work with partners to ensure coordinated resource mobilization advocacy for Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs).  OCHA leveraged senior UN leadership outreach for more financial and political support for the Funds, and also leveraged Pooled Fund Working Group members to find better ways for the group to champion the Funds.  Targeted messaging in high-level events and global policy processes were also included, such as calls for support at major pledging conferences and briefings, and dedicated events for pooled funds.  OCHA also harmonized and simplified the partner capacity assessment (PCA) applied by CBPFs to NGO implementing partners, including a PCA module in GMS. 

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Level of funding from new and emerging donors. 

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding amounts
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    OCHA is also engaged in broader partner capacity assessment (PCA) harmonization initiatives and will therefore continue to consider opportunities to further simplify or adjust the PCA process, as well as to contribute to collective efforts in this area that could reduce burden and duplication for donors, UN agencies, and NGO partners. In this regard, OCHA commissioned a study in collaboration with ICVA to explore efficiency gains related to PCAs. 

    Keywords

    Country-based pooled funds

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