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IDPs (due to conflict, violence, and disaster)

OCHA disseminated and implemented the recommendations of its study "Breaking the Impasse: reducing protracted displacement as a collective outcome" in key pilot countries, under the leadership of the government concerned and in coordination with relevant partners, in Cameroon, Central African Republic and Ukraine.

Following the request of the Secretary-General's Executive Committee to mark the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, OCHA co-led together with UNHCR and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs, a three-year multi-stakeholder action plan to improve the response to internal displacement in affected countries. The plan was launched in April 2018.

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 participated in efforts to improve data/information management on IDPs in the field through improved global and field guidance together with relevant partners, including the Center for Humanitarian Data.

OCHA supported the work of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs, including her missions in New York.

People-centered approaches (feedback mechanisms, community engagement, etc)

Within the Grand Bargain's work stream 5 on needs assessments, the Ethos and Quality Criteria for Needs Assessments and Analysis include elements to support community engagement and participation, including calling for common platform for sharing and analyzing data. Ongoing training and guidance has been provided to staff as well as inter-agency engagement to ensure a more systematic approach to including feedback and corrective action in humanitarian response planning. Strengthened linkages have been demonstrated and recorded in countries including Chad, Haiti, Nigeria, Yemen and others. Chad, Nigeria and Haiti have made excellent use of perception indicators and collaborative feedback mechanisms, clearly demonstrating how affected people's considerations are reflected in response planning.

Cash-based programming

In December 2018, OCHA, under the leadership of the Under Secretary-General/Emergency Relief Coordinator, supported the conclusion of a joint Cash Collaboration Statement alongside three programmatic UN Agencies: UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP. The joint Cash Collaboration Statement outlines an approach towards functional solutions including joint/coordinated transfer mechanisms and interoperable data systems interface, a collaborative approach to implementing, programming cash in 6 pilot countries and a structured approach to engaging other partners in this critical conversation as these mechanisms are developed. This process will engage with other partners through existing coordination mechanisms at the field level including cash working groups etc. Six pilot countries will be identified in early 2019. 

Through the engagement in the UN Cash Collaboration Statement, increasingly joined up approaches within existing systems and structures is seen as a positive move towards improved coherence around cash programming. 

OCHA continues to provide comprehensive training to all staff on cash coordination. Over 50 OCHA staff were trained in 2018. Offices supported by training included: Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon,Turkey, Sudan, the Regional Office for Asia Pacific (Bangkok) and Whole of Syria. Additionally, OCHA led the Global Cluster Coordinator's Group (GCCG) Task Team on Cash Coordination throughout 2018.

Strengthening national/local leadership and systems

OCHA continues to ensure application of IASC policy and guidance which underscores that international coordination mechanisms should be established when the national mechanisms are overwhelmed or unable to meet needs in a manner that respects humanitarian principles. 

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

Strengthening joint analysis between humanitarian and development partners was identified as a priority within the Grand Bargain on Needs Assessments.  In 2018, OCHA worked with the World Bank, UNDP, the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and others to develop an initial vision for collaboration to pursue strengthened collaboration on joint humanitarian-development assessment and analysis.  This agreement will be followed by a roadmap, to be developed in 2019. As part of its collaboration with the World Bank and other actors, OCHA has committed to reinforcing its staff capacities on analysis, including to inform the humanitarian-development nexus. OCHA has launched a second competency survey to update its understanding of the level of skills and knowledge on coordinated needs assessment and analysis in field offices, to compare with expected or required levels of competency. As in previous years, this information will inform modifications to the Coordinated Assessment and Information Management (CAIM) training, which has become one of OCHA’s seminal capacity building programmes.  In 2018, OCHA also piloted its Advanced Training on Analysis in Humanitarian Action (ATAHS), in recognition that OCHA requires a cadre of staff with the ability to lead and undertake more sophisticated analytical processes.

Other

Important progress has been made in advancing the commitment to meet people’s immediate humanitarian needs while reducing risk and vulnerability by working towards collective outcomes. Good practice is emerging for how to operationalize and finance collective outcomes, in line with the New Way of Working. The Joint Steering Committee to advance Humanitarian and Development Collaboration (JSC) conducted a review in countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria and Somalia), which highlighted the importance of (i) leadership and capacity; (ii) joint information and analysis; (iii) articulation and operationalization of collective outcomes; (iv) harmonizing resources and financing; and (v) accountability and monitoring. While much progress has been made in bringing stakeholders together around collective outcomes, there is a need to strengthen commitment and accountability for individual stakeholders to align their programming and financing with these outcomes to operationalize them. There have been significant developments at the policy level which promise to ensure progress in this regard: the collective commitment by the JSC Principals; the recommendation on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee; and efforts by individual entities to review their internal mechanisms.

The Connecting Business initiative (CBi) which is supported jointly by OCHA and UNDP, was launched to help the private sector navigate the humanitarian landscape, invest in resilience of business operations and strategically engage in preparedness, response and recovery. The initiative supports 13 private sector member networks that represent more than 1,500 companies and reach over 40,000 Small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2018, seven of the member networks responded to a total of 15 crises, working alongside national and international actors. In addition, networks - including those that did not experience disasters – worked on disaster preparedness and resilience, took part in simulation exercises, engaged in advocacy and national dialogues, built information and communication systems, and provided business continuity trainings, especially to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

In 2019, CBi will focus on supporting member networks particularly in addressing manmade disasters, measuring impact of their operations and investing in innovation.