IASC Reforms: 2011-2012, Prepared by ERC

Published Date
The IASC Principals will provide the political momentum needed to drive these reforms. LEADERSHIP • Every new major emergency response is reviewed to ensure it has the required leadership. • Where gaps in senior, experienced humanitarian leadership are identified, these will be addressed quickly. • The Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) is equipped to lead a country-level humanitarian response, with the full and active support of the Humanitarian Country Team. • The pools of available, experienced and competent HCs, cluster coordinators and other emergency managers and advisers are expanded, and IASC organisations have flexible human resource arrangements that allow for their rapid deployment. COORDINATION • Pre-trained cluster coordinators are deployed to ensure that clusters are operational immediately after a new emergency. • Clusters stay focused on their core task of ensuring the best possible results from cluster members’ collective resources. The clusters analyse and fill gaps, and employ the most effective strategies to achieve results. • Clusters hand over coordination activities to national counterparts as soon as possible. ACCOUNTABILITY • All humanitarian response managers in international humanitarian organizations understand and are held accountable for their part in creating the most effective collective response to an emergency. • Humanitarian needs are quickly assessed to provide a combined, agreed and accurate analysis. Information is collected regularly, and reports are issued on the outputs and outcomes of international humanitarian action. Updates are made available to national authorities and donors. • Pooled-funding instruments are backed by well-articulated sector or cluster strategies that maximize the benefits from the resources available to humanitarian organizations. • IASC organizations develop and implement ways to hold each other mutually accountable for their effective performance in preparedness, planning and coordinated action, consistent with humanitarian and partnership principles. • Populations affected by emergencies influence international humanitarian actors’ planning (especially front-line operational partners) and can influence the implementation of programmes of assistance and protection. Feedback and complaints from affected populations are heard and acted upon. BUILDING GLOBAL CAPACITY FOR PREPAREDNESS • Prior to an emergency, international humanitarian organizations understand the capacity of national authorities and civil society to respond to emergencies. They work with these groups during emergencies and help to develop their response capacity between emergencies. • Prior to an emergency, national authorities and civil society understand the international humanitarian response systems and how to work with them. ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS • All donors, particularly major donors, understand the need for humanitarian organizations to uphold humanitarian principles. Donors understand how the principles support effective humanitarian action through increased acceptance and access to populations in need. • Donors engage their humanitarian and development departments to create stakeholder consensus on how to close funding gaps for emergency preparedness and early recovery, with support from IASC organisations, as needed. • The IASC communicates with donors what can and cannot be expected from international humanitarian response. • IASC organizations engage the media to communicate proactively a balanced picture of achievements and challenges during emergencies, including the limits of international response.