The Emergency Relief Coordinator
The Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) is the most senior UN official dedicated to humanitarian affairs. The ERC reports directly to the United Nations Secretary-General and serves as a focal point for governments, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organisations on humanitarian issues. In this capacity the ERC is often called before the UN Security Council in response to humanitarian emergencies.
The UN General Assembly Resolution that created the position of Emergency Relief Coordinator also founded the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and made the ERC its Chair. This gives the ERC the unique power to convene a meeting of the Committee and to set the agenda. As Chair of the IASC, the ERC consults the Committee to develop unified positions and mobilise resources in response to humanitarian crises.
In the event of a crisis, the ERC may appoint a Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) to lead the response on the ground. If the emergency requires specialised support, the HC may request that a 'Cluster'; a multi-agency group of thematic experts; be activated. The ERC seeks the inter-agency agreement required to activate a Cluster, and decide which agency should lead it, through the IASC.
![Photo of Joyce Msuya,](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joyce%20Msuya%2C%20Acting%20USG%20and%20ERC.jpg)
Joyce Msuya is Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator as of 1 July 2024.
She is also Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator -- a position she has held since February 2022.
Msuya brings more than 20 years’ experience in international development and finance, spanning strategy, operations and partnerships, and with diverse assignments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Prior to her current role, she served as Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya. Between 2018 and 2019, she served as UNEP’s interim Executive Director at the Under-Secretary-General level, leading the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly and mobilizing resources to support its mission. Msuya has held several senior leadership roles at the World Bank Group, including that of Special Representative and Head of the World Bank Group Office in the Republic of Korea, Regional Coordinator at the World Bank Institute, based in China, and Special Adviser to the World Bank’s then Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. Msuya, a Tanzanian national, is fluent in English, Pare and Swahili, and conversant in Mandarin.