Operational Response

Four Syrian Red Crescent staff, wearing winter jackets with the hood pulled up, lift a stretcher into the back of a Red Crescent landrover during a snowstorm.
Photo credit: IFRC/AboAlway

Increasingly complex and protracted humanitarian crises necessitate better operational response in a more systemic and concerted manner. The IASC has been taking forward system-wide efforts, which include: improving safety, well-being and dignity for crisis-affected populations; optimizing the arrangements of system-wide mobilization in emergency situations triggered by natural disasters or conflict; better coordinating the global emergency response to improve prioritization and reduce duplication; ensuring that adequate and appropriate leadership is in place to coordinate the community’s response to humanitarian crisis; and investing in the ability and mechanisms for national authorities and relief organizations to be aware of risks and deploy staff and resources quickly once a crisis strikes.

The Emergency Directors Group

The Emergency Directors of the IASC member organisations convene as the Emergency Directors Group (EDG) to discuss current crises and what is required to meet the urgent strategic and operational needs on the ground. The EDG is chaired by Ms. Reena Ghelani, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, OCHA. The work of the EDG focuses on addressing operational issues of ongoing or imminent emergencies. In addition, they carry out Operational Peer Reviews through the Peer-2-Peer project.

Read more about the Emergency Directors Group.

Results Group 1 on Operational Response

Results Group 1 on Operational Response is a key IASC mechanism which delivers on enhancing operational response, particularly with regard to any gaps from the normative/policy perspective. The Results Group reports to the Operational Policy and Advocacy Group (OPAG), while relevant issues would be brought to the attention of the Emergency Directors Group (EDG) for joint consideration. It also actively engages with relevant non-IASC and development partners, including Peer-to-Peer, Global Cluster Coordinators, UNSDG and diverse NGOs from the field. For the biennium 2019-2020, the Results Group is taking forward various timebound normative outputs under the following workstreams:

  1. Mainstreaming protection;
  2. Addressing bureaucratic impediments imposed on NGOs;
  3. Strengthening humanitarian leadership;
  4. Strengthening the IASC Early Warning and Early Action Analysis;
  5. Finalizing the revision of the ERP guidance; and
  6. Operationalizing localization.

Additionally, the Results Group will continue to keep collaborating with OCHA’s Centre for Humanitarian Data to facilitate the development of joint system-wide operational guidance on data responsibility to consolidate the current policies and practices of humanitarian partners in the area of data responsibility.

Note: This group builds on the valuable outputs of the previous IASC Reference Group on Risk, Early Warning and Preparedness and the IASC Reference Group on Principled Humanitarian Action which completed their work in January 2019.

Humanitarian Needs Overview and Humanitarian Response Plan Templates, 2020

Past meetings