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.
Results Group 1 (RG1) on Operational Response addresses system-wide issues to enhance operational response, particularly with regard to any gaps from the normative/policy perspective. RG1 reports to the Operational Policy and Advocacy Group (OPAG), and, when needed, brings a number of relevant issues to the attention of the Emergency Directors Group (EDG) for joint consideration. It also actively engages with relevant non-IASC and development partners, including the IASC Peer-to-Peer Project, Global Cluster Coordinators, and diverse NGOs from the field. For the 2019-2021 biennium, RG1 is delivering against the following workstreams:
- Mainstreaming protection;
- Addressing bureaucratic impediments imposed on NGOs; and
- Operationalizing localization.
RG1 has already produced policy frameworks and tools on the following workstreams:
- IASC Early Warning and Early Action Analysis;
- Emergency Response Preparedness;
- Humanitarian leadership; and
- 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.