Humanitarian coordination seeks to improve the effectiveness of a humanitarian response by strengthening predictability, accountabilityand partnership.
Sectoral and intersectoral coordination provide leadership and guidance in implementing humanitarian action by agreeing commitmentsand actions that improve inclusion and participation. Coordination mechanisms can take different forms, and several may beimplemented simultaneously in the same country.
Cluster and sector coordination mechanisms are activated (when required) by the Emergency or Humanitarian Coordinator, orResident Coordinator with the humanitarian country team (HCT) and the government concerned. Activation triggers the humanitarianprogramme cycle.
While coordination mechanisms increasingly address disability through working groups, coordination remains ad hoc and inconsistent.Disability is not yet systematically included in inter-agency coordination mechanisms.
Where cluster/sector coordination mechanisms have not been established, or are only partly activated, concerned governmentsmay set up their own coordination system. Whatever form coordination mechanisms adopt, it is imperative to include organizationsof persons with disabilities (OPDs) in government-led coordination processes and other response strategies.