URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

Udenrigsudvalget 2015-16
URU Alm.del Bilag 309
Offentligt

Danish Organisation Strategy

for

the United Nations Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs (OCHA)

2016-2019

June 2016

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

1. Objective

This brief paper provides the strategic considerations for the cooperation between Denmark

and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and

outlines how the work of OCHA corresponds with Denmark’s humanitarian priorities. It

provides the strategic basis for Danish cooperation with, and financial support to, OCHA for

2016-2019.

This Strategy is the central platform for Denmark’s dialogue and partnership with OCHA. It

outlines Danish priorities for OCHA’s performance within the overall framework established

by OCHA’s own strategy, the OCHA Strategic Plan 2014-2017

. In addition, it outlines

specific goals and results that Denmark will pursue in its cooperation with OCHA. Overall,

Denmark is committed to contribute to strengthening the coherence of humanitarian action

and development cooperation which is a key outcome of the World Humanitarian Summit and

The Grand Bargain. Denmark will work closely with like-minded countries to pursue the

outlined goals and priorities.

2. The Organisation

OCHA is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response

to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can

contribute to the overall response effort.

The basis of OCHA’s mandate is General Assembly RES/46/182, which was adopted by the

General Assembly in 1991 with the objective of strengthening the coordination of humanitarian

emergency assistance of the United Nations. Soon after the resolution was adopted, the

Secretary-General established the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and in 1998, as

part of the Secretary-General's programme of reform, DHA was reorganized into the Office

for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

OCHA's mission is to:



Mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with

national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and

emergencies.

Advocate the rights of people in need.

Promote preparedness and prevention.

Facilitate sustainable solutions.

OCHA does this through five functions derived from its mandate: Coordination; Humanitarian

Financing; Policy Development; Advocacy; and Information Management.

In 2017, OCHA is expected to present its new Strategic Framework, including the Strategic Plan, covering 2018-2021.

This means that it is not possible to fully align this Danish Organisation Strategy for OCHA with OCHA’s own strategic

framework. For 2018-2019 Denmark will base itself on Danish strategic priority issues selected in this Organisation

Strategy as well as on Denmark’s new strategy for development cooperation and humanitarian action.

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

3. Structure and management

OCHA is part of the United Nations Secretariat. The Under-Secretary-General and Emergency

Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) is responsible for the oversight of all emergencies requiring

United Nations humanitarian assistance. He/she is the head of OCHA, acts as the central focal

point for governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental relief activities, and leads the

Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which is an inter-agency forum for humanitarian

coordination, policy development and decision-making involving the key United Nations

organizations, international non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross and Red

Crescent. In 2015, OCHA had two Headquarter Offices in Geneva and New York respectively,

8 Regional Offices, 32 Field Offices, 3 Liaison Offices and 23 Humanitarian Adviser Teams

4. Governance and Donor Support Group

As part of the UN Secretariat,

and financially and programmatically accountable to the

General Assembly,

OCHA does not have a governing body such as an executive board. This

limits Denmark’s direct influence on the work and decision-making of OCHA. However,

Denmark can give recommendations and obtain insight into OCHA’s work through its

membership of OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG).

OCHA’s key donors including Denmark are grouped in an informal OCHA Donor Support

Group. The ODSG acts as a ‘sounding board’ and a source of advice for OCHA on policy,

management, budgetary and financial questions. The group discusses concrete measures that

members may take individually or collectively to assist OCHA in better fulfilling its mission and

goals on the basis of the humanitarian principles. ODSG members commit to provide political,

financial and technical support towards fulfilling OCHA’s mandated coordination activities.

Since the role of OCHA is coordination with no formal executive power over UN agencies and

partners, an important role of ODSG members is also to support the role of OCHA through

advocacy and dialogue with these organizations, including through donor meetings with the

IASC. To ensure consistent messaging, the ODSG develops suggestions for common messages

to the executive boards of key agencies. In July 2015, Denmark took the lead of coordinating

the ODSG common humanitarian messages to UNICEF and WFP.

There are regular meetings in the ODSG in Geneva and New York, an annual ODSG field trip

is organized, and an annual high-level meeting is hosted by the Chair of the ODSG. Denmark

chaired the ODSG from July 2014 – July 2015. During the Danish chairmanship the field

mission examined OCHA’s response to the Syria crisis by visiting Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

Furthermore, Nordic donors to OCHA coordinate messages to OCHA on a regular basis, and

meet with OCHA at an annual high level meeting between the Nordic donors and OCHA

senior management to discuss issues of strategic importance to the Nordic donors.

5. OCHA’s Budget and Financial Resources in 2015

As global humanitarian needs and consequently the demands on OCHA have increased,

OCHA’s budget has grown over the years.

OCHA Annual Report 2015.

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

OCHA is funded mainly from voluntary contributions from Member States, with only a small

part of its funding coming from the United Nations Regular Budget. The Regular Budget

amounted to US$ 21,7 million of the final 2015 Programme Budget of US$ 355.6 million.

Although Regular Budget allocations have increased from US$ 10.3 million in 2002 to US$ 21,7

million in 2015, the share of the Regular Budget in relation to the total Programme Budget has

decreased from 16% in 2002 to 6% in 2015.

This means that OCHA must fundraise for about 95% of its financial requirements, which it

does by presenting an extrabudgetary (XB) programme budget to donors for funding. At least

90% of OCHA’s income comes from ODSG members. Since 2002, OCHA's extra-budgetary

programme requirements have more than quadrupled to ensure that it can deliver on the

mandate it was given by Member States, leading to a final extrabudgetary budget in 2015 of

US$ 334 million. In terms of income, OCHA received in 2015 US$ 233 million from donors

against its extrabudgetary requirements. The gap between income and expenditure was covered

by a drawdown on OCHA’s financial reserves (its carryover).

The overall HQ/field ratio in the budget in 2015 is 29/71, a ratio which has remained largely

static over the past five years.

6. Danish financial support to OCHA

Denmark contributes DKK 30 million per year in core contribution to OCHA. The OCHA

Annual Report provides for the reporting required by Denmark

In addition, Denmark provides a minimum of DKK 100 million annually to the United

Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is administered by a CERF

Secretariat under OCHA. The CERF makes funding available at the beginning of a crisis, when

time is of the essence and it is critical that emergency relief operations get under way quickly. A

third of CERF’s funding is earmarked for emergencies that require support urgently but have

fallen out of the international spotlight. In 2015, CERF supported emergency aid operations –

large and small – with $ 469 million across 45 countries.

OCHA also manages a number of Country-based Pooled Funds (CBPF), which are

humanitarian funding mechanisms established at country level to provide timely and

predictable funding to humanitarian crises. These mechanisms are supported by a broad range

of donors. In 2015, US$ 591 million were provided by donors to the CBPFs in 2015. The

CBPF provide grants to humanitarian NGOs and UN agencies based on a comprehensive

consultation and prioritization process by the members of the humanitarian community present

on the ground. Based on needs assessments, Denmark supports a number of CBPFs.

In 2015, Denmark was the 12th largest donor to OCHA, the 9th largest donor to CERF and

the 4th largest donor to the Country-based Pooled Funds.

Denmark provides support to OCHA’s surge capacity in emergencies through contributions to

the UNDAC stand-by roster, where Danish experts regularly are deployed to support

coordination and needs assessments.

Including Regular Budget and Extra-budgetary Programme budget.

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

Finally, Denmark contributes to OCHA operations through in-kind contributions in the form

of Danish Junior Professional Officers (JPOs) and through Danish humanitarian partners in

the form of staff deployed e.g. through rosters and logistic support to communication hubs,

base camp etc. in emergencies. Presently, Danish Refugee Council and Danish Emergency

Management Agency have formalized stand-by partner arrangements with OCHA.

7. Results from previous Organisation Strategy

Priorities in the previous Danish organisation strategy, which was a joint Denmark/Ireland

institutional strategy for OCHA, were to support OCHA in building a more enabling

environment for humanitarian action, by; 1) building a more effective humanitarian

coordination system; 2) strengthening its own management and administration; and 3)

promoting gender equality across all its activities.

Through a continuous dialogue with OCHA – bilaterally as well as together with Ireland and

other OCHA donors – and through predictable core funding, Denmark has contributed to

OCHA’s results in the above mentioned areas.

To strengthen the humanitarian coordination leadership function, OCHA achieved good

results on four tracks: (a) Promoting dialogue and building consensus among humanitarian

partners on key normative issues relating to humanitarian coordination leadership; (b)

expanding the pool of potential Humanitarian Coordinators (HC); (c) improving the leadership

and coordination skills of Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators (RCs/HCs); and (d)

ensuring that Humanitarian and Resident Coordinators get the support they need to be

effective. The cluster approach was introduced to ensure that there is predictable leadership

and accountability in all main sectors or areas of humanitarian response and to strengthen

system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies. To

this purpose, global cluster leads were designated in the sectors. At the field level, the HC/RC

is responsible for designating Cluster Lead Agencies for all key humanitarian response sectors,

in consultation with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and the Emergency Relief

Coordinator (ERC). This is now applied in all countries facing major new or on-going complex

and/or natural humanitarian emergencies, and effective cluster and inter-cluster coordination is

now widely recognized as an essential part of any humanitarian response.

OCHA also strengthened its own management and administration, but has at the same time

been challenged by an unprecedented large number of highest level emergency crisis (L3),

including the very large and very complex humanitarian crisis in and around Syria.

Some results have been achieved on gender equality, including the implementation of the 2012-

2015 Gender Equality Policy and the OCHA Gender Toolkit. In addition, there are efforts to

create a stronger gender focal point system to support a deeper understanding of gender

equality in humanitarian action. Moreover, OCHA continues to work with all members of the

Inter-Agency Standing Committee to mainstream gender equality in the Humanitarian

Programming Cycle and advocate for the use of the IASC Gender Marker in humanitarian

financing mechanisms. OCHA continues to host the Gender Capacity Project (GenCap) and

hosts seconded GenCap advisors during deployments to humanitarian crises. And finally,

OCHA engaged in an internal self-reflection and review process aimed to explore robust ways

of enabling learning, gathering of good practices, and identification of challenges to the current

implementation of the gender commitments – both internally and as coordinating body.

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

8. Key strategic challenges, opportunities and reform efforts

Global challenges include continuing and protracted armed conflict, chronic vulnerability, an

unprecedented high level of displacement and an increasing demand for humanitarian

assistance due to the growing number of emergencies worldwide. At the same time, the

humanitarian sector has changed: Humanitarian agencies are more numerous and diverse, and

local communities, governments, civil society organisations and regional organisations – in

particular in middle income countries - have increased their capacity to respond. Moreover, the

need for a better linkage of humanitarian and development work, crisis management and

peacebuilding is greater than ever.

OCHA’s key role as mobilizer and coordinator of effective and principled humanitarian action

means that OCHA must collaborate with other agencies and actors in order to play its role

effectively. The number of humanitarian crises and needs are increasing significantly every year.

In 2015, OCHA worked with partners to develop humanitarian response plans (HRPs) in 27

complex emergencies and disasters and supported the production of four flash appeals. OCHA

has in recent years worked to improve links between international, regional and national aid

providers and must continue to do so. OCHA also has a lead role in initiating reform processes

and innovative approaches in the international humanitarian system. It must ensure that the

humanitarian sector becomes more inclusive, while building on international humanitarian law,

common standards and humanitarian principles.

In 2005, the ERC, together with the IASC, initiated a Humanitarian Reform process to

strengthen humanitarian response through 1) pooled funds 2) a strengthened Humanitarian

Coordinator system 3) implementation of the “cluster coordination system”. In 2012, the ERC

and IASC agreed on the Transformative Agenda focused on improving the timeliness and

effectiveness of the collective response through stronger leadership, more effective

coordination structures, and improved accountability for performance to affected people.

The first ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), an initiative of UN Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon and managed by OCHA, was convened in May 2016 in Istanbul. The WHS aimed at

ensuring that humanitarian action is fit to respond to future challenges and highlighted the need

to take the reform process further by linking better the humanitarian and development agendas.

The follow-up of the World Humanitarian Summit and the operationalization of the Grand

Bargain between donors and aid agencies aiming at increasing the efficiency of the international

humanitarian system is expected to impact on how OCHA implements and focusses its work.

A Functional Review of OCHA, commissioned by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, is

currently carried out by the Boston Consulting Group and Mannet. The overall purpose of the

Functional Review is to improve OCHA’s effectiveness and efficiency by ensuring that it has

the optimal structure, resources and capacities to deliver on its mandate and commitments,

which emanate from the GA Resolution 46/182 and OCHA’s 2014-2017 Strategic Framework.

9. Priority areas and results to be achieved

OCHA Strategic Plan

OCHA, in its Strategic Plan 2014-17, addresses two mutually reinforcing goals: 1) Field

Effectiveness: How to achieve more effective and principled humanitarian action that meets

the needs of the affected people, and; 2) Fit for the Future: How to ensure a more diverse and

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

adaptable humanitarian sector, spanning a variety of existing and emerging responder-and-

partner networks. A related Management Plan explains how OCHA will strengthen its

operations to deliver against the Strategic Plan.

To achieve more effective and principled humanitarian action, the OCHA Strategic Plan has

prioritised seven strategic outcomes relating to field effectiveness: 1) Leadership - ensuring that

humanitarian action is led by empowered, competent and experienced professionals; 2)

ensuring that humanitarian decision-making is based on a common situational awareness; 3)

assessment, planning and monitoring – ensuring that humanitarian action is guided by joint

strategic response planning based on prioritized needs; 4) ensuring that coordination

mechanisms are adapted to the context and support effective and coherent delivery of

humanitarian assistance; 5) ensuring that humanitarian financing is predictable, timely and

allocated based on priority needs; 6) ensuring that people in emergencies are protected from

harm and have access to assistance as a result of advocacy and coordination, and; 7) emergency

response preparedness – ensuring that international partners are ready to respond to

humanitarian emergencies without delay and with the right assistance.

To make the humanitarian sector more fit for the future, OCHA has prioritised three further

strategic outcomes: 8) Ensuring that a more diverse set of actors engages in and provides

political, technical and material support to collective humanitarian action; 9) ensuring that

international, regional and national actors are able to deploy well-coordinated and interoperable

humanitarian response capacities within agreed frameworks, and ; 10) ensuring that innovation

to promote improvement is consistently fostered and brought to scale in the humanitarian

sector.

Danish Priorities

The three priority issues selected by Denmark are linked to OCHA’s goal to improve the field

effectiveness of the international humanitarian system, and Denmark will support OCHA in its

coordination role to improve the field effectiveness of the humanitarian system.

For the period 2016-19 Denmark’s priority issues in relation to OCHA are:

The protection of people in emergencies and their access to assistance

(OCHA goal 1,

strategic outcome 6). Better protection requires both an improved prioritising of people most

vulnerable to or suffering from acute humanitarian distress and reinforcing humanitarian action

in situations of conflict, including making all parties to a conflict understand that they have the

duty to respect and ensure respect of international humanitarian law. Effective humanitarian

responses require full, timely and unimpeded access. OCHA does not itself have a protection

mandate, but works to promote protection and humanitarian access through its role in

coordination and advocacy both at country level and in policy dialogue with Member States e.g.

through its engagement with the UN Security Council on protection of civilians. Denmark will

support OCHA in those tasks. OCHA has 8 indicators to measure this strategic outcome,

including for example the number of Humanitarian Country Teams that have developed joint

strategies to overcome access constraints (2013 baseline: 4, 2015 target: 10 ) and percentage of

strategic response plans that articulate strategies to meet the special needs of internally

displaced people (no baseline, 2015 target: 40 pct.).

Emergency response preparedness – ensuring that partners are ready to respond to

humanitarian emergencies without delay and with the right assistance

(OCHA goal 1,

strategic outcome 7). OCHA’s role is to support the humanitarian partners in being prepared to

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

respond, and Denmark will support OCHA in that task. Denmark’s un-earmarked funding for

humanitarian partners, which is to be used flexibly where needs arise, as well as Denmark’s

funding to the CERF and to Country-based Pooled Funds are important contributions to

partners’ ability to respond without delay. In connection to the funding of

Country-based Pooled Funds, Denmark will work with OCHA on how to

fight corruption

and misuse of humanitarian funds.

On the issue of “the right assistance”, Denmark will

continue to work with OCHA on how the Core Humanitarian Standards can be used to

improve the quality and effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance provided by OCHA

partners. OCHA has two indicators to measure this strategic outcome, including percentage of

priority countries that have implemented recommendations from simulation exercises (no

baseline, 2015 target: 65 pct.).

Ensuring that humanitarian action is guided by joint strategic response planning

based on prioritized needs

(OCHA goal 1, strategic outcome 3) An effective humanitarian

response depends not only on prioritization of people’s needs, but also a shared, multi-sector

approach to meeting them. OCHA will work with governments, humanitarian organizations

and development actors to ensure that issues identified in the assessment of humanitarian

needs that require longer-term interventions are addressed. OCHA has 7 indicators to measure

this strategic outcome, including the above-mentioned. Denmark will support OCHA in better

linking humanitarian and development efforts, promoting resilience both in natural disasters

and in conflict, and supporting longer-term development-oriented solutions in protracted

displacement crises. During its ODSG-Chairmanship, Denmark hosted an international

seminar on “Coherence in Conflict - bringing humanitarian and development aid streams

together” in June 2015 in Copenhagen. Denmark will continue to work system-wide for

stronger coherence of humanitarian and development work, e.g. to promote longer-term

development-oriented solutions in protracted displacement through the “Solutions Alliance”

co-chaired by Denmark and Turkey, UNHCR, UNDP and the International Rescue Committee

and with the involvement of the World Bank.

10. Modality of work

Denmark will interact with and provide support to OCHA in a number of ways. The key

dialogue will take place through the OCHA Donor Support Group, where active participation

in regular meetings in New York and Geneva will be attended. From mid-2015 to mid-2016

Denmark has been more closely involved in the dialogue with OCHA through participation in

the ODSG Troika with Sweden and USA.

In relation to contributions to Country-based Pooled Funds and CERF, Denmark will actively

take part in meetings of the Pooled Funds Working Group, the annual CERF High Level

Conference and (subject to available resources at the embassies) take part in meetings of CBPF

Advisory Boards at country level.

Furthermore, Denmark will actively use its partnerships with Danish and international

humanitarian organizations to advocate for OCHA’s core coordination role and urge partners

to work with OCHA and provide staff and resources to operate Humanitarian Country Teams

and coordination of clusters. Dialogue with partner organizations will also be used to provide

feedback on the actual performance of OCHA in the field, thus assisting in identifying issues to

be raised with OCHA in the ODSG.

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

OCHA will in 2016 be assessed by the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment

Network (MOPAN). Denmark will as a member of MOPAN contribute to the assessment of

OCHA’s performance and results.

11. Budget

An annual core contribution to OCHA of DKK 30 million is foreseen for 2016-2019.

12. Risk and assumptions

Humanitarian crises continue to increase in complexity and scale and with currently 80% of

humanitarian action focused on protracted crises and conflict situations. The bulk of

humanitarian needs are also in the future expected to be in fragile and conflict-affected states

with protracted crises and displacement. Due to the expectations on OCHA to continue to

coordinate the response to the increasing needs and complexities, OCHA faces a large risk of

being stretched beyond its financial and human resource capacities.

The financial gap between OCHA’s income and expenditure will have to be closed. OCHA is

currently in an unsustainable budgetary situation, in which its budget growth is greater than

projected income. OCHA’s Functional Review is expected to provide recommendations on

optimising how OCHA delivers on its mandate and will be critical in how OCHA sets its

priorities and what the planning and resource implications will be. The ODSG expects to be in

close dialogue with OCHA on follow-up of the OCHA Functional Review including strategy,

prioritization and fundraising with new donors and the private sector. Denmark will continue

to work on issues of good humanitarian donorship, including the provision of predictable

funds, and of flexible funds to humanitarian partners and to humanitarian pooled funds.

In follow-up of the World Humanitarian Summit and the Grand Bargain, a stronger emphasis

on localising humanitarian response is expected, requiring a shift finance to regional, national

and local organisations to support preparedness and response, which in turn increases the risk

of not meeting donor accountability requirements and increases the need for large capacity

development investments in local organisations. Denmark will work with OCHA and OCHA’s

partners on risk assessments and risk management, including measures against fraud and

misuse of funds, and will continue to fund country-based pooled funds that can channel

funding to local humanitarian partners.

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019

Annex 1

URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 309: Organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s Humanitære Koordinationskontor (OCHA) 2016-2019