URU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 167: Orientering vedr. ny organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s kontor for koordinering af humanitære anliggender (OCHA)

Udenrigsudvalget 2022-23 (2. samling)
URU Alm.del Bilag 167
Offentligt

_____________________________________________________

Organisation Strategy for Denmark’s Engagement with United

Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

(OCHA)

2023 - 2027

_____________________________________________________

2 June 2023

URU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 167: Orientering vedr. ny organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s kontor for koordinering af humanitære anliggender (OCHA)

Danish Organisation Strategy for OCHA

Introduction

OCHA has a key role in relation to global coordination of

humanitarian action and financing as well as advocacy for those

affected by humanitarian crisis.

File No.

Responsible Unit

2023 - 14870

Department for Humanitarian

Action, Civil Society and

Engagement

Key results



Justification for support:

Million DKK

2024 2025 2026 2027

Total

240 240 240 240 960

Strengthened coordination and funding of the humanitarian

Commitment

system that is responsive, efficient and effective.

Projected ann. Disb.

240 240 240 240 960

Better access to humanitarian assistance and protection for

Duration of strategy

2023 - 2027

people in crisis situations to ensure that no-one is left

Finance Act code.

§06.39.01.12 and §06.39.01.16

behind.

Desk officer

Kit Clausen

Strengthened humanitarian responses that put people at the

Financial officer

Kasper Thede Anderskov

centre, support localization and are context-specific.

Strengthened organizational efficiency and effectiveness

SDGs relevant for Programme

that contribute to systemwide UN-reform and innovation.

OCHA is a key partner for global and local coordination

and development of the humanitarian system.

OCHA is central in bringing together action and funding

across humanitarian, development, peace and climate

actors.

OCHA plays a key role in assessing needs and advocating

for adequate funding for humanitarian action.

OCHA is a global champion for people affected by crisis

and facilitates humanitarian access.

Monitoring of progress based on OCHA’s own results

framework and key performance indicators.

Strategic engagement with OCHA at HQ and field level.

Active participation in OCHA’s donor advisory groups.

No Poverty

Hunger

Good

Health,

Wellbeing

Quality

Education

Gender

Equality

Clean Water,

Sanitation

Affordable

Clean Energy

Decent

Jobs, Econ.

Growth

Industry,

Innovation,

Infrastruct

ure

Reduced

Inequalities

Sustainable

Cities,

Communiti

Responsible

Consumption

& Production

How will we ensure results and monitor progress:

Climate

Action

Life below

Water

Life on

Land

Peace &

Justice,

strong Inst.

Partnership

s for Goals

Annual budget

OCHA core funding

CERF core funding

Total

* Subject to annual parliamentary approval

Risk and challenges:

The growing gap between humanitarian needs and the

funding available.



Difficulties in delivering results in crisis situations and

situation of pressure on humanitarian space.



Risks of misuse of funds when working with a broad range

of partners in difficult contexts.



Uncertainties in relation to adequate buy-in from partners

and OCHA’s own staff for transformative agenda.

Strat. objectives

Priority areas

Contribute to the

achievement of Agenda

2030’s commitment to

“leave no one behind”

and to SDG1, SDG2

and SDG17; and

contribute to a global

humanitarian system

that is adaptive,

accountable and

responsive to the needs

of people affected by

crisis.



Coordination and funding

of the global humanitarian

system.



Access to humanitarian

assistance and protection

for people in crisis

situations.



Strengthened humanitarian

responses.



Strengthened

organizational efficiency

and effectiveness.

70 million DKK

170 million DKK

240 million DKK

Danish involvement in governance structure



Active membership of the OCHA Donor Support

Group.

Active member of the Pooled Funds Working Group.

Potential new period on CERF Advisory Group.

Core information

1991, present mandate since 1998.

New York and Geneva.

Martin Griffiths, USG for Humanitarian

Affairs and UN Emergency Relief

Coordinator.

Global workforce of 2,225 staff

5 regional offices, 28 country offices and

humanitarian advisory teams in 22

countries.

Established

Head

Human Resources

Country presence

URU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 167: Orientering vedr. ny organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s kontor for koordinering af humanitære anliggender (OCHA)

List of acronyms and abbreviations

AAP

CAG

CAR

CERF

CBPF

DRC

ERC

GBV

HPC

HCT

HDP

HRP

IASC

IFI

MFA

MOPAN

NGO

OCHA

ODSG

OIOS

OPT

PSEAH

PFWG

SDG

SPA

UNCT

UNDRR

UNFCCC

UNHCR

WFP

WMO

Accountability to Affected People

Global Cash Advisory Group

Central African Republic

Central Emergency Response Fund

Country-Based Pooled Fund

Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator

Gender-based violence

Humanitarian Programme Cycle

Headquarters

Humanitarian Country Team

Humanitarian / Development / Peace nexus

Humanitarian Response Plan

Inter-Agency Standing Committee

International Financial Institution

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network

Non-Governmental Organization

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

OCHA Donor Support Group

UN Office of Internal Oversight Services

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

Pooled Funds Working Group

Sustainable Development Goal

Strategic Partnership Agreement

United Nations

UN Country Teams

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

UN High Commissioner for Refugees / UN Refugee Agency

World Food Programme

World Meteorological Organization

URU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 167: Orientering vedr. ny organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s kontor for koordinering af humanitære anliggender (OCHA)

I. Objective

This Strategy for the cooperation between Denmark and OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs) forms the basis for Danish contributions to OCHA, and it is the central platform

for Denmark’s dialogue and partnership with OCHA. It defines four Danish priority areas for OCHA’s

performance within the overall framework established by OCHA’s own Strategic Plan 2023 - 2026. In

addition, it outlines specific goals and results in relation to OCHA that Denmark will pursue in its

cooperation with the organisation. Denmark will work closely with like-minded countries towards the

achievement of results through its efforts to pursue specific goals and priorities. The Strategy is to be

supplemented by a Multilateral Partnership Agreement for the period 2023 – 2027 between Denmark

and OCHA.

The direction and content of the Strategy is informed by Denmark’s Strategy for Development

Cooperation, “The World We Share” and the associated how-to-notes, especially the notes on “Denmark

as a Humanitarian Actor”, “Fighting Poverty and Inequality” and “Securing Coherence between

Humanitarian Aid, Development Cooperation and Peacebuilding”.

Denmark’s longstanding strategic partnership with OCHA reflects OCHA’s key role as a convener and

coordinator of humanitarian action globally and at country-level, its role in working to ensure adequate

humanitarian funding, and its role as a global

champion for people affected by

Priority areas for Denmark’s Cooperation with OCHA



Coordination and funding of the global humanitarian system

humanitarian crises.

The strategic objective of this Strategy is to

contribute to the achievement of Agenda

2030’s commitment to “leave no one behind”

and to SDG1 (no poverty), SDG2 (no

hunger) and SDG17 (partnerships for the

goals); and to contribute to a global

humanitarian system that is adaptive,

accountable and responsive to the needs of

people affected by crisis.

Priority areas and crosscutting priorities for

the strategy are summarized in the text box

on this page and explained in section IV

below.



that responds to the needs for efficient and effective action

in an evolving humanitarian landscape

Better access to humanitarian assistance and protection for

people in crisis situations to ensure that no-one is left behind

Strengthened humanitarian responses that put people at the

centre, support localization and are context-specific

Strengthened organizational efficiency and effectiveness that

contribute to systemwide UN-reform and innovative

approaches

Crosscutting priorities



Humanitarian aspects of the climate crisis



Gender equality and the empowerment of women



Humanitarian, development, peace nexus

II. The organization

OCHA’s role and contextual challenges

Humanitarian challenges are rapidly growing because of factors such as growing geo-political tensions

and new, aggravated and often protracted conflicts; The accumulating effects of the climate crisis that

lead to drought, flooding and food insecurity that affect millions of people; Conflict, political instability

and climate shocks that have resulted in large-scale displacements; Recession, inflation and economic

instability in a number of countries following the COVID-pandemic that has led to increasing poverty

and inequality; The global food crisis, aggravated by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

These multiple shocks leave a growing number of people more vulnerable – according to OCHA’s Global

Humanitarian Overview 339 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023. The

consequence is an ever-growing gap between the humanitarian needs and the funding available. There is

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a need for better coordination and cooperation, new approaches and ways of funding that cuts across

humanitarian, development, peacebuilding and climate actors.

OCHA is a central partner for responding to this

evolving humanitarian landscape, being a key

humanitarian organization with a mandate on

coordination, humanitarian financing, policy, advocacy

and information management. It is necessary for the

whole humanitarian system to further develop in

response to new challenges, and to do so in alignment

with other actors, including UN development agencies,

climate actors, national and international NGOs, other

national actors and systems, local actors, IFIs and

others. OCHA’s new focus on transformational ways of

working underscores its lead role in this.

OCHA’s mandate

OCHA is headed by the UN Emergency Relief

Coordinator (ERC) whose mandate was defined

through UN General Assembly resolution 46/182 of

1991 that points to the need for strengthening the

coordination of UN humanitarian emergency assistance.

The Department of Humanitarian Affairs was

established soon after, as a unit in the UN Secretariat

with the aim of supporting the work of the ERC. In

1998, the Department was re-organized to become the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

OCHA has HQ-offices in both Geneva and New York,

5 regional offices, 29 country offices and humanitarian

advisory teams in 21 countries.

OCHA core mandate and functions



Coordination:

Coordinate global emergency

responses, improve prioritization and

reduce duplication, ensure that assistance

and protection reach the people who need

it most.

Humanitarian financing:

Mobilize finance

to meet growing needs, work for the

complementarity and coherence of

financing mechanisms.

Advocacy and communications:

Ensure

focus on forgotten crisis, promote respect

for international humanitarian law, amplify

the voices of crisis-affected people, help

people get access to assistance.

Policy:

Provide trend analyses and

forecasting, develop policies to improve

decision-making and humanitarian action,

promote reform and effectiveness,

promote normative frameworks and

protection of civilians.

Information management:

Contribute to

rapid, effective and principled responses

and strengthen coordination, decision-

making and advocacy.



Unlike most other UN agencies, OCHA does not have a decision-making Board. Donors and other

partners therefore rely on other mechanisms for their dialogue with OCHA, which includes the OCHA

Donor Support Group, the Pooled Funds Working Group, the CERF Advisory Group, Advisory Boards

for individual CBPF’s and related country-based donor groups - please also refer to section VII below.

OCHA’s mission is to coordinate the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in

humanitarian crises. OCHA is not an operational organization in the sense that e.g. UNHCR or WFP are

– OCHA’s five core functions of a crosscutting nature: 1) Coordination of global emergency responses.

2) Humanitarian financing across financing instruments, mechanisms and partners, not least in

mobilisation of donor funding. 3) International humanitarian diplomacy in terms of advocacy for

forgotten crises and for humanitarian access, and respect for international humanitarian law.. 4) Policy

development for improved humanitarian action as well as setting the agenda for effectiveness and reform

of the sector, including promoting normative frameworks and the protection of civilians. 5) Information

management to ensure rapid, effective and principled responses. This last core function includes being a

lead in the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) and its data analysis in terms of conducting needs

overviews, providing the basis for development of Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs) as well as

monitoring results.

Among OCHA’s comparative advantages as a partner for humanitarian action are that OCHA is a non-

sectoral humanitarian organisation with a crosscutting and convening mandate, placed close to political

processes in the UN Secretariat and in charge of important funding mechanisms for humanitarian action.

OCHA is furthermore the convenor and chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the

URU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 167: Orientering vedr. ny organisationsstrategi for Danmarks samarbejde med FN’s kontor for koordinering af humanitære anliggender (OCHA)

central forum for coordinating and shaping global humanitarian efforts, standards and policies that brings

together a wide range of partners and contributes to coherent, systemwide responses.

OCHA does not have a dedicated mandate in relation to the climate crisis, but is well aware of the

necessity of addressing climate change as a key driver of humanitarian needs. OCHA seeks to better

include climate threats and risks in its analyses and better address the need to strengthen resilience against

climate threats. An OCHA climate team was recently created in New York to help address these issues.

Funding mechanisms

Even though OCHA is not an operational agency, it manages and hosts important financing mechanisms

for humanitarian funding on global and national levels. OCHA is responsible for the management of the

Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) that has a global reach and is often the first-response funding

source for new emergencies. In 2022, the CERF allocated 735 million USD for humanitarian assistance

in 42 countries. The CERF rapid response window allows humanitarian country teams to deliver

immediate relief in a coordinated and prioritized ways when a new crisis sets in. CERF also has a window

aimed at underfunded emergencies to support protracted relief operations and stop funding-gaps in

forgotten crises. For Denmark, CERF is an indispensable tool to broaden the global reach of our

humanitarian assistance, ensure rapid responses and provide support for crises for which it is difficult to

attract funding. In 2022, more than half of CERF allocations (372 million USD) were provided for

conflict-related humanitarian crises; while 36 percent of CERF allocations (266 million USD) were

provided for climate related and natural disasters.

OCHA also manages a number of Country-based Pooled Funds (CBPFs). The CBPFs mobilize funding

from donors to finance humanitarian action in specific crisis situations through UN-agencies and through

national and local partners under the authority of the UN in-country Humanitarian Coordinator and with

donors and local actors represented in advisory boards. There are at present CBPFs targeting

humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, CAR, DRC, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nigeria, OPT, Somalia,

South Sudan, Sudan, Syria including the Syria Cross-Border fund, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. The

Regional Fund for West and Central Africa covers Burkina Faso, Niger and, as of 2023, Mali. The funds

in Iraq, Jordan and Pakistan are at different stages of closure as of 2023.

Complementarity between the CERF and the CBPFs is facilitated by the funds being managed by the

same unit (the Pooled Fund Management Branch) at HQ-level, and that at country-level the

Humanitarian Coordinators supported by OCHA country office are deeply involved in decision and

management processes regarding the funds.

At present, Denmark each year provides 70 million DKK in core funding for OCHA and its coordinating

mandate, and 170 million DKK for the CERF to address acute and forgotten crises, as well as funding

for relevant CBPFs. In 2022, Denmark was the fourth largest donor of un-earmarked core funding to

OCHA, the sixth largest donor to the CERF and the tenth largest donor to the CBPFs.

III. Lessons learned, key strategic challenges and opportunities

During the period of the previous Danish Organization Strategy for Denmark’s engagement with OCHA

(2020-2023), OCHA has been a key partner for Denmark’s humanitarian assistance. OCHA has been

leading in responses to a number of humanitarian crises and evolved its way of working in reaction to

e.g. the challenges of the COVID-pandemic. During the pandemic, OCHA coordinated closely with a

range of partners, made relevant analyses and information available, and had a heightened focus on the

crosscutting issues of gender and gender-based violence and on providing funding for localization.

OCHA has engaged in highly sensitive negotiations on access and evacuation of civilians and applied a

dialogue-based approach to development of key strategic papers such as its new Strategic Plan (2023-

2026) and the new Global Guidelines for the CBPFs, launched in December 2022.

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There are however also issues that are in need of attention, including the need to further strengthen

OCHA’s in-country performance, field presence and capacity. In order to ensure timely and efficient

responses, OCHA must continue to strengthen its focus on effectiveness, prioritization of needs,

leadership, information sharing, and cooperation with new types of partners. It should be noted that

among agencies this is not unique to OCHA– it is however, something that Denmark will continue to

focus on in its dialogue with OCHA.

A Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) review was published in

October 2021 and an evaluation of the Country-Based Pooled Funds was published in 2019. OCHA has

furthermore commissioned a number of thematic reviews of the performance of the CERF, including

reviews on cash and voucher assistance, GBV and the COVID-19-related CERF NGO-allocation.

The MOPAN review underscored that OCHA had undertaken a major reform process resulting in more

coherent strategic vision expressed in its 2018 – 2021 Strategic Plan, although there was not full buy-in

in the organization for all the changes in strategic direction. It also mentioned that OCHA had

demonstrated increased agility and become increasingly fit for purpose. The review found significant

improvements in OCHA’s administration of pooled funds and concluded that it had become invaluable

to a more coherent functioning of the multilateral system overall, and to pushing the envelope on key

issues and emerging priorities. The review also found that OCHA’s ambitions for decentralization were

not fully achieved, there was still some understaffing in the field and some top-down decision making.

Organizationally, results-based performance management was a weakness, and planning and budget

processes were not well-aligned. The review also identified under-investment in evaluation, organizational

learning and risk-management and that OCHA needed a more systematic approach to crosscutting issues,

such as gender, protection and climate that have all been given priority in OCHA’s new Strategic Plan.

OCHA has furthermore responded to the review e.g. by ensuring better resourcing for some country

offices and by further delegating decision making mandates, and OCHA’s new Strategic Plan underlines

OCHA’s commitment to results-oriented performance management at all stages of the humanitarian

programme cycle and to a robust Organizational Resilience Management System to adapt to escalating

risks. The Strategic Plan also outlines actions to promote learning and innovation e.g. through better

guidance and training and enhanced investments.

The evaluation of the CBPFs pointed to the funds in general being well suited to handle their task, being

flexible and agile in rapidly changing contexts. OCHA has made relevant investments in the CBPFs to

handle their administrative tasks, including risk management and an “aggressive approach” to

accountability. The review also noted that the CBPFs were dependent on a small group of donors and

that HQ-resources need to be prioritised to provide support for the work of the funds. OCHA needed

to work on the complementarity between CBPFs and the CERF, to update its global guidance, promote

good practices and to focus more on risk management. The evaluation pointed to the potential for the

funds to further support localization and incentivize and promote integrated or multi-sector programs.

To a large extent the concerns of the evaluation have been addressed in the new Global Guidelines for

CBPFs that has a clear focus on localisation and addresses a range of other issues such as good practices

and risk management.

IV. Priority areas and results to be achieved

OCHA’s Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026 was published in February 2023. It is based on an analysis of main

trends and challenges for the humanitarian system, including the climate crisis, economic crises, growing

inequality, a fragmented geopolitical landscape, increased instability, fragility and conflicts, and disease

outbreaks.

In its Strategic Plan, OCHA recognizes the need for

a more effective, impact- and solutions-oriented

response that puts people at

the

center.

Responses

must become more inclusive, move towards multi-

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sectoral approaches, and adapt their modalities to local contexts and the priorities of affected

communities.

This matches well with Danish priorities in relation to localization and people-centered

responses.

The Strategic Plan outlines six transformational priorities that will address the most critical areas where

transformation is needed for OCHA and for the whole humanitarian system to deliver better: (1) A

coherent humanitarian response that is people-centred, context specific, contributes to community

resilience and promotes concrete protection outcomes. (2) Systematic and predictable leadership on

humanitarian access. (3) Durable solutions to protracted internal displacement. (4) Humanitarian

response that is inclusive and leaves no one behind. (5) Catalytic humanitarian financing that delivers

impact in people’s lives, and (6) Strategic analysis of risks and trends to adapt to an evolving landscape.

Denmark’s strategic objective for

its cooperation with OCHA is to

Transformational priorities of OCHA’s Strategic Plan

contribute to the achievement of

1. Coherent, people-centred and context-specific humanitarian

responses

Agenda 2030’s commitment to

“leave no one behind” and to end

2. Leadership on humanitarian access displacement

3. Durable solution to protracted internal

poverty (SDG1), hunger and

4. Inclusive humanitarian responses that leave no one behind

malnutrition

(SDG2)

and

5. Catalytic humanitarian financing that delivers impact

strengthen partnerships (SDG17),

6. Strategic analyses of risks and trends.

and contribute to a global

humanitarian system that is adaptive, accountable and responsive to the needs of people affected by crisis.

While Denmark fully supports the OCHA Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026 as a whole, including through our

core support for OCHA, the following four priority areas and three crosscutting priorities have been

defined for Denmark’s partnership and dialogue with OCHA, based on convergence and linkages

between Denmark’s and OCHA’s strategic priorities. The monitoring framework in annex 1 provides an

overview of related OCHA Transformational Priorities, objectives and indicators.

A. Coordination and funding of the global humanitarian system that responds to

the needs for efficient and effective action in an evolving humanitarian landscape

Humanitarian coordination and humanitarian financing are OCHA core functions and keys to a well-

functioning global humanitarian system that delivers needs-based, multi-sectoral and well-aligned

humanitarian responses. OCHA’s systemwide coordination role reaches from leadership of the IASC at

global level to its coordinating function for humanitarian action including management of CBPFs at

country-level.

OCHA’s approach to delivering on coordination and funding must develop continuously, taking into

account the evolving humanitarian landscape including the increasing funding gap and the growing

challenges related to conflicts and climate change that cause and aggravate vulnerabilities.

Denmark will work to support OCHA in efficiently fulfilling its mandate as a global humanitarian

convener and coordinator and promote effective coordination and collaboration with other UN agencies

and partners outside of the UN. As part of its general focus on UN reform, Denmark will monitor the

way that OCHA promotes and contributes to common results and collaboration, including collaboration

across the development, humanitarian and peacebuilding nexus, while also considering climate-related

issues.

Through CERF-funding for pilot projects, OCHA has been instrumental in developing and testing

anticipatory action concepts in different crisis context and it is part of OCHA’s Strategic Plan to continue

to use its financing tools to further facilitate and scale up collective anticipatory action. Denmark will

support OCHA in this focus on early /anticipatory action that is highly relevant as a tool for more

efficient and effective humanitarian action, not least in relation to climate-related crises such as floods

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and drought. Early / anticipatory action is furthermore an important tool for providing crisis-affected

people with agency to act, rather than being passive recipients of aid.

Denmark will support OCHA in its continued quest to expand the humanitarian donor base, and in

reaching out to IFIs, development agencies and climate actors to ensure that financing is used most

effectively; and that funding and action is coordinated and applied in the most effective way to the benefit

of those affected by multi-faceted crises.

Coordination of cash-based assistance is an OCHA responsibility not least through OCHA’s chair role

of the IASC Global Cash Advisory Group (CAG), and is a vital part of the tool box for effective

humanitarian action. Denmark will follow OCHA’s increased involvement in cash coordination as a way

of delivering more integrated and less siloed assistance that contributes to resilience.

This priority area is mainly related to OCHA’s transformational priorities 1 and 5 (Coherent,

people-centred

and context-specific humanitarian responses

and

Catalytic humanitarian financing that delivers impact).

B. Better access to humanitarian assistance and protection for people in crisis

situations to ensure that no-one is left behind

Humanitarian access is increasingly challenged in crisis situations as emergencies become increasingly

complex, compounded by the presence of non-state armed actors, the politization of emergencies and

lack of knowledge of or regard for International Humanitarian Law. Other challenges are bureaucratic

impediments targeted at humanitarian actors; and misinformation that leads to escalating mistrust among

population groups and towards humanitarian organisations.

Impediments to access are a serious threat to effective humanitarian action and to protection, a threat to

the lives and well-being of people affected by humanitarian crises and increasingly put a burden on already

stretched humanitarian resources. It also constitutes a danger to the lives and security of humanitarian

personnel, increasingly under threat.

Advocacy for humanitarian access is part of OCHA’s original mandate, but OCHA has not yet fully

unfolded its potential within this priority area. “Systematic and predictable leadership on access” is one

of the transformational priorities in OCHA’s new Strategic Plan, and OCHA has for the past few years

worked to strengthen its organizational capacity e.g. through the establishment in 2021 of a

“Humanitarian Negotiations Unit” as part of its Response Support Branch. OCHA’s advocacy for access

also takes place during regular briefings to the Security Council on conflict-induced humanitarian

emergencies. Denmark will work with OCHA in the context of our possible non-permanent seat on the

Council 2025 – 2026 and where possible support OCHA in its advocacy role including in relation to

international humanitarian law and leadership at country level. This includes advocacy at field-level.

Denmark fully supports OCHA’s approach that protection should not be seen as a sectoral activity, but

as a collective responsibility and a common, strategic outcome for the whole humanitarian system.

Denmark expects OCHA to be an effective advocate for the rights and the protection of crisis-affected

people, not least youth and especially vulnerable and marginalized groups; as well as women and girls

who are often disproportionally affected by humanitarian crises.

Denmark will encourage OCHA to build the necessary capacity for humanitarian diplomacy and

negotiation of humanitarian access including through OCHA’s key role with regard to civil-military

coordination, where there is a gap in coordination with some part of the humanitarian system. Denmark

will follow OCHA’s coordination with other actors such as WFP and UNHCR when it comes to access

negotiations and engagement with non-state actors in the field. Denmark will furthermore encourage that

OCHA works with relevant partners – including local partners - with field experience in negotiations for

access.

This priority area is mainly related to OCHA’s transformational priority 2 (Leadership

on humanitarian access).

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C. Strengthened humanitarian responses that put people at the centre, support

localization and are context-specific

In a situation of exponentially growing humanitarian needs and limited resources it is vital that the quality

of humanitarian action is further optimized and that support truly responds to the needs of people.

Important tools to achieve this is localisation, more context-specific approaches, area-based coordination

and putting affected people at the centre of humanitarian action.

Denmark is a global champion for localization and it is part of the principles of Denmark’s Strategy for

Development Cooperation that we place emphasis on strengthening local leadership and ownership as

much as possible. Denmark will emphasize the need for OCHA to promote locally led crisis responses

that includes equitable partnerships, inclusion of affected populations, transfer of financial resources to

local actors, strengthened capacity and complementarity between actors.

OCHA is aware of the need to reinforce local responses and work to develop new approaches to

humanitarian coordination that are more locally based. These approaches should take their starting point

in the needs and priorities of affected communities and the national and local capacities that might be

part of a response. As part of this OCHA will work on pilots to develop context-specific coordination

models. They will include accountability to affected people, aim at strengthening community resilience,

and reducing the need for humanitarian action. Denmark expects this to include strengthened

cooperation with development actors on the ground in order to achieve stronger, long-term community

resilience.

Denmark will advocate for adequate resources and will fully support the development of alternative

approaches to coordination that better and more effectively serve affected populations, including through

localization.

CBPFs are an important tool for localisation, and OCHA’s new Global Guidelines for the management

of the funds has localisation as one of the main priorities for the work of the funds. Denmark will

continue to work with through the Pooled Funds Working Group at HQ-level and through dialogue

between Danish embassies and relevant CBPFs and promote that the funds support localization in

accordance with Denmark’s priorities and ambitions on this.

In line with its focus on UN reform, Denmark considers reform of the humanitarian coordination

structure as essential, and Denmark will closely follow and support OCHA’s development of new

coordination approaches including people-centred needs analyses, joined-up approaches and context-

specific models. Such new approaches should enable common outcomes for example by linking to social

safety nets; and they should ensure greater adaptability to respond to changed contexts and to community

priorities.

This priority area is mainly related to OCHA’s transformational priorities 1 and 4 (Coherent,

people-centred

and context-specific humanitarian responses

and

inclusive humanitarian responses that leave no one behind.)

D. Strengthened organizational efficiency and effectiveness that contribute to

systemwide UN-reform and innovative approaches

For OCHA to deliver on its mandate, including the priority areas highlighted above, it needs an efficient

and effective organization. OCHA’s ambition is to achieve improvements on e.g. leadership growth,

accountability for results and roll-out of results-based management (one of the issues high-lighted in the

latest MOPAN-review of OCHA), and to have a focus on learning, evaluation and innovation.

Denmark will support OCHA in this effort, call for OCHA to be an organization that is agile and

adaptable to a changeable environment, and promote accountability and transparency in the way OCHA

works. This includes a focus on PSEAH and on anti-corruption. Denmark will also keep a focus on

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effective application of results-based management approaches in OCHA, as well as strengthened

organisational learning e.g. through evaluations.

OCHA has been through a process of decentralisation of resources and decision-making powers in order

to ensure that adequate resources are available at field level. Nevertheless, there are still reports of

OCHA’s performance in some crises being affected by either too few resources or lack of the relevant

type of expertise and capabilities. This is an issue that Denmark will pursue. Denmark will through its

embassies and in cooperation with national and international NGOs - including Danish SPA-partners –

maintain a continuous dialogue on experience from working with OCHA on the ground, not least in

relation to the priority areas defined in this organisations strategy.

OCHA is a key UN-agency on the humanitarian side when it comes to coordination and norm-setting,

and has the potential to be a stronger driver of innovative approaches in humanitarian action e.g. through

the four pilot projects mentioned above. Denmark will encourage OCHA in this, including in the scale-

up of early and anticipatory action, the development of new approaches to coordination of humanitarian

action and continued UN reform.

In this context, Denmark will support OCHA’s coordination role as a means to enhance collaboration

and complementarity between the multifaceted engagement of diverse UN-organisations and other actors

in crisis settings, with an eye for complementarity with other Danish support-initiatives that work directly

with the Resident Coordinator-function. This will include OCHA’s efforts to bring humanitarian actors

closer to development and climate actors and should include both national and international NGOs.

Denmark expects OCHA to support the Resident Coordinators in their coordination function and ensure

that collective programming efforts of the wider field of actors are based on effective practices and joint

information management.

This priority area is mainly related to the “enablers” of OCHA’s strategic plan: (1) leadership and

accountability (2) equity and inclusion; (3) learning, evaluation and results; (4) analysis and data-driven

decision-making; and (5) partnerships.

E. Crosscutting priorities: Climate crisis, gender and nexus

OCHA’s Strategic Plan points to the climate crisis as a key driving factor for new and aggravated

humanitarian crises and highlights the necessity of including this fact in analysis and plans and of working

on the best possible use of humanitarian, development and climate finance to ensure the best results.

OCHA also works to ensure that climate finance and climate action benefits the most vulnerable people

living in humanitarian crises.

Denmark will work with OCHA to increase focus on climate-related humanitarian crises, and encourage

OCHA to work closer with climate actors, for example United Nations Office for Disaster Risk

Reduction (UNDRR), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UNFCCC Secretariat and the

UN Climate Security Mechanism. Denmark will also explore options for working closer with OCHA on

e.g. advocacy for improving access to climate finance in crisis situations. Denmark will encourage OCHA

to make the necessary adaption to e.g. its planning, coordination and funding mechanisms to include

climate related aspects, and to scale-up anticipatory action. OCHA has a key role to play in ensuring

coordination and alignment between humanitarian, climate and development actors on both financing

and action for those in need.

OCHA’s Strategic Plan highlights gender equality and the empowerment of women. This includes

applying a gender lens to OCHA’s analyses and action, the promotion of meaningful participation of

women in all stages of humanitarian action, as well as action against gender-based violence. This is fully

in line with Denmark’s strategies and priorities and Denmark will continue to support and promote

OCHA’s engagement for women and girls, and that adequate resources are made available for these

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issues. Areas of particular interest is OCHA’s engagement with women-led organisations; a strong gender

perspective in the humanitarian programming cycle and adequate financing of GBV-related outcomes.

Denmark will also urge OCHA to address the linkages between crises, gender inequality and climate

vulnerability as well as the gendered humanitarian impacts of climate change. Key in this are measures to

fast-track women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in preventing and addressing climate-related

humanitarian disasters and conflicts.

OCHA’s Strategic Plan emphasizes an increased attention to delivering on the humanitarian –

development - peace nexus, including facilitation of joint analysis, coordination, coherence and

complementarity with peace actors, including UN peace operations. Denmark will engage actively with

OCHA in this and work with like-minded partners to keep the development – humanitarian – peace

and

climate nexus on the agenda of OCHA as a way to ensure effective action for crisis-affected populations

to help them onto a trajectory towards real and sustainable development.

In the nexus-context, OCHA’s continued improvement of conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity across

programming and implementation is key in order for OCHA and the whole humanitarian community to

address the complex humanitarian needs and challenges of vulnerable populations.

OCHA is committed to ensuring further alignment and complementarity among its pooled funds and

engage with other funding tools across the humanitarian – development - peace nexus, including the

Peacebuilding Fund and the Sustainable Development Fund. Denmark strongly supports these goals and

will follow this work more closely as our engagement in UN’s peace and security-related work evolves in

relation to Denmark’s membership of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2023-24 and the campaign for

a Danish seat on the Security Council in 2025-26.

V. Budget

Denmark considers OCHA a key partner for humanitarian action and this is reflected in OCHA being

one of the three largest recipients among the UN agencies of humanitarian funding from Denmark.

Denmark supports OCHA’s programme budget by 70 million DKK per year, and the CERF by 170

million DKK per year; if humanitarian needs make it relevant, contributions for the CERF are often

topped up during the year. All funding is subject to annual parliamentary approval.

Indicative budget for Denmark’s contributions to OCHA and CERF 2023 – 2027*)

Funding as per the Finance Act 2023

Planned

Danish draft

Code

2024

2025

2026

2027

Finance Act for

2023

Core funding,

§06.39.01.12 70

OCHA

Core funding,

§06.39.01.16 170

170

CERF

Total

240

*) Subject to annual parliamentary approval.

Denmark also provides needs-based funding for relevant CBPFs based on humanitarian appeals, needs

analyses and response plans. This funding is provided through the Finance Act’s budget line for

humanitarian support for acute and protracted humanitarian crises (§06.39.03.11).

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VI. Risks and assumptions

The growing gap between humanitarian needs and the financing available poses a particular risk to

OCHA and its ability to deliver on its mandate of ensuring that adequate funding is available for

humanitarian action where it is needed. It is also a risk for OCHA as an organisation that could end up

stretching its resources in ways that affects its capacity to deliver results. OCHA is itself acutely aware of

the need to broaden the donor base for humanitarian funding, to work more efficiently and to bring

together humanitarian, development, peace and climate finance to achieve better results.

OCHA is funding and coordinating humanitarian action in crisis situations and in very difficult and

changeable environments, which entails risks to the staff of OCHA and its partners in the field, and to

OCHA’s ability to deliver results. One of the risks associated with crisis situations is pressure on

humanitarian space, which has in recent years included physical attacks on humanitarian staff and

attempts to exclude female staff in for example Afghanistan and Yemen. OCHA is working on its

approaches to risk and on implementing an organizational resilience management system to be better

able to adapt to risks.

When working in crisis situations and with a wide range of partners – some of which may be effective in

delivering aid but lacking in administrative capacity – there are fiduciary risks and risks of

mismanagement, misuse of funds and corruption. To counteract this OCHA has instituted robust

systems for vetting of local partners that are mandatory before any funds are transferred. OCHA has a

zero tolerance policy in relation to misconduct, a focus on timely action and is working with the UN

Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on investigations of misuse. This is key to continued trust

in OCHA among donors. Denmark puts emphasis on transparency and accountability in this context

and will continue to follow up with OCHA on these issues.

OCHA’s Strategic Plan has an underlying focus on transformation not just of OCHA itself, but also of

the entire humanitarian system. To achieve this – and to be able to fulfil its role as global coordinator

and convenor – OCHA needs full buy-in from its own staff and from other UN-agencies and partners

outside of the UN. Advocacy for and positive results from the six transformational priorities of the

Strategic Plan will be the best way to ensure this buy-in.

VII. Danish approach to engagement with the organization

Since OCHA does not have an Executive Board since it is part of the UN Secretariat, other channels will

be used to promote progress in relation to Denmark’s priorities for cooperation with OCHA. They

include active participation in advisory fora at headquarters and country-level as well as continuous

dialogue at different levels, including consultations between OCHA and the Nordic countries.

Denmark will continue its active participation in the OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG) that has as

its members donors that provide continued financial support to OCHA with a minimum annual

contribution of USD 500,000. ODSG does not make formal decisions in the way boards of other UN

agencies do, but it is a sounding board and a source of advice for OCHA’s overall strategic direction and

priorities. Denmark has a constructive, informal collaboration with Nordic countries and other

likeminded countries to promote relevant agendas in the ODSG.

Denmark will explore the option of becoming a member of the CERF Advisory Group that provides

policy guidance and expert advice to the ERC on the use and impact of the CERF. A recent membership

of the Group (Head of the Department for Humanitarian Action in a personal capacity) proved a very

relevant platform for dialogue with OCHA’s leadership on priorities for the CERF.

Denmark is as mentioned also a member of the OCHA Pooled Funds Working Group (PFWG) that

works in an advisory capacity to inform the strategic direction and management of the country-based

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pooled funds, to monitor and discuss performance in relation to the Global Guidelines for the

management of the funds, and to provide advice in relation to common issues for the funds.

During the period of the present Organization Strategy Denmark plans to seek the support of the donor

constituency to take on the role of chair of either the ODSG, the PFWG or the CERF Advisory Group

in order to further deepen its engagement with OCHA, with the donor constituency and with other

partners.

Denmark also aims at strengthening its dialogue with OCHA at country level in cooperation with other,

like-minded partners, including through closer engagement with the CBPF Advisory Boards,

Humanitarian Country Teams and related donor groups. This will require that resources are available at

the relevant Danish embassies.

In cooperation with Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, Denmark has annual (in some years bi-

annual) Nordic dialogue-meetings at high level with OCHA. The ERC normally participates in at least

part of the meetings and other members of the OCHA management team participates throughout. This

is a very useful platform for providing direct, strategic advice to OCHA’s leadership, promote Danish

and Nordic priority issues and discuss OCHA’s general performance and the way OCHA works on

relevant objectives and outputs.

A very important mechanism for direct dialogue with OCHA are the recurring bilateral talks between

Denmark and OCHA at minister / ERC level (or at high management level) to discuss key strategic issues

and general cooperation. Such talks take place at a higher frequency during major crises situations.

A contact group of units within the Danish MFA for cooperation with OCHA is established and will be

an important vehicle to ensure that experience and observations from cooperation with OCHA at

country-level feed into the strategic dialogue with OCHA. Sharing experience from cooperation with

OCHA in-country, including with relevant CBPFs will be a permanent item of the agendas for the contact

group-meetings. The MFA will also seek the input of Danish civil society-organisations both at HQ-level

and in-country in a more structured and continuous way, based on their in-field cooperation with OCHA.

This will be a way to further inform and strengthen Denmark’s dialogue with OCHA.

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ANNEX 1: Monitoring Framework

Annex 1 provides an overview of priority areas for this Organisation Strategy and related OCHA Transformational

Priorities, objectives and indicators, selected from OCHA’s own results framework. The matrix also includes indicators in

relation to Denmark’s three crosscutting priorities.

The matrix will be revisited and updated if relevant once the final set of OCHA Key Performance Indicators has been

approved. Denmark will work together with like-minded humanitarian partners to ensure that OCHA’s result framework

indicators are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Danish Priority Area A: Coordination and funding of the global humanitarian system that responds to the needs for efficient and effective

action in an evolving humanitarian landscape

OCHA Transformational

Objective

Output

Indicator

Priority

1: Coherent humanitarian

A coherent humanitarian

Strengthened context-specific and

Partner satisfaction score for OCHA’s

response

response that is people-

people-centred coordination

support to the HCT

centred, context specific,

approaches, structures and processes

contributes to community

for timely and agile preparedness and

resilience and promotes

humanitarian response

concrete protection outcomes

Percentage of partners satisfied with

OCHA’s cash coordination leadership of

global Cash Advisory Group

5: Catalytic humanitarian

Humanitarian financing that is Increased humanitarian funding

Percentage of people targeted by OCHA-

financing

more catalytic and innovative

through the catalytic use of pooled

managed pooled funds reached

in directly impacting people’s

funds.

lives

Danish Priority Area B: Better access to humanitarian assistance and protection for people in crisis situations to ensure that no-one is left

behind

OCHA Transformational

Objective

Output

Indicator

Priority

2: Systematic and predictable

More people in need have

Increased institutional capacity,

Percentage of countries with OCHA

leadership on access

access to humanitarian

predictability, accountability, and

presence with an up-to-date access

assistance, protection and

OCHA leadership on access

monitoring framework

basic services in a timely,

predictable and sustained

manner

Visible, predictable, and consistent

Percentage of partners satisfied with

advocacy for people in areas subject

OCHA's support on advocacy to

to access constraints

improve humanitarian access

Participatory, inclusive, gender

Partner satisfaction score for OCHA’s

responsive, and principled

coordination support to protection for

humanitarian preparedness and

HCs/RCs and HCTs

response

Danish Priority Area C: Strengthened humanitarian responses that put people at the centre, support localization and are context-specific

OCHA Transformational

Objective

Output

Indicator

Priority

1: Coherent humanitarian

A coherent humanitarian

Strengthened context-specific and

Percentage of countries with local actors

response

response that is people-

people-centred coordination

participating in OCHA-

centred, context specific,

approaches, structures and processes

facilitated/managed humanitarian

contributes to community

for timely and agile preparedness and coordination mechanisms.

resilience and promotes

humanitarian response

concrete protection outcomes

Participatory, inclusive, gender

Percentage of countries with AAP Action

responsive, and principled

plans developed and implemented.

humanitarian preparedness and

response

Diversified, increased, and innovative

humanitarian financing

Proportion of eligible national partners

accessing direct humanitarian funding

through CBPF

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Danish Priority Area D: Strengthened organizational efficiency and effectiveness that contribute to systemwide UN-reform and innovative

approaches

OCHA Enablers

Objective

Output

Indicator

Learning, evaluation,

N.A.

Strengthened management and

Percentage of OCHA field offices fully

innovation and results

accountability framework and

compliant with UN Secretariat Result

performance management systems

Based Management requirements.

Strengthened management and

accountability framework and

performance management systems

Strengthened corporate performance

management and evaluation

Percentage of OCHA's compliance with

UN Secretariat Result Based Planning

minimum requirements.

Percentage of oversight body audit-and-

evaluation recommendations pertaining

to OCHA that are implemented by due

date.

Percentage of OCHA-targeted

recommendations made in independent

evaluation report implemented by due

date.

Strengthened corporate performance

management and evaluation

Danish cross-cutting issue: Climate crisis

OCHA Transformational

Objective

Priority

No specific OCHA priority

N.A.

related to this, but is related to

KPIs for anticipatory action

and preparedness

Output

AAP mechanisms and principles are

integrated into the coordination

mechanisms

Strengthened context-specific and

people-centred coordination

approaches, structures and processes

for timely and agile preparedness and

humanitarian response

Indicator

Number of new or improved collective

Anticipatory Actions facilitated.

Percentage of HCTs/UNCTs in priority

countries that systematically implement

the IASC Emergency Response

Preparedness (ERP) approach

Danish cross-cutting issue: Gender equality and the empowerment of women

OCHA Transformational

Objective

Output

Priority

4: Humanitarian response that

Participatory, inclusive,

Gender equality and empowerment

leaves no-one behind

gender-responsive and

of women and girls in emergencies

principled humanitarian action are prioritised within the HPC

that leaves no one behind

Indicator

Proportion of Humanitarian Country

Teams (HCTs) with engagement of

women-led organizations

Proportion of Country Based Pooled

Funds (CBPF) Advisory Boards with

representation of women-led

organizations

Danish cross-cutting issue: Nexus

OCHA Transformational

Objective

Priority

3. Facilitating durable solutions Facilitate access of IDPs to

to protracted internal

durable solutions, including

displacement

basic services, in collaboration

with national capacities and

development actors

Output

Effective system-wide processes and

practices for durable solutions for

IDPs in protracted crises

Indicator

Number of HRPs that are durable

solutions oriented.

1. Coherent humanitarian

response

A coherent humanitarian

response that is people-

centred, context specific,

contributes to community

resilience and promotes

concrete protection outcomes

OCHA is a predictable/visible actor

in achieving durable solutions for

IDPs (through the use of OCHA's

coordination platforms and services)

Crisis-affected people receive

relevant and efficient emergency

humanitarian assistance

Number of countries in which OCHA

actively participates in a solutions-specific

coordination mechanism on durable

solutions.

Percentage of countries with an OCHA

country office which have developed

HDP priorities and included them into

their HRPs

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ANNEX 2: OCHA Organisation Chart

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Annex 3: Map of CERF allocations 2022

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Annex 4: Map of support provided from CBPFs 2022