Undac handbook 2006

It allocates tasks and responsibilities, according to mandates and capacities, and ensures that these are reflected in a strategic plan. It includes the undertaking of advocacy of humanitarian principles. It ensures that resource mobilization for the program results from a process conducted in a manner which responds to agreed priorities. It monitors and evaluates the overall implementation of the program to ensure that changing circumstances and constraints are identified and are then responded to in an agreed manner.

In so doing, it may address issues more generally regarded as operational when these issues are seen to have an impact on the program as a whole. The first is the need, within the strategic framework of the humanitarian program, for substantive coordination in relation to specific humanitarian sectors of activity, with regard to geographical areas or beneficiary groups. This is to ensure that, within each sector, the activities of different actors are conducted in a complementary manner and according to an agreed plan.

The second requirement is for common services for humanitarian actors. Thus, operational coordination ensures that matters such as security, communications and common logistical systems are managed in a manner best calculated to respond to changing operational requirements. Field-based objectives Several objectives have been identified by OCHA as essential to achieving effective sustained field coordination consonant with its goal.

These objectives include: 1. Ensure a comprehensive and coordinated program of humanitarian assistance by:. Identifying critical needs and targeting resources to those needs. Ensuring access to populations-at-risk. Developing and adopting a unified approach that eliminates gaps and duplications. Promoting an appropriate division of responsibilities resulting in a streamlined and coherent service provision.

Promoting accountability through the use of monitoring and evaluation information. Promoting emergency assistance that is supportive of recovery and long-term development. Advocating for humanitarian principles and concerns as well as the security of humanitarian workers. Ensure a steady and reliable flow of information to inform decision-making by:.

Monitoring events, conditions and trends to provide sufficient early warning to enable a timely response. Establishing and maintaining an effective information collection, analysis, dissemination and clearinghouse capacity.

Ensure sufficient resources to accomplish agreed programs by:. Mobilizing resources to accomplish tasks in a coordinated and systematic manner. Promoting sharing of resources among providers of humanitarian assistance.

Information sharing. Agreed distribution of program tasks and responsibilities amongst B all participants. Common goals and programs. Field coordination functions Overview OCHA seeks, overall, to improve the impact of field operations through coordination.

If field operations are improved, improvement will be evident in the areas of efficiency, effectiveness and impact. Efficiency covers those improvements that ensure that services are provided for the least possible cost and minimum amount of resources.

Effectiveness is improved when humanitarian assistance providers are able to achieve the objectives of their programs. To carry out its mandate, field coordination requires the provision of certain key functions.

The mandate to ensure coordination does not, however, mean that OCHA must provide all of them - it must ensure they are there. Specific functions related to this include:. Convene and chair coordination body. Facilitate agreement on division of responsibilities.

Negotiate access to emergency areas for all organizations. Advocate for humanitarian concerns. UNDAC members begin assessing as soon as they hear about the disaster, consulting media and web-based information sources. Every interaction provides an opportunity to build up a picture of the situation, i.

OCHA is responsible for regularly convening the organizations to plan integrated and comprehensive interventions; facilitating agreement on the division of responsibility; and taking such actions as are necessary to ensure plans are updated and interventions implemented as envisaged in the plan s.

Mobilizing The resources required to effectively respond to an emergency will be significant, and frequently fall outside of normal budgetary projections. OCHA may also be required to mobilize personnel and material to support humanitarian assistance efforts. Supporting A coordinated program of assistance requires accurate and timely information on the humanitarian situation.

See also Chapter G — Disaster Assessment. When the relief effort is organized in humanitarian clusters, e. OCHA may need to convene cluster meetings in the very early stages of the response. In the early stages of a humanitarian emergency, especially a natural disaster with search and rescue requirements, OCHA will be responsible for identifying priority areas and coordinating on site international assistance providers at these areas, in support of national and local authorities.

Liaising An emergency situation of sufficient magnitude will be characterized by a large number of different entities, e. OCHA is responsible for ensuring that these organizations are linked with each other and with the overall effort. OCHA is, therefore, responsible for maintaining contact to promote integrated programming and regular and effective sharing of information. Monitoring As the humanitarian emergency evolves, new areas of need will develop; some needs will be met or otherwise decrease in importance; and new providers will join the effort.

OCHA is responsible for monitoring the emergency situation, 8 UNDAC needs and assistance provided to quickly identify emerging needs, gaps and duplications in assistance, and the extent of program accomplishments. Reporting OCHA is the principal organization through which information on the humanitarian situation is gathered and analyzed. OCHA is also, therefore, responsible for regularly communicating the results of the analysis to interested parties such as emergency responders, donors and the media, in the form of regular situation reports and briefings.

The RC is responsible for coordinating UN humanitarian assistance. In the period before a disaster occurs, the RC coordinates preparedness and mitigation activities; monitors and provides early warning of potential emergency situations; leads contingency planning based on early warning monitoring; and chairs the UN Disaster Management Team UN DMT. Unless otherwise designated, once an emergency occurs, the RC will continue to lead and coordinate the UN inter-agency response.

If not, either a new RC will be appointed to serve in both functions, or a separate HC will be appointed. In countries where there is a significant risk of the occurrence of a complex or major emergency, efforts will be made by the Administrator of UNDP, whether through specific training or accelerated rotation, to find a RC with an appropriate humanitarian profile. The HC normally phases out once the emergency subsides. In major or long B running emergencies the Coordinator will need substantial assistance in the form of a core of experienced and energetic professional and support staff and adequate logistical, administrative and financial support.

The Centre serves as the entity for the coordination of the operational activities undertaken by humanitarian organizations responding to the emergency, including the United Nations agencies, the government, and NGOs. The Centre focuses on the multi-sectoral overview of the situation, actors and responses to the emergency.

It ensures that sectoral coordination is integrated and presented within a plan for the overall humanitarian response, ideally through cluster coordination carried out from the Centre by the agency designated responsible for a given cluster.

See also Chapter E — Coordination in the Field. Regional coordination mechanism In situations where the emergency is likely to, or already has, involved more than one country, the IASC and ERC may establish a regional coordination mechanism of some kind. Operating under the supervision of the ERC, a regional coordinating mechanism will have responsibility for facilitating congruence of countryspecific policies on sub-regional humanitarian assistance issues, including, where appropriate, standardization of agreements governing cross-border operations and providing logistical support including regional telecommunications networks.

Integrated UN missions In some situations, the UN agencies in-country will simultaneously be involved with humanitarian, security, and development operations. In such cases there may be three separate and distinct reporting lines. Local authorities In most emergencies, especially in sudden onset emergencies, the main UN counterpart in-country is the national government.

In most countries the government will appoint a special ministry or other entity charged with overall coordination of government humanitarian assistance and with interacting with international assistance entities. When such a government coordination structure exists, this will be an important counterpart for UN humanitarian coordination staff. At the field level, it is not unusual for local authorities, such as regional governors or local military commanders, to have considerable responsibility and some degree of independence from the capital.

An important task of OCHA field level staff is to ensure that such authorities are well informed concerning the objectives, principles, and implementation of humanitarian assistance, both of the UN as well as the larger international system. In complex emergencies, UN assistance may need to be provided to persons living in areas outside of the control of the national government, e. Opposition groups may have established their own coordination mechanisms and OCHA field staff must be able to work effectively with them.

The primary purpose of the UN DMT is to prepare for and ensure a prompt, effective, and concerted response and promote coordinated UN assistance to the government for post-emergency recovery. This does not supersede the mandates of its members. During an emergency, the UN DMT is the main in-country mechanism by which UN agencies coordinate policies and programmes of humanitarian assistance.

The Cluster approach The IASC principals have agreed to establish cluster leads at the global level in nine sectors of humanitarian activity. The cluster leads will act as lead agency and have been mandated to establish a coordinating mechanism within their sector. IOM — natural disasters.

UNHCR — complex emergencies. WFP for common security and telecommunications services. UNDP 12 UNDAC The cluster approach will be applied in these nine sectors with the understanding that in four sectors the cluster model is not necessary as these four already have sufficient leadership.

These four are:. Food led by the WFP. Agriculture led by FAO. The IASC-endorsed cluster approach operates at two levels. At the global level, the aim is to strengthen system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies by designating global cluster leads that are accountable for ensuring predictable and effective inter-agency responses within the particular sectors or areas of activity concerned. To enhance predictability, where possible, this should be in line with the cluster lead arrangements at the global level.

OCHA will take on the role of ensuring the establishment of the cluster approach in a sudden onset disaster and provide inter-cluster coordination, overall guidance and monitoring of the process, and advocacy to support the work of the clusters. In summary they are as follows:. The cluster lead will be accountable for ensuring preparedness and response that is both adequate and predictable.

It will work with relevant actors and agencies with expertise and capacities in that area. At the field level, the clusters provide support to the Humanitarian Coordinators who are able to call upon cluster leads for support as required. The cluster lead will not carry out all of the activities itself, but will be responsible for ensuring that these activities are carried out and will act as the provider of last resort. Apart from providing security to humanitarian operations, such resources as logistics, telecommunications, and engineering support such as road, B bridge, and site preparation may be useful or essential.

A UN peace-keeping operation may have a humanitarian cell or other humanitarian liaison function. As the availability, type of resources, and expertise will differ in each situation, it is not possible to create a generic model for linkage between a peace-keeping operation and the OCHA coordination structure.

Organizationally, the military support element might be limited to a position in a liaison cell or take up a more active position in other cells.

The military assets available for humanitarian activities should be integrated or at least linked to the OCHA coordination structure. However, it is important that the military liaison functions, if in the form of a humanitarian cell or CMOC, act in support of and not parallel to or in front of a primary humanitarian coordination function. CMCS has provided training to numerous persons in civil-military coordination CMCoord who can function as liaisons on all levels of the coordination structure.

They may have organized themselves into NGO coordination bodies to meet their collective needs and integrate activities to maximize their impact.

Donor councils In some emergencies, donors may form a coordination body for their own purposes. These bodies are more likely to be created at the height of an emergency, when donors need information quickly and when, individually, they are not able to get reliable information. These efforts may be sustained during the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase, as well. Variations between natural disasters and complex emergencies While each emergency situation is unique, many aspects of the emergency environment and how the response is managed are the same in natural disasters B and complex emergencies.

Significant variations also exist and are detailed below. The terms disaster and emergency have generally, though not universally, accepted definitions see UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction definitions at www. Hence, the affected State has the primary role in the initiation, organization, coordination, and implementation of humanitarian assistance within its territory.

While for most natural disasters, the State is a willing and legitimate partner and must request international assistance. In complex emergencies, the legitimacy and territory of the State is under, often violent, dispute. In some situations a State, per se, may not exist. Even if it does exist it may have limited authority and capability. This situation makes the adherence to the above principles problematic in complex emergencies.

In these cases the commitment to the victims may supersede the commitment to the State. More likely, however, OCHA coordination efforts will need to acknowledge the legitimacy of competing authorities.

Thus, OCHA may need to develop and maintain effective relationships not only with the State but also with the antagonists and political opposition. Time frame While the basic human needs for security, food, water, shelter and medical treatment are the same for beneficiaries in natural disasters and complex emergencies, the role of an UNDAC team in a natural disaster will be circumscribed to a short period of time.

In a natural disaster speed of response is critical and is measured in hours and days. This is especially so in an earthquake situation where trapped people are unlikely to survive more than days unless rescued.

For most complex emergencies the OCHA presence and coordination mandate will need to be sustained over a longer period of time and needs created by the emergency will become chronic. This will inevitably affect the coordination approach and determine priorities. In this B case, coordination becomes even more difficult and the people responsible for coordination have to make a special effort to draw donor governments and organizations into the coordination process.

This is less of a challenge in complex emergencies since donor response is mostly through multilateral channels. The role of the military Using military assets for humanitarian needs in a complex emergency is a political decision and has been opposed in the past in recipient countries, e. In a natural disaster it is far easier to use military assets for relief as there are fewer political implications to such use.

It is designed to deploy staff and experts at very short notice hours anywhere in the world. It also aims at advising and strengthening national and regional disaster response capacity. UNDAC team members are specially trained and equipped for their task.

Methodology - Predefined methods for coordination including the collection and management of information, assessment as well as structures for coordination support during the first phase of a suddenonset disaster or emergency. UNDAC methodology is designed to fit any disaster around the world. Mobilization procedures - Proven systems to mobilize and deploy an UNDAC team, so that it will arrive within 24 hours at any disaster or emergency site anywhere in the world.

Added value An UNDAC team is a neutral, international asset that provides experienced emergency managers with varied skills, free of cost at very short notice to a sudden onset emergency.

They provide an international capacity to support cross-sectoral emergency assessment, relief coordination and information-management. Natural Disasters - When a disaster affected country requests international assistance in coping with a natural disaster and requires additional international coordination resources, or when a disaster is imminent, e. Complex Emergencies - When there is the sudden onset or change in intensity of a complex emergency, which is likely to result in an unforeseen requirement for additional international coordination resources.

The team normally stays in the affected area for the initial response phase of two to four weeks. Among the technical services that UNDAC provides, the principal ones are on-site coordination and information dissemination services.

This reporting will aim to give governments and others a broad understanding of the scale of an emergency. Support coordinated information management and dissemination related to the international humanitarian response to the disaster on behalf of the United Nations in-country system.

Strengthen the coordination centre of the government for international coordination. Strengthen the coordination centre of the authorities in charge at the site of the disaster. Support the following : - Coordination of the process of evaluating immediate humanitarian needs. The UNDAC system, if requested, may provide support to the logistics operation by establishing a relevant coordination platform.

Outside cases of disasters. Trains new UNDAC members selected by national government and international organizations during induction courses of 12 days duration. Conducts disaster response preparedness missions on request from disaster-prone countries. Depending on available resources. In-depth or sectoral evaluation.

The host government, UN agencies or qualified members of the IASC family, will normally make substantive sectoral assessments. However, the UNDAC system may help mobilize expertise in case of environmental impact of the emergency. Deliver humanitarian assistance.

The UNDAC system only delivers support related to coordination, information management and resource mobilization. Take on a specialist role outside the areas of coordination, information management and resource mobilization.

Sectoral coordination. This is the responsibility of the national government. It aims to facilitate close links between country-level, regional and international response efforts.

It assists in meeting international needs for early and qualified information on the situation and, when necessary, in the coordination of international relief at the site of the emergency. The UNDAC team may provide and disseminate initial information on the material and human dimensions of an emergency with the aim of giving host governments and the international community a broad understanding of the nature and magnitude of an emergency. The consistency of any preliminary information regarding the nature and scale of the emergency, the preliminary needs assessed and the relief interventions required; and,.

The coordination of the infrastructure and logistics, including in relation to a possible deployment of UNJLCs. It should provide UNDAC members with a check-list that allows them to anticipate the next steps they may need to take during a mission. The international disaster environment, e. The key players and their mandates. International humanitarian law. International resources for relevant information, e. Physical pre-, during, and post-mission. Kit personal and team-equipment.

State of readiness. Passport valid for more than six months. UNDAC mobilization. Know the system: - Step by step. Contractual arrangements for: - Insurance. Briefing mission tasks, expectations, methods of operation, briefing file, initial Plan of Action.

Climatic conditions at disaster area. Security situation, phase and clearance. Arrival in country. Entry formalities forms, telecommunications and IT equipment. Logistical practicalities, e. Marketing our services using targeted literature, presentations, and member profiles. Identifying the key people and gaining their confidence as soon as possible. Orientation phase. Dispel pre-conceived ideas and re-adjust objectives on facing reality. Begin the information management process that continues throughout.

Although missions are short, look at transition short - medium - long term , i. Get a feeling for the security situation. Plan of Action. Create a Plan of Action based on known information, including partners. Contents, e. Give mission focus. Execution 1. ERC responsibility, role, power, etc. Work procedures. Major players and their expressed intentions and possible agendas. Pre-established, workable plan or model for coordination. Identify possible conflicts of interest.

Identify what is working in this situation and what is not. Provide cross-sectoral support to information and response coordination:.

Definition, i. Identify and obtain the support one require, e. Coordinate, initiate, and participate in joint assessment of situation, response, and relief needs:. Know the characteristics and needs of other stakeholders in assessment. Where, when, and how to carry out joint assessment? How to achieve consistency of assessment information? How to prioritize needs and act as an arbiter between stakeholders? How to identify gaps, overlaps, and inefficient or weak response?

How to present assessment findings? Information management:. Define priority information requirements. Collect the relevant information. Collate the information collected. Consolidate and organize the information. Analyze the collated and consolidated information. Make recommended courses of action for decision-makers. Report and disseminate the findings and recommendations, as appropriate. Sitreps: - Audience and purpose. Audience and purpose.

Implementation in the country and processing of them in Geneva. Practice good appeal producing skills by reading, writing, and critiquing them. Regularity of contact. Reporting, lines and schedule. Personnel, administrative procedures, etc.

Consolidation phase. Are the right people doing the right jobs? Analyze distribution of work load is there a need to rotate? Who makes the decision, based on what, clearances and needs? Indicators for withdrawal. Full or partial pull-out, who to handover functions to? Ensure systems are in place to avoid total breakdown of structures the team have set-up. What equipment stays behind, i.

Geneva debrief. With whom involve the whole team? Keep in-house to improve the system, i. Lessons learned. Providing feed-back to team members about the corrective action process. Mission reports: their purpose, audience, e. A standardized format for reports and approach to their production on mission.

How big, i. Mobilization D. Stand-down M3b D. Termination of mission D. Test M1-test and M2-test D.

Alternate virtual mobilization procedure 2 2 4 4 4 5 D. Documents D. Personal and team items D. Incidents Command Systems play an important role in managing multi-organisational incidents efficiently. One of the most prominent examples is the ICS applied for example in the U.

The ICS is used to manage an incident or a non-emergency event, and can be used equally well for both small and large situations. ICS Canadana for example is a Pan Canadian command and control structure used to help manage emergency incidents and planned events.

It provides the framework for standard incident management response and improves interoperability between all response organizations as well as with international cooperators. Derived both from experience and lessons learnt from emergencies, exercises, and trainings, the EU has developed Host Nation Support Guidelines HNSG that intend to assist affected UCPM member states in the organization of the assistance that they receive.

Aiming to provide support and guidance, EU HNSG are complementary to existing international documents in the context of disaster management and relief operations, and are of a non-binding nature. They can be applied both in the context of UCPM operations within the EU, as well as in the context of bilateral assistance from an European state to a non-European state. To this end, the HNS Guidelines include templates such as for the request for international assistance, and the offer of international assistance , a HNS checklist, and a glossary of terms in the Annexes.

UNDAC teams can deploy at short notice hours anywhere in the world and serve as a first point of contact for incoming international relief onsite or at national level. Learn More. Among the technical services that UNDAC provides, the principal ones are on-site coordination and information dissemination services, under the leadership of the affected country.

The Field Handbook is intended as an easily accessible reference guide for members of an UNDAC team before and during a mission to a disaster or emergency, covering the following topics: A.

The international emergency environment; B. Pre-mission; D. On-mission; E. Mission end; F. Team management; G. Safety and security; H. Information management planning; I. Reporting and analytical outputs; K. Media; L. Coordination; M. Coordination cells; O. Regional approaches; P. Disaster logistics; Q. ICT and technical equipment; R. Facilities; S. Personal health. More documents e.

It is requested that comments and observations that arise during exercises or real incidents are fed back to the national level. Deciding what to do about it action , all informed by a statement and understanding of overarching values and purpose. One of the difficulties facing commanders from different responder agencies is how to bring together the available information, reconcile potentially differing priorities and then make effective decisions together.

Responder agencies may use various supporting processes and sources to provide commanders with information, including information on any planned intentions, to commanders. This supports joint decision making. When using the joint decision model, the first priority is to gather and assess information and intelligence.

A working strategy should set out what a team is trying to achieve, and how they are going to achieve it. Initiative by the International Maritime Rescue Federation IMRF to help with the sharing of knowledge information, initiatives and contacts on this particular topic.

USAR assistance is designed to especially respond to emergencies characterised by collapsed structures in urban environments. USAR teams are equipped to provide emergency medical care to survivors trapped in collapsed structures, and assist in victim search, debris removal, detection of hazardous materials, and stabilization of damaged structures in the context of their search and rescue operations UNOCHA , p.

Currently there is a lack of operational plans and standard operational procedures SOP for search and rescue SAR operations applicable to cases of hazardous and noxious substances HNS incidents in Baltic Sea Region BSR according to rescue authorities and study reports.

By creating plans and SOPs for the rescue operations related to maritime HNS incidents the project will tackle the above mentioned lack of operational procedures. By developing the e-learning material for the different international actors in the rescue operations the project will enhance and harmonize the level of know-how to ensure safe rescue operations.

The chemical data bank will act as the basis for information seeking in rescue operations and e-learning. The European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection ERNCIP aims at providing a framework within which experimental facilities and laboratories will share knowledge and expertise in order to harmonise test protocols throughout Europe, leading to better protection of critical infrastructures against all types of threats and hazards and to the creation of a single market for security solutions: LINK.

Intercultural ethical issues or local values cannot be readily addressed or wiped away by standards. It is important to establish joint protocols for all activities to ensure successful collaboration and management of ethical and privacy issues which may arise. With these:. The document provides guidance in planning and implementing multi-agency exercises. The findings from a number of reviews of major national emergencies and disasters made clear that the emergency services carry out their individual roles efficiently and professionally.

However, there were some common themes relating to joint working where improvement was needed — JESIP was established to address these issues: Learn More. This framework is based on the model used by JESIP for the validation exercises run as part of the initial programme.

This template should help exercise planners achieve cost-effective exercising of multiple groups of commanders in a live-play environment in a single day. The training helps experts improve their coordination and assessment skills in disaster response. A training programme has been set up for civil protection and emergency management personnel to enhance prevention,. Since over 8 training course places have been offered to Participating States, EU staff, partner organisations and third countries.

The basis of all training courses is a comprehensive online learning package that gives experts the opportunity to prepare prior to course participation and to refresh their knowledge.

The training courses under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism are meant as a supplement to the national training expert training and the needed basic training for international deployments provided to the experts by their home country or organisation.

The different courses are described in the brochure available via the indicated link. The key components of the Joint Doctrine are:. Effective Leadership: how to be a successful leader. Pan Macmillan Kondo H, et al. Establishing disaster medical assistance teams in Japan. Prehospital Disaster Med. Relief work can be hampered by civil unrest, with rescuers threatened or held hostage if they do not find relatives.

International Search and Rescue Advisory Group. Hogan D, Burstein J. Disaster medicine. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins; Ed Mew 1 Email author 1.

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