O C H A ANNUAL REPORT 2003 UNITED NATIONS ACTIVITIES AND USE OF EXTRABUDGETA RY FUNDS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN A F FA I R S

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2 O C H A ANNUAL REPORT 2003 ACTIVITIES AND USE OF EXTRABUDGETA RY FUNDS UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN A F FA I R S

3 Editorial Team Prepared by OCHA staff and consulting editor under the guidance of Ed Tsui, Director, OCHA New York. OCHA wishes to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of its committed staff at headquarters and in the field in the preparation of the narrative, financial and graphic components of this document. Managing Editor: Eamonn Casey Financial Data: Margarette Ross, Maria-Theresa Angulo Narrative Assistance: Cathy Sabety Design and production: Creatrix Design Group, Ottawa, Canada Photographs: Front cover: OCHA/RSO-CEA Inside: OCHA headquarters, field offices and staff members, IRIN, IFRC Maps: John Marinos, ReliefWeb, OCHA. For additional information, please contact: Magda Ninaber van Eyben Donor Relations, Geneva United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Telephone: (41)

4 OCHA s MISSION The mission of the Office for the C o o r d i n ation of Humanitarian A f f a i r s (OCHA) is to mobilise and coordinat e effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and i n t e r n ational actors in order to: a l l e v i ate human suffering in disasters and emergencies, a d v o c ate for the rights of people in need, promote preparedness and p r e v e n t i o n, and f a c i l i t ate sustainable solutions.

5 Table of Contents Foreword by the Under-Secretary-General Part 1 Financial Information and Analysis Introduction Explanation of financial statement and terminology How OCHA is Funded Donor Funding in Core Activities Headquarters Projects Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) Field Offices Earmarked vs Unearmarked Contributions Status of Earmarking by Donors in Expenditure Carry-Over Financial Monitoring Sustainable and Balanced Funding Key Financial Tables Statement of Income and Expenditure in Extrabudgetary Requirements and Expenditures in Donor Contributions in Voluntary Contributions to OCHA in 2003 From the Top 20 Donors Voluntary Contributions to OCHA in Part 2 Headquarters Core Activities and Projects Executive Management Executive & Administrative Offices New York and Geneva Staff Development and Learning Project Strengthening Donor Relations Capacity Project IASC/ECHA Secretariat

6 Humanitarian Emergency Branch Response Coordination Branch CAP Strengthening Project Surge Capacity Project Emergency Services Branch Field Coordination and Support Services Project Military, Civil Defence and Logistics Support Project Environmental Emergencies Services Project Emergency Telecommunications Project Internal Displacement Unit Policy Development and Studies Branch Promoting the Humanitarian Agenda Field Action & Coordination Protection of Civilians Project Lessons Learned & Evaluation Studies Project Advocacy and External Relations Chernobyl Project Information Management Information and Communications Technology Information Analysis Early Warning and Contingency Planning ReliefWeb Project Field Information Support Project Part 3 Coordination Activities in the Field Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) Africa and the Middle East Angola Burundi Côte D Ivoire

7 Democratic Republic of the Congo Eritrea Ethiopia Guinea Liberia Occupied Palestinian territory Regional Office Southern Africa Regional Support Office Central and Eastern Africa Regional Support Office West Africa Sierra Leone Somalia Sudan Uganda Zimbabwe Asia Democratic People s Republic of Korea Indonesia Iraq Regional Disaster Adviser Asia Regional Disaster Adviser Pacific Tajikistan Europe Georgia Russian Federation Southeastern Europe Americas and the Caribbean Colombia Regional Disaster Adviser Latin America and the Caribbean Appendix Afghanistan and the AETF

8 Foreword I am pleased to present the Annual Report for 2003, the first since I took up my duties as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in September First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all our partners for their unwavering support and continued commitment to OCHA throughout Your generous financial contributions have enabled OCHA to coordinate humanitarian action around the world in a timely and effective manner, and to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable populations in concert with our humanitarian partners. The present report is only the second of its kind and represents a further step in OCHA s commitment to enhanced accountability and transparency. It forms part of our annual strategic planning cycle, providing an account of income and expenditure, and highlighting OCHA s achievements against planned activities and some of the lessons learned. It is intended as a tool for OCHA to improve further its efficiency in managing resources, and to allow donors to measure progress against the objectives set for each year. As you know, the Annual Report was pioneered by my predecessor, Kenzo Oshima, who undertook to enhance planning processes, accountability and sound management in OCHA. I am fully committed to building on these achievements, and look forward to an intensified dialogue with donors and partners on these issues was a year of unprecedented challenges for OCHA. Most prominently among these figured the crises in Iraq, Liberia and Côte d Ivoire, and the ongoing conflicts in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. While continuing its efforts in Sudan and Angola, the Office made considerable efforts to highlight the needs of vulnerable populations in forgotten crises such as northern Uganda, the Central African Republic and the Northern Caucasus. Last but not least, OCHA provided critical and timely assistance in managing the devastating effects of natural disasters in Algeria, Iran and Sri Lanka. Yet planning for, and responding to, the Iraq crisis engaged the largest capacity of the Office, both at headquarters and in the field. Throughout 2003, OCHA dedicated several key managers and considerable numbers of staff for extended periods to this effort, in which this resulted in significant unanticipated financial and management requirements. The tragic bombing of the UN in Baghdad has highlighted the importance of renewing our commitment to humanitarian

9 principles, and the safety and security of relief workers. OCHA lost four colleagues on 19 August, in addition to our former Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sergio Vieira de Mello has also been a year in which we succeeded in phasing out or scaling down our activities in countries such as Angola, Tajikistan, Georgia and the Balkans. This allowed us to rededicate our human and financial resources to new or re-emerging humanitarian crises elsewhere. Lastly, OCHA intensified its efforts to highlight the critical protection needs of civilians caught in armed conflicts, in particular internally displaced persons. In this context, the Office, in concert with its humanitarian partners and interested member states, developed practical guidance for the application of generic policies, and reached out to new partners in raising awareness of these needs. Efforts to improve engagement on IDP issues resulted in a well-received external evaluation of the Internal Displacement Unit. Its recommendations are currently being implemented. Looking ahead, OCHA will continue to face similar challenges. Key among those are the need to ensure safe, secure and unimpeded access to vulnerable populations in a consistent manner; the provision of an enabling operating environment for humanitarian agencies; strategic advocacy on behalf of those most forgotten victims; and a broadened dialogue with new and emerging partners. Donors continued support and advice is indispensable in this regard. Only in close partnership with you will we be able to ensure stability of funding for our activities and an adequate capacity to respond to humanitarian crises around the world in a consistent and equitable manner. The Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative is a centerpiece in this joint endeavour. In turn, OCHA will strive to enhance even further the timeliness and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, in concert with our humanitarian partners within and outside the United Nations. Jan Egeland

10 PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OCHA has made good progress in making the IASC process more inclusive of the non-un humanitarian agencies. They have benefited greatly from the increased information and the opportunities for bringing a wider field experience to the coordination process. Humanitarian partner

11 Introduction By issuing its annual report for the second consecutive year, OCHA reaffirms its commitment to donors and the international humanitarian community to provide a transparent and consolidated picture of OCHA s activities and performance, as well as its income and expenditures. In 2003, OCHA has included substantially more financial information and narrative detail at the request of donors, a number of whom have agreed to accept this as the only reporting requirement to detail how their contributions were used in the course of By doing so, donors allow OCHA to spend more time focusing on its substantive tasks. This step is in line with the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative, one strand of which involves moves towards harmonising reporting requirements. OCHA welcomes the continuing evolution of this initiative. In addition to providing information on objectives, activities, achievements, and the constraints affecting programme implementation, OCHA is making a first attempt this year s to capture some of the impact of its activities at the corporate level and, more importantly, in the field. The report again focuses on the financial and programmatic aspects of OCHA s work supported by the two principal trust funds: the Trust Fund for Strengthening the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator, and the Trust Fund for Disaster Relief. It also includes, as an annex, details on the closure of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA) and its folding into the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). That describes how the funds in the Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund continue to support the humanitarian needs, recovery and economic development of the people of Afghanistan. The report provides information on programme implementation and expenditure in a document to be viewed as a complement to the appeal document, OCHA in Activities and Extrabudgetary Requirements. In the course of the year, new and changing humanitarian emergencies required attention and resources that could not be outlined in the OCHA in 2003 document. It is also important to point out, as noted in last year s report, that resources contributed to OCHA s trust funds to provide grants to NGOs and emergency grants in response to natural disasters are not included in this report: the annual report is restricted to OCHA specific activities and requirements. In order to facilitate readers, we have again included notes and definitions to explain the financial terminology used. With the annual report still in a development phase, OCHA welcomes suggested improvements, in order that it can better meet the reporting needs of donors and be a useful planning tool for OCHA. Explanation of financial statements and terminology Statement of income and expenditures summarises the total funds available, from the beginning balance or carry-over from 2002; income for the year comprising donor contributions, including unpaid pledges and interest income; transfers from other funds and adjustments; expenditure, which includes obligations made but not yet disbursed; and the closing balance, which includes the mandatory cash operating reserve for emergency contingency purposes. Budget and expenditure tables show, by main activity, OCHA s extrabudgetary requirements as reflected in OCHA in 2003, and the expenditure recorded for each activity. The expenditures include obligations and actual disbursements. Expenditure breakdown tables are presented for each activity, and include the standard breakdown by object of expenditure as defined in the UN financial system. Related activities are described in the narrative reports. Donor contributions shows the total pledges made by individual donors, broken down by trust fund. Opening balance represents the total amount of funds available for the trust fund and/or main 2 OCHA Annual Report 2003

12 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS activity on 1 January 2003, and is also referred to as carry-over balance from Fewer actual funds are available for implementation purposes because unpaid pledges, while recorded as income, are not cash on hand; and because a mandatory 10 per cent cash operating reserve must be held to cover any unforeseen expenditure. Adjustment includes adjustments of income or expenditure reported in This may be due to erroneous recording the previous year that had to be corrected in 2003, or adjustments of contributions and other miscellaneous income for prior years. Pledge is a written commitment by a donor to provide, at a future date, a monetary contribution to OCHA s activities. In cases in which donors pay without first making a pledge, OCHA reports the amount pledged as identical to the amount paid. A pledge is recorded as income under the UN Financial Rules and Regulations, regardless of whether it has been paid. If the pledge is in a currency other than US$, its value is converted according to established UN rates of exchange prevailing at the time of receipt. The US$ value of the pledge changes in accordance with the UN rates of exchange for as long as the pledge remains outstanding as a receivable in the UN financial statement. Income from contributions is composed primarily pledged and collected contributions from donors that have been credited to OCHA s trust funds. Other funds available includes interest earned and other miscellaneous income, such as gain or loss on currency exchange, proceeds from sale, disposition of old equipment, etc. Total funds available include opening balance, adjustments, income from contributions, and other funds available. Transfers, refunds, and savings include transfers between trust funds and refunds, or savings from prior period obligations. Expenditure corresponds to the disbursements and obligations recorded for the year. Closing balance represents funds carried over from 2003 to The net carry-over that can be used for implementing activities is lower than the figure indicated in the statement of income and expenditure. For the Trust Fund for Disaster Relief, a large portion of the carry-over relates to grants for natural disasters, prepositioned funds, and NGO grants that have not been included in the extrabudgetary programme requirements laid out in OCHA in Budget lines in the expenditure tables include: Staff costs: salaries and related entitlements of staff holding United Nations contracts Consultants fees and travel: salaries and travel costs of consultants engaged for a specific time-bound mandate and purpose Travel: includes travel and related expenses incurred on official business by staff or other representatives participating in OCHA activities Contractual services: relates to payments for outsourced services, such as printing, translation, editing, security services Operating expenses: payments for rental and maintenance of office premises and equipment, communications, shipment, banking charges, etc Supplies, furniture and equipment: payments for office supplies, materials, furniture, and equipment, including computers, fax machines, photocopiers, and vehicles in the field Grants, contributions, fellowships, and seminars: grants provided to external entities, including UN agencies, NGOs, institutions, universities and other organisations working in partnership with OCHA; it includes seminars and workshops included in requirements as reflected in OCHA in 2003 Programme support costs: calculated at 13% of all activities and projects executed and directly supported by OCHA, and 3% of grants provided to other entities that do not require significant administrative support from OCHA. These programme support costs, while recorded as expenditure in each trust fund, revert to OCHA as income for its Special Account for Programme Support Costs. OCHA Annual Report

13 How OCHA is Funded OCHA is funded from the United Nations regular budget and through voluntary contributions. For the biennium , the General Assembly approved a regular budget appropriation of US$20.7 million under Section 25 Humanitarian Assistance: $10.3 million appropriated for the year 2002, and the remaining US$10.4 million for OCHA s regular budget represents a 0.7 per cent share of the total UN regular budget of US$2.95 billion for the biennium. This is one of the lowest shares proportional to other UN programmes within the Secretariat. the revised requirements for 2003 from US$69.8 to US$82.2 million. In addition, a significant drop in the strength of the US dollar augmented overall income, since contributions received in other currencies translated to a higher value in dollars. Voluntary contributions to OCHA are managed primarily through two trust funds: The Trust Fund for Disaster Relief (DMA), which finances humanitarian coordination activities in all countries affected by conflicts, natural disasters and industrial, environmental and technological accidents; and, The Trust Fund for Strengthening of the Office of the Coordinator (DDA), which supports OCHA s core mandate for activities undertaken by headquarters that are not funded by the regular budget. Projects administered by headquarters are also funded from both trust funds. In 2003, OCHA received voluntary contributions totalling US$85.5 million, a significant increase on the previous year s US$68.6 million. However, that included donations to activities that were not reflected in OCHA in 2003: US$8.8 million in grants for natural disasters and NGOs; US$8.5 million earmarked for the Iraq crisis, a unique and exceptional situation that occurred after the appeal document was issued; and US$4.5 million in other activities not included in the appeal document. The total voluntary contributions directly responding to activities in OCHA in 2003 came to US$64.1 million, a 20 per cent increase on the US$51.4 million received for the previous year. Most of that increase can be attributed to donor response to additional emergency needs identified in the African and Middle East regions. Together with the Iraq emergency, that brought Contributions to the Trust Fund for Disaster Relief reached US$67.5 million in 2003, of which US$44.7 million went towards the activities detailed in OCHA in 2003; US$8.5 million was earmarked for the Iraq emergency; and another US$13.3 million for natural disasters, NGO grants and other activities not included in the appeal document. 4 OCHA Annual Report 2003

14 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS Contributions to the Trust Fund for Strengthening came to a total of US$19.5 million. Funding from the two trust funds is supplemented by charges accrued to the Special Account for Programme Support (ODA). Resources from this special account are derived from programme support costs applied to all trust funds administered by OCHA. A programme support charge of 13 per cent was levied on all activities reflected in OCHA in 2003 for the backstopping provided by OCHA, as well as the common services provided by the United Nations for OCHA s extra-budgetary activities. Total income from the Special Account for Programme Support for 2003 amounted to US$8.5 million, of which $3.5 million supported core activities at headquarters. Thus, against projected requirements of US$71.7 million as presented in OCHA in 2003, and revisions, OCHA had at its disposal a total of US$73 million for the year. Of that, 88 per cent comprised donor contributions and 12 per cent was derived from the Programme Su pport Account. The Secretary-General reports regularly to the General Assembly on the use of the regular budget appropriations. This annual report serves as OCHA s principal reporting mechanism to donors on the use of their voluntary contributions for requirements outlined in OCHA in OCHA Annual Report

15 Donor Funding in 2003 In 2003, overa ll don or con tri buti ons to OC H A re ach ed an unpreceden ted level of US$85.5 mill i on, a su b s t a n tial increase in com p a ri s on with 2002 s overa ll vo lu n t a ry con tri buti ons of US$68.6 mill i on. Th i s, h owever, amount inclu des con tri buti on s ch a n n ell ed thro u gh OC H A, su ch as grants for n a tu ral disasters and NGOs for US$8.8 mill i on ; a s well as other activi ties not inclu ded in the appe a l doc u m ent of US$4.5 mill i on, and US$8.5 mill i on e a rm a rked for the Iraq em er gen c y. Con tri buti ons tow a rds the activi ties pre s en ted in OCHA in 2003 came to US$64.1 mill i on. This repre s en ted a 20 per cent increase in don or su pport com p a red to the US$51.4 mill i on received in re s ponse to OCHA in The top 20 don ors con tri buted some 90 per cent of OC H A s annu a l requ i rem en t s, with ei ght new don ors adding t h eir su pport. For core activi ti e s, don ors provi ded US$12.1 m i ll i on of u n e a rm a rked con tri buti on s, or 66 per cent of the proj ected requ i rem ents of US$18.2 mill i on ; and 78 per cent of actu a l ex pen d i tu res of US$15.4 mill i on. The shortf a ll of s ome US$3 mill i on was funded from the Programme Su pport Acco u n t. For head qu a rters proj ect s, US$11.5 mill i on of e a rm a rked and unearm a rked re s o u rces were received, repre s en ting 91 per cent of the e s ti m a ted requ i rem ents of US$12.6 mill i on, and 103 per cent of a n nual ex pen d i tu res of US$11.0 mill i on. For IRIN, con tri buti ons of US$4.9 mill i on were received, a gainst an annual requ i rem ent of US$4.3 mill i on and ex pen d i tu res of U S $ 4. 4 m i ll i on. However, nine percent of the funds received in 2003 rel a ted to pled ges made for 2002 and were used to rep ay loans from the previous ye a r. For field of f i ces inclu ded in OCHA in 2003, don ors funded a total of US$35.1 mill i on or 6 OCHA Annual Report 2003

16 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS 95 per cent of the revi s ed field coord i n a ti on requ i rem ents of US$36.8 mill i on, and 93 per cent of actual ex pen d i tu res of US$37.6 mill i on. Th o u gh mostly earm a rked, don or con tri buti on s for field coord i n a ti on inclu ded US$3.2 mill i on of u n e a rm a rked or loo s ely earm a rked funding for f i eld coord i n a ti on, ch a n n ell ed thro u gh the Fiel d Coord i n a ti on Re s erve Fu n d. In ad d i ti on, don ors con tri buted US$8.5 mill i on for the Iraq crisis against overa ll requ i rem ents of US$9.9 mill i on and ex pen d i tu res of US$3.6 mill i on. De s p i te rel a tively strong financial su pport for the activi ties pre s en ted in OCHA in 2003, t h ere remains an imbalance in overa ll funding - mainly due to earm a rk i n g. G en era lly spe a k i n g, OC H A s t a rted 2004 with su f f i c i ent funding to en su re u n i n terru pted implem en t a ti on of its on goi n g activi ti e s. In most cases, OCHA was able to ren ew s t a f f con tracts for a full year and to meet the firs t t h ree months of opera ti onal requ i rem en t s, using the re s erves or c a rry - overs f rom the previous ye a r. More det a i l ed analysis of don or funding for the activi ties out l i n ed in OCHA in 2003 is pre s en ted bel ow. C o re Activities Con tri buti ons for core activi ties amounted to US$12.1 mill i on or 66 per cent of a n nu a l requ i rem ents of US$18.2 mill i on. While short of the proj ected need, the level of f u n d i n g n evert h eless repre s en ted a 30 per cent increase on the US$8.7 mill i on received in The funding gap was covered from the Progra m m e Su pport Acco u n t, wh i ch gen era ted an income of US$8.5 mill i on in Al t h o u gh OCHA appe a rs to be in a more stabl e financial po s i ti on at the end of , a lot of the con tri buti ons were received on ly in the last qu a rter of the ye a r. In the co u rse of , t h e i m p l em en t a ti on of s ome activi ties was affected, i n cluding the establ i s h m ent of the remaining po s t s recom m en ded in OC H A s ch a n ge managem en t proce s s. Un til OCHA can dem on s tra te its financial su s t a i n a bi l i ty for a full year and beyon d, the Office for Programme Planning and Bu d get (OPPBA) has deferred approval of the new posts to In the interi m, provi s i onal arra n gem ents were m ade for OCHA to use gen eral tem pora ry a s s i s t a n ce funds to en su re that activi ties were not u n du ly del ayed. H e a d q u a rters Pro j e c t s He ad qu a rters proj ects received con tri buti ons of US$11.5 mill i on, or 91 per cent of the proj ected requ i rem ents of US$12.6 mill i on, for Th i s repre s en ted a 5 per cent growth com p a red to previous ye a r s total of US$10.9 mill i on. O f the 16 proj ects ref l ected in OCHA in 2003, t wo con ti nu ed to be underf u n ded : S t a f f Devel opm en t and Le a rning and Emer gency Tel ecom mu n i c a ti on s. Ei ght received funding sligh t ly bel ow proj ected l evel s, while five received funding that match ed or exceeded their requ i rem en t s. The Ch ern obyl Proj ect was funded from the Trust fund for Ch ern obyl. Con tri buti ons were re a s on a bly well b a l a n ced bet ween New York and Gen eva, u n l i ke in previous ye a rs. Integrated Regional Inform a t i o n Networks (IRIN) In 2003, gen erous con tri buti ons from new and ex i s ting don ors re ach ed US$4.9 mill i on. Wh i l e I R I N s total income for the year appe a rs to exceed its proj ected requ i rem ents of US$4.3 mill i on, n i n e per cent of these con tri buti ons rel a ted to pled ge s i n ten ded for 2002 activi ties but received in and wh i ch were used to rep ay loans f rom the previous ye a r. Fu rt h erm ore, because of s evere underfunding in the past, IRIN has not yet acc u mu l a ted any re s erve or c a rry - over to meet its programme requ i rem en t s on a more pred i ct a ble and flex i ble basis. It has to con ti nue to opera te on a ti ght bu d get, p a rti c u l a rly at the start of e ach new ye a r. Wi t h o ut don or funding early in 2004, IRIN may have to rely on l oans from other sources just to ex tend staff con tracts for the rem a i n der of the ye a r. OCHA Annual Report

17 This cash flow probl em has con ti nu ed to con s tra i n IRIN activi ties and advers ely affected staff m ora l e. OCHA rei tera tes its calls to ad d ress the situ a ti on of vu l n era bi l i ty that IRIN wi ll inevi t a bly con ti nue to f ace each year unless more pred i ct a bl e, ti m ely and i n c re a s ed funding is received to meet its requ i rem en t s. Field Off i c e s In 2003, don or su pport for OCHA field of f i ce s re ach ed US$35.1 mill i on, or 95 per cent of t h e revi s ed proj ected requ i rem ent for the year of US$36.8 mill i on. This repre s en ted a 23 per cen t i m provem ent in funding com p a red to 2002, wh en con tri buti ons amounted to US$26.9 mill i on. Ad d i ti onal con tri buti ons ref l ected po s i tive don or re s ponse to the em er gency needs of the occ u p i ed Pa l e s tinian terri tory, L i beri a, Sudan and the Regi onal Su pport Office in West Af ri c a, for wh i ch requ i rem ents incre a s ed in the co u rse of At the same ti m e, with many con f l i ct areas in Eu rope h aving moved tow a rd pe acebu i l d i n g, recon s tru cti on and devel opm en t, t h ere was a com m en su ra te redu cti on in their requ i rem ents and don or funding. No t withstanding the significant increase in overa ll funding for the fiel d, the earm a rking tren d con ti nu ed to cre a te an imbalance. This meant that s everal of f i ces were left short of f u n d s, i n clu d i n g : E ri tre a, Et h i op i a, Gu i n e a, Si erra Leone and Geor gi a. O f f i ces of the Regi onal Di s a s ter Re s ponse Advi s er were also underf u n ded, those in Asia more severely than others. Some of these funding gaps could be ad d re s s ed by gre a ter con tri buti ons from don ors to the Fiel d Coord i n a ti on Re s erve Fund (FCRF), wh i ch wo u l d a ll ow for more flex i ble use of re s o u rce s. E a rm a rking can cre a te an imbalance in the funding of activi ti e s. As most con tri buti ons for proj ects and f i eld activi ties are received earm a rked, t h ere is a ri s k of s ome activi ties or of f i ces being gen ero u s ly f u n ded (or even over- f u n ded) while this mon ey cannot be used to meet funding gaps in other are a s. The level of e a rm a rking of don ors has limited OC H A s flex i bi l i ty to ad d ress shortf a lls in funding, re su l ting in serious cash flow managem en t probl ems for some proj ects or field of f i ce s. OC H A would con ti nue to en co u ra ge don ors to con s i der less ri gid earm a rking to the ex tent that thei r l egi s l a ti on all ows. Con tri buti ons received as unearm a rked in su pport of f i eld coord i n a ti on activi ties are held in the Fiel d Coord i n a ti on Re s erve Fund (FCRF), and all oc a ted on the basis of t h ree specific cri teri a : e s t a bl i s h m en t of coord i n a ti on of f i ces in new em er gen c i e s ; ex p a n s i on of of f i ces due to deteri ora ting situ a ti on s ; a n d, su pport to severely underf u n ded of f i ce s. This mechanism all ows OCHA to manage its f i eld activi ties with flex i bi l i ty, and to all oc a te re s o u rces wh erever requ i red in accord a n ce wi t h pri ori ties or em er gency requ i rem en t s. In 2003, t h e FCRF received US$3.2 mill i on, most of wh i ch was a ll oc a ted thro u gh o ut the year to cover shortf a lls in f i eld of f i ce s. E a rmarked vs Unearm a r k e d C o n t r i b u t i o n s In 2003, 76 per cent of don or con tri buti ons were e a rm a rked and 24 per cent went to unearm a rked core activi ti e s. 8 OCHA Annual Report 2003

18 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OCHA Annual Report

19 Expenditure 2003 saw significant increases in expenditure in over the previous year. OCHA s expenditure increased by 21 million: an average overall increase of 20.5 % across its two principal trust funds over The main reason for higher expenditure was implementing additional requirements for OCHA s work at country level. This can be seen most notably in programmes for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and the regional support offices in Africa. Furthermore, contributions increased by approximately 20 per cent, allowing OCHA to implement its programmes and activities on a more timely basis. However, the historically low value of the US dollar caused increased expenditure figures as a result of transactions carried out in currencies of higher value. 10 OCHA Annual Report 2003

20 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS Carry-Over The carry-over as reported in the financial statement serves principally as a working reserve to ensure that OCHA headquarters and field operations can continue uninterrupted from one year to the next. The funds reported under the carry-over are critically important at the beginning of each year as OCHA needs to ensure, under the UN s Financial Rules and Regulations, that it has sufficient funds in its trust fund accounts to extend staff contracts and to meet operational expenses. Moreover, OCHA is required to maintain a mandatory reserve for emergency contingencies of 10% of its annual expenditures. The carry-over for the Trust Fund for Strengthening of the Office of the Coordinator is composed largely of funds used to cover extensions of staff contracts and other management obligations at the beginning of the year. At the end of 2003, the Trust Fund had an overall carry-over of US$20.5 million, as follows: For core activities and headquarters projects, carry-overs of US$16.9 million and US$1.9 million respectively enabled OCHA to extend core and project staff contracts for a full year, and related operational requirements for the first three months; For IRIN, carry-over of US$1.7 million was barely sufficient to cover staff salaries for the first quarter and to make provision for the first three months of operational requirements. While the carry-over of US$70.1 million in the Trust Fund for Disaster Relief appears significant, approximately 80 per cent of this balance comprises encumbered funds that are earmarked for: Natural disasters - US$5,639,671 NGO grants - US$2,640,775 Specifically earmarked projects not appealed for - US$7,025,530 Prepositioned funds by donors - US$3,434,181 UNDAC emergency response - US$540,588 Unexpended allotments issued in advance for three months staff costs (Jan to Mar 2004) - US$25,643,226 Donor pledges awaiting receipt of funds - US$1,858,356 Advances to partners awaiting reports - US$2,529,153 A 10% mandatory reserve - US$6,856,836. After allowing for staff contracts and operational expenditures at the start of the new year, less than 20% of the sum remains available to meet the needs of lesser funded offices and emergency operations: most of the reserve is already committed, some of it for activities not in the appeal documents. * The total amount of the DM listed above is US$56,168,316, which indeed reflects 80% of the total carry-over of US$70,095,928 (as per statement) OCHA Annual Report

21 Financial Monitoring In addition to the Financial Accounting System (FAS), introduced in 2002, which allows OCHA to monitor expenditures by extracting data from the UN's Integrated Management Information System, OCHA created a Cash Flow Database in Updated regularly, this allows each OCHA headquarters project and field office to have immediate access to information about funds received during the biennium accounting period, as well as total funds allotted, cash on hand, unpaid donor pledges, and funds needed to fulfil the requirements of the annual cost plan. The database allows programme and senior managers to determine which projects and field offices are fully covered for the year, and which partially covered, and for how long. It also enables managers to alert donors to underfunded humanitarian crises, and allows the Department to better strategise its resource mobilisation efforts. In 2003, the Administrative Office in Geneva launched a shadow budget training programme for desk officers and section chiefs, to enable them to maximise their use of both the FAS and the Cash Flow Database. By comparison with 2002, expenditures for a number of programmes are considerably closer to either the initial or revised cost plan. For core activities, a similar system is in place at headquarters to provide programme and branch managers with quarterly status data on their allotments and expenditures, helping them with planning and judicious use of their resources. While there are a number of factors related to there being less slippage, including better planning and better donor response to appeals, the improvements in financial monitoring at the project and field level are also playing an important role in how OCHA manages its resources effectively. 12 OCHA Annual Report 2003

22 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS Sustainable and Balanced Funding The year 2003 saw the strengthening of the strategic partnership between OCHA and its bilateral donors through the OCHA Donor Support Group, which has provided substantial financial support and commitment to strengthening OCHA in the field and at headquarters. The continuing review by donors of the manner in which they allocate funding in 2003 through the International Meeting on Good Humanitarian Donorship in Sweden in June, its-follow-up, and the establishment of the Good Humanitarian Donorship Implementation Group in September is also warmly welcomed by OCHA. Notwithstanding the benefits of enhanced partnership, OCHA faces a number of challenges in its efforts to bring stability and predictability to its financial base: In the first instance, OCHA needs to secure a share of the UN regular budget to meet its core requirements and enable it carry out its coordination management flexibly and to optimum effect. OCHA s dependence on extra-budgetary financing has, on occasion, constrained its effectiveness in responding to large scale humanitarian emergencies. The timeliness and flexibility of funding are also critical to OCHA s efforts to ensure full and balanced implementation of its planned activities. Even if pledges are made early in the year, OCHA cannot incur expenditures for programme implementation until the cash contributions have been received. Another particular concern for OCHA is to maximise the proportion of funding it receives unearmarked, so that it can balance its expenditures across different activities and regions (some poorly funded) and avoid cash flow difficulties. OCHA recommends that donors increase the proportion of unearmarked contributions, and encourages them to continue the trend towards less rigid earmarking preferably at the level of trust funds rather than specific activities. Where earmarking is required, OCHA would appreciate preliminary consultations by donors in an effort to assure more targeted funding for severely under-funded areas of its mandate. By providing a share of contributions for field activities through the Field Coordination Reserve Fund (FCRF), donors can also enable OCHA to respond flexibly at short notice to new demands and changing priorities, as well as to fill gaps in under-funded activities. Donors might also consider setting up a buffer fund, as a predictable source of funding - much like the regular budget - to support OCHA s cash flow requirements. OCHA will continue to work closely with its traditional donors and new partners to identify the means to best address funding requirements, constraints and challenges. OCHA Annual Report

23 Statement of Income and Expenditure in 2003 for the Trust Funds administered by OCHA Summary Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA Trust Fund for Disaster Relief 1 Opening balance (US $) 16,789,634 64,469,523 2 Adjustments - 892,214 3 Income from Contributions 19,109,385 a/ 67,458,380 4 Other funds available 800,185 6,581,099 5 Total funds available 36,699, ,401,216 6 Expenditure 16,501,450 68,573,168 7 Transfers, refunds, savings 347,739 (732,120) 8 Closing balance (US $) 20,545,493 70,095,928 a/ Excludes contribution of $200,000 from USA allocated to ISDR which has been reported in the official financial statement for 2003 and has been treated as a prior year adjustment in the official financial statement for Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA Summary Headquarters Core New York - Geneva Headquarters Projects New York IRIN TOTAL 1 Opening balance (US $) 2 Adjustments 3 Income from Contributions 4 Other funds available 5 Total funds available 6 Expenditure 7 Transfers, refunds, savings 8 Closing balance (US $) 14,069,109 1,594,387 1,126,138 16,789, ,107,784 2,098,072 4,903,529 19,109, ,650-67, ,185 26, ,692,459 6,097,202 36,699,204 9,971,186 2,176,013 4,354,251 16,501,450 (50,340) 400,000 (1,921) 347,739 16,888,017 1,916,446 1,741,029 20,545, OCHA Annual Report 2003

24 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS Trust Fund for Disaster Relief Summary Complex Headquarters Headquarters Natural Emergencies Projects Geneva Geneva a/ Disasters NGO Grants TOTAL 1 Opening balance (US $) 2 Adjustments 3 Income from Contributions 4 Other funds available 5 Total funds available 6 Expenditure 7 Transfers, refunds, savings 8 Closing balance (US $) 41,628,283 12,115,786-7,342,908 3,382,546 64,469, , , ,214 49,266,761 9,386,865-2,886,321 5,918,433 67,458,380 6,080, ,347 10, , ,982 6,581,099 97,628,182 21,703,998 10,000 10,636,075 9,422, ,401,216 46,298,293 8,830,513 1,896,027 4,963,773 6,584,562 68,573,168 b/ (660,619) (2,154,429) 2,313,183 (32,631) (197,624) (732,120) 50,669,270 10,719, ,156 5,639,671 2,640,775 70,095,928 a/ Consists of staff costs for administrative activities. b/ Consists of transfers to cover Miscellaneous Headquarters activities. Special Account for Programme Support Summary 1 Opening balance (US $) 2 Adjustments 3 Income from Contributions 4 Other funds available 5 Total funds available 6 Expenditure 7 Transfers, refunds, savings 8 Closing balance (US $) TOTAL 4,773, ,423 8,549, ,337 13,830,783 6,962,549-6,868,234 c/ c/ Expenditure consists of US$1,392,987 NY-core activities, US$2,114,432 Geneva-core activities, US$188,348 ISDR and US$ 3,266,782 payments to UNOG. * All figures subject to audit 1 The opening balance reflects the situation of each Trust Fund as of 1 January Includes adjustments to prior period income and expenditure. 3 Includes all contributions from donors for the year Consists of interest and miscellaneous income and exchange adjustments for the year Consists of the opening balance and income (addition of ). 6 Includes disbursements and unliquidated obligations as of 31 December Includes transfers between Trust Funds, refunds to donors and savings on prior period obligations. 8 Includes operating cash reserves and fund balances as of 31 December 2003 OCHA Annual Report

25 Extrabudgetary Requirements and Expenditures in 2003 Headquarters Core Activities and Projects CORE ACTIVITIES Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OERC Office of the USG, ERC, and Director New York Office of the Director of OCHA Geneva/AERC Executive Office - New York Common Costs - New York Administrative Office - Geneva Common Costs - Geneva IASC/ECHA Secretariat Response Coordination Branch (RCB) Emergency Services Branch (ESB) Humanitarian Emergency Branch (HEB) Policy Development and Studies Branch (PDSB) "Advocacy, External Relations, and Information Management Branch (AERIMB)" Subtotal for Core Activities PROJECTS Relief Web Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions Protection of Civilians Lessons Learned and Evaluations Field Information Support Chernobyl CAP Strengthening Staff Development and Learning Field Coordination Support Section Military, Civil Defence and Logistics Support Environmental Emergency Services Emergency Telecommunications Internal Displacement Unit Surge Capacity Strengthening Donor Relations Capacity UNDAC Developing Countries Subtotal for Headquarters Projects Extrabudgetary Revised Requirements Contributions Expenditure Requirements ,107, , , , , , , , , , , , ,800 2,336,501 2,336,501 2,063, , , , , , ,648 4,023,478 4,023,478 4,084, , , ,685 1,338,937 1,338, ,440 1,993,315 1,993,315 1,781,444 4,304,908 4,304,908 3,052,275 18,207,547 18,207,547 12,107,784 15,374,632 Extrabudgetary Revised Requirements Expenditure Contributions Requirements ,516,122 1,753,064 1,760,850 1,420, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,562-40, , , , , , , , ,118 1,392,428 1,392,428 1,392,941 1,289,135 1,488,648 1,488,648 1,230,581 1,345, , , , , , ,165 80, ,680 2,379,426 2,379,426 2,482,858 2,874, , , , , , , , , , , , ,167 12,367,660 12,614,602 11,484,937 11,047, Total for OCHA Headquarters US $ 30,575,207 30,822,149 23,592,721 26,421, Core activities are funded from unearmarked contributions and from the Special Account from Programme Support. 2. Consists of expenditure of US$9,971,186 under the Trust Fund for Strengthening of OCHA, US$3,507,419 under Special Account for Programme Support and US$1,896,027 under Trust Fund for Disaster Relief. 3. Consists of expenditure of US$2,176,013 under the Trust Fund for Strengthening of OCHA, US$40,567 under the Trust Fund for Chernobyl and US$8,830,513 under Trust Fund for Disaster Relief. 4. Does not include US$1,588,874 for expenses (including programme support costs) related to the Brindisi Warehouse Operation. 16 OCHA Annual Report 2003

26 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS Field Coordination Activities AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST Angola Burundi Cote d'ivoire Democratic Republic Of Congo Eritrea Ethiopia Guinea Iraq Liberia occupied Palestinian territory Regional Support Office - Central & East Africa Regional Office and Regional Disaster Response Adviser for Southern Africa Regional Support Office - West Africa Sierra Leone Somalia Sudan Uganda Zimbabwe Subtotal for Africa ASIA Democratic People's Republic of Korea Indonesia Regional Disaster Response Adviser - Japan Regional Disaster Response Adviser - Fiji Regional Disaster Response Adviser - South Asia Tajikistan Subtotal for Asia EUROPE Georgia Russian Federation Southeastern Europe Subtotal for Europe AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN Colombia Regional Disaster Response Adviser -Latin America & Caribbean (Panama) Subtotal for Latin America and the Caribbean Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) FCRF Unallocated Funds Total for OCHA 2003 Field Offices Extrabudgetary Revised Requirements Contributions Expenditure Requirements ,361,443 6,065,017 5,100,380 6,263,607 1,203,450 1,240,740 1,456,698 1,299,762 1,160, ,950 6,385,820 6,385,820 7,280,407 6,132, , , , , , , ,600 1,135, , , , ,616 _ 9,885,901 8,479,543 3,579, ,103 1,298,861 1,680,103 2,061,077 1,790,621 2,079,092 2,249,377 2,179,485 1,699,016 1,699,016 1,767,033 1,361,704 1,394,591 1,394,591 1,397,495 1,057,558 1,076,144 1,076, , ,947 1,676,314 1,676, ,064 1,892,128 1,067,737 1,254, ,286 1,138,852 2,182,251 2,182,251 3,831,251 2,643, , , , , , , , ,517 28,091,258 39,582,499 38,344,757 34,910,750 Extrabudgetary Revised Requirements Contributions Expenditure Requirements , ,149 69, ,575 1,753,042 1,664,776 1,079,640 1,707, , , , , , , , , , ,908 30, , , , ,462 3,712,347 3,791,775 1,920,635 3,078,761 Extrabudgetary Revised Requirements Contributions Expenditure Requirements , , , ,923 1,431,530 1,431,530 1,090,114 1,642, , ,116 10, ,050 2,392,112 2,392,112 1,200,114 2,568,528 Extrabudgetary Revised Requirements Contributions Expenditure Requirements , , , , , , , , , , , ,655 4,324,957 4,324,957 4,903,529 4,354, ,492, ,263,802 50,989,893 48,491,739 45,656,945 Total for OCHA 2003 Field Offices and HQ US $ 69,839,009 81,812,042 72,084, ,078, Iraq was not included in the original appeal for OCHA a separate appeal was made later in the year. 2. Excludes contribution of US$1,107,022 recorded in the official financial statement for 2003, reported in OCHA 2002 annual report. 3. Includes allocations of US$3,304,925 from Field Coordination Reserve Fund to OCHA Field Offices. OCHA Annual Report

27 Donor Contributions in 2003 SOURCE OF CONTRIBUTIONS Trust Fund Trust Fund for TOTAL for Disaster Relief the Strengthening of OCHA United Kingdom United States of America Sweden Norway Netherlands ECHO Australia Canada Switzerland Denmark 1 Japan Ireland Italy Belgium Finland France New Zealand Turkey Spain Luxembourg Germany Austria ADRC-OCHA Yujiro Ogawa OPEC Greece Monaco Estonia Cyprus Private Donations Korea China Mauritius Singapore South Africa Bahamas TOTAL 12,817,727 4,300,000 17,117,727 9,963,210 1,929,276 11,892,486 7,189, ,198 8,013,854 6,475,088 1,373,358 7,848,446 6,002,074 1,030,000 7,032,074 4,249, ,268 4,919,288 3,848, ,120 4,440,076 3,320, ,424 4,285,921 1,975,389 1,529,464 3,504,853 1,589,750 1,462,835 3,052,585 1,486,000 1,100,000 2,586,000 1,656, ,310 2,399,367 1,695, ,110 2,047, , ,816 1,396, , ,320 1,217, , , , , , , , , , , ,115 37, , , ,440 46, , , , , , , , ,929 15, , , ,974 57,562 20,796 78,358 69,982-69,982 50,509-50,509 50,000-50,000-40,000 40,000 37,443-37,443-20,000 20,000-17,400 17,400-2,000 2,000 US $ 66,351,358 19,109,385 85,460, Excludes contribution of US$1,107,022 recorded in the official financial statement for 2003, reported in OCHA 2002 annual report. 18 OCHA Annual Report 2003

28 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO OCHA IN 2003 FROM THE TOP 20 DONORS UNITED KINGDOM Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 3,050,000 Projects 2,116,099 OCHA Field Offices: FCRF Unallocated 27,235 Angola 321,600 Democratic Republic of Congo 1,000,000 Liberia 350,388 occupied Palestinian territory 441,000 RSO -Central and East Africa 60,000 RSO -Southern Africa 737,351 RSO -West Africa 10,765 Sierra Leone 250,000 Somalia 476,190 Sudan 1,809,019 Indonesia 130,000 RDRA - Asia (Kobe) 131,000 RDRA - Pacific (Fiji) 50,000 RDRA - South Asia (Nepal) 30,000 Tajikistan 70,000 Colombia 54,000 RDRA - Latin America and the Caribbean 289,000 IRIN 750,000 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 12,153,647 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 1,561,130 NGO Grants 3,402,950 Total 17,117,727 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 517,400 Projects 2,193,376 OCHA Field Offices: Angola 750,000 Burundi 732,600 Democratic Republic of Congo 1,500,000 Ethiopia 452,600 Iraq 1,200,000 Liberia 320,000 occupied Palestinian Territory 500,000 RSO-Central and East Africa 300,000 RSO-West Africa 100,000 SAHIMS 300,000 Sudan 150,000 Uganda 300,000 Zimbabwe 250,000 Georgia 100,000 Russian Federation 358,000 IRIN 750,000 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 10,773,976 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 938,510 NGO Grants 180,000 Total 11,892,486 SWEDEN NORWAY Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 389,855 Projects 593,085 OCHA Field Offices: Angola 1,280,559 Burundi 118,064 Cote d'ivoire 354,191 Democratic Republic of Congo 354,191 Eritrea 59,032 Guinea 116,414 Iraq 147,337 Liberia 350,877 occupied Palestinian territory 472,255 RSO-Central and East Africa 236,128 RSO -Southern Africa 360,144 Sierra Leone 118,064 Somalia 177,096 Sudan 295,159 Uganda 118,064 DPR Korea 69,004 Indonesia 118,064 Tajikistan 175,438 Russian Federation 292,398 Colombia 106,383 IRIN 434,343 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 6,736,145 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 85,056 Natural Disasters 1,027,739 NGO Grants 164,914 Total 8,013,854 Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 695,699 Projects 881,557 OCHA Field Offices: Angola 278,750 Democratic Republic of Congo 1,927,110 Cote d'ivoire 506,273 Ethiopia 33,235 Guinea 95,690 Iraq 704,223 Liberia 122,690 occupied PalestinianTerritory 29,902 RSO-Central and East Africa 482,513 RSO-West Africa 59,690 Sudan 675,717 IRIN 556,540 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 7,049,589 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 222,060 Natural Disasters 576,797 Total 7,848,446 OCHA Annual Report

29 NETHERLANDS Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 580,000 Projects 750,000 OCHA Field Offices: Angola 1,800,000 Burundi 350,000 Cote d'ivoire 300,000 Democratic Republic of Congo 650,000 Iraq 1,152,074 Liberia 175,000 Somalia 200,000 Sudan 500,000 Indonesia 200,000 Russian Federation 125,000 IRIN 250,000 Total 7,032,074 ECHO Contribution US$ OCHA Field Offices: Angola 328,900 Burundi 66,806 Democratic Republic of Congo 867,679 Eritrea 66,806 Liberia 460,830 occupied PalestinianTerritory 472,017 RSO-Central and East Africa 520,607 Indonesia 52,400 Russian Federation 21,371 IRIN 670,268 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 3,527,684 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 122,497 NGO Grants 1,269,107 Total 4,919,288 CANADA Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 710,432 Projects 26,268 OCHA Field Offices: Angola 335,571 Burundi 134,228 Democratic Republic of Congo 335,571 Eritrea 134,228 Iraq 1,153,795 Liberia 134,228 occupied Palestinian territory 134,228 RSO-Central and East Africa 167,785 Sudan 167,785 Uganda 134,228 Indonesia 129,738 Tajikistan 83,893 Russian Federation 93,960 Colombia 181,259 IRIN 228,724 Total 4,285,921 SWITZERLAND Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 968,118 Projects 1,575,128 OCHA Field Offices: Iraq 367,647 occupied PalestinianTerritory 189,975 IRIN 162,537 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 3,263,405 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 241,448 Total 3,504,853 AUSTRALIA Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 328,400 Projects 799,679 OCHA Field Offices: Iraq 1,176,471 Indonesia 449,438 RDRA-South Pacific (Fiji) 65,680 IRIN 262,720 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 3,082,388 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 755,278 NGO Grants 602,410 Total 4,440,076 DENMARK Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 955,728 Projects 798,162 OCHA Field Offices: FCRF Ethiopia 87,765 Iraq 223,607 RSO West Africa 74,235 Uganda 5,000 IRIN 507,107 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 2,651,604 Other Contributions Natural Disasters 400,981 Total 3,052, OCHA Annual Report 2003

30 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS JAPAN Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 760,000 Projects 1,176,000 OCHA Field Offices: IRIN 150,000 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 2,086,000 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 500,000 Total 2,586,000 IRELAND Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 743,310 Projects OCHA Field Offices: Cote d' Ivoire 456,440 Iraq 457,800 Liberia 216,920 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 1,874,470 Other Contributions Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities 80,559 Natural Disasters 444,338 Total 2,399,367 ITALY Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 234,740 Projects OCHA Field Offices: FCRF Unalloted Funds 164,319 Sudan 228,571 IRIN 117,370 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 745,000 Other Contributions Natural Disasters 1,302,855 Total 2,047,855 BELGIUM Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 588,816 Projects OCHA Field Offices: Democratic Republic of Congo 645,856 RSO West Africa 161,464 Total 1,396,136 FINLAND FRANCE Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 100,000 Projects 254,750 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 354,750 Other Contributions Natural Disasters 55,900 NGO Grants 299,052 Total 709,702 NEW ZEALAND Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 433,760 Projects 11,887 OCHA Field Offices: Iraq 165,008 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 610,655 Other Contributions Natural Disasters 8,475 Total 619,130 TURKEY Contribution US$ OCHA Field Offices: Iraq 500,000 Total 500,000 SPAIN Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 136,830 OCHA Field Offices: Iraq 215,285 Total 352,115 LUXEMBOURG Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 636,320 Projects 100,000 Sub-Total OCHA 2003 Contributions 736,320 FCRF Unalloted Funds 54,796 Burundi 50,000 Iraq 322,928 Russian Federation 53,821 Total 1,217,865 Contribution US$ OCHA Headquarters: Core Activities 180,580 Projects 37,675 Total 218,255 OCHA Annual Report

31 Voluntary Contributions to OCHA in 2003 ACTIVITIES UK USA Sweden Norway Netherlands ECHO Australia Canada Switzerland Core Activities HQ Projects Strengthening Donor Relations Capacity Staff Development & Learning CAP Strengthening Surge Capacity Field Coordination Support UNDAC Developing Countries Military, Civil Defence and Logistics Support Environmental Emergencies Emergency Telecommunications Lessons Learned and Evaluation Studies Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions ReliefWeb Field Information Support Internally Displaced Persons Unit FCRF Unallocated Funds Africa & the Middle East Angola Burundi Côte d'ivoire Democratic Republic Of Congo Eritrea Ethiopia Guinea Iraq Liberia occupied Palestinian territory - Gaza, Jerusalem RSO - Central & East Africa RO - Southern Afreica RSO West Africa Sierra Leone Somalia Sudan Uganda Zimbabwe Asia DPR Korea Indonesia RDRA - Japan (Kobe) RDRA - Pacific (Fiji) RDRA South Asia Tajikistan Europe Georgia Russian Federation Southeastern Europe Americas & the Caribbean Colombia RDRA - Latin America & Caribbean (Panama) IRIN Total OCHA 2003 Appeal Non-OCHA 2003 and Other Activities Natural Disasters NGO Grants Total Contributions by Donor US $ 3,050, , , , , , , ,118 2,116,099 2,193, , , , ,679 26,268 1,575, , , , , , , , , , , , ,270 75, , , , , , , , ,000 75, ,000 50,000 80, , , , ,000 26, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,695 27,235 5,456,313 6,855,200 4,557,575 4,915,793 5,127,074 2,783,645 1,176,471 2,831, , , ,000 1,280, ,750 1,800, , , , , ,000 66, , , , ,000 1,000,000 1,500, ,191 1,927, , , ,571 59,032 66, , ,600 33, ,414 95,690 1,200, , ,223 1,152, ,830 1,176,471 1,153, , , , , , , , , , ,255 29, , , ,975 60, , , , , , , , ,144 10, ,000 59, , , , , ,000 1,809, , , , , , , , , , , , ,000 52, , ,631-69, , , ,000 52, , , ,000 50,000 65,680 30,000 70, ,438 83, , , ,000 21,371-93, , , , ,000 21,371 93, , , ,259-54, , , , , , , , , , , , ,537 12,153,647 10,773,976 6,736,145 7,049,589 7,032,074 3,527,684 3,082,388 4,285,921 3,263,405 1,561, ,510 85, , , , ,448 1,027, ,797 3,402, , ,914 1,269, ,410 17,117,727 11,892,486 8,013,854 7,848,446 7,032,074 4,919,288 4,440,076 4,285,921 3,504, OCHA Annual Report 2003

32 FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS Denmark Japan Ireland Italy Belgium Finland France New Zealand Turkey Spain Luxembourg Other Donors Total 955, , , , , , , , , ,580 97,796 12,107, ,162 1,176, , ,750 11, , ,271 11,484, , , , , ,054-1,392,941 11, , , ,750 14,251 1,230, ,000-80, , , , , , ,000-1,660, , , ,000 37, ,020 2,482, ,319 54, , ,607-1,131, , , , , , , ,538 38,344,757-5,000 5,100,380 50,000 5,000 1,456, , 160, ,856-7,280, ,066 87, , , , , , , , , ,538 8,479, ,920 10,000 1,680,103 10,000 2,249,377-1,767,033-1,397,495 74, , , , , , ,571 5,000 3,831,251 5,000 5, , , ,980 1,920,635-69,004-1,079, , , ,680-30,000 5, , , ,564 1,200, ,000-53, ,564 1,090,114 10,000 10, , , , , , ,370 63,920 4,903,529 2,651,604 2,086,000 1,874, ,000 1,396,136 1,217, , , , , , ,069 70,838, ,000 80, ,991 4,571, , ,338 1,302,855 55,900 8, ,948 4,132, ,052-5,918,433 3,052,585 2,586,000 2,399,367 2,047,855 1,396,136 1,217, , , , , ,255 1,307,008 85,460,743 OCHA Annual Report

33 PART II HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS OCHA s coordination role has led to key specific advances on issues like the humanitarian impact of sanctions, civil-military coordination, and sexual exploitation in humanitarian contexts. OCHA must continue to ensure that the protection of civilians remains at the centre of its policy development, advocacy and coordination functions both in the field and at headquarters. Donor

34 Executive Management Background Led by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Executive Management is responsible for global OCHA policy and programming. Jan Egeland was appointed by the Secretary-General to replace Kenzo Oshima as USG/ERC, and took up his post in September The USG/ERC acts as the adviser to the Secretary- General on humanitarian affairs and is a key player in the Secretary-General s integrated crisis management response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. The USG/ERC heads the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), and chairs the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA). He also oversees the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Internally Displaced Persons Unit. Objectives in 2003 Improve OCHA s capacity to respond quickly and effectively to emerging crises, building a strategic partnership with donors on the basis of agreed priorities Advocate for the respect of humanitarian principles, and the protection of civilians and forgotten emergencies Improve management processes in support of the Secretary-General s ongoing reform of the UN, including improved field conditions and personnel practices Coordinate activities with political, peacekeeping and development colleagues as part of the Secretary-General s integrated approach to crisis management Activities In 2003, the executive management led numerous field missions to emerging and forgotten crises, and natural disasters, adding their intervention to the regular work carried out by OCHA s geographic desks. The main crises of concern included Iraq, DRC Uganda, Sudan, Liberia and Côte d Ivoire, Colombia, and Haiti. With regard to natural disasters, the executive management coordinated the response to the humanitarian impact of earthquakes in Algeria and Iran, and floods in Sri Lanka, among others. These missions formed the basis of the USG/ERC s role in promoting a culture of protection at the Security Council and among member states. Senior management was involved from the outset in inter-agency contingency planning prior to the outbreak of hostilities in Iraq. In order to strengthen OCHA s role in coordinating the response to the crisis, the ERC established and personally led an integrated Task Force in New York, including Geneva colleagues, to ensure an integrated response and sufficient support to the SG s efforts in this regard. Meeting the protection and other needs of IDPs was also a key priority, and executive management worked intently to define the strategic future of the IDP Unit and of the collaborative approach. Another main area of activity was engaging donors and developing countries on a wide range of issues, including through the Humanitarian Liaison Working Group and the OCHA Donor Support Group. Following the launch of the Consolidated Appeals for 22 countries for a combined total of US$5.3 billion for 2003, executive management worked hard to promote more equitable funding across emergencies and engage donor countries in a strategic dialogue on humanitarian response. Internally, senior management focused on improving OCHA s strategic planning process and continuing to oversee implementation of the change management process started in The ERC was also actively engaged in his functions as the principal inter-agency coordinator and chaired IASC Principals Meetings, including an 26 OCHA Annual Report 2003

35 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS extraordinary IASC Meeting on staff security with the participation of the UN Secretary-General and UNSECOORD as a result of issues raised by the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. Year in Review The presence of OCHA senior management in the field had a significant impact in raising the profile of emergencies, and impressing on the humanitarian community the need for robust coordination and advocacy activities. Most notably, the effects of the appointment of the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator (DERC) as Special Envoy to Côte d Ivoire and of the Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator (AERC) as Special Humanitarian Coordinator in Liberia were critical in raising profile and funds. The ERC also played an important role by providing a regular presence before the Security Council and helping to have humanitarian concerns increasingly inform decision-making. The involvement of the senior management team during the Iraq crisis was important in galvanising OCHA to respond to the urgent needs created by the situation on the ground. As the overall IDP coordinator, the ERC s involvement in IDP issues was a key factor leading to an inter-agency agreement on the approach to be taken on this issue. Senior management enhanced OCHA s dialogue with donors through the Humanitarian Liaison Working Group and OCHA Donor Support Group, leading to recommendations on financing activities and the development of improved assessment and monitoring tools. Executive management reinforced the impact and efficiency of its programme through improved forward-planning and prioritisation, and the identification of activities that could be reduced, tra n s ferred or en h a n ced to all ow the redeployment of resources to high-priority areas. The USG/ERC s commitment to reinforcing OCHA s human resources management led to the adoption of concrete measures aimed at improving the conditions of service for staff, as well as to keep open a fruitful dialogue between senior management and staff. Office of the USG New York Office of the Director Geneva 2003 TOTAL Requirements 832, ,726 1,453,745 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 502, , ,240 Consultant Fees and Travel 11,725 3,200 14,925 Travel 209, , ,339 Operating Expenses Contractual Services 58,371-58,371 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 55,136 65, ,037 Total Expenditure US $ 836,793 $ 652,119 $ 1,488,912 OCHA Annual Report

36 Executive and Administrative Offices, New York and Geneva Background The Executive Office (EO), as the focal point in OCHA for financial, personnel and general administration, assists the Under-Secretary- General and Emergency Relief Coordinator with administrative responsibilities. The EO comprises the administrative services in New York, which also serves as the Executive Office of OCHA, and the Administrative Office in Geneva (AO). Objectives in 2003 Strengthen overall administrative support Develop mechanisms to enhance support to the field in human resources management, financial management and common support Coordinate the review of OCHA s proposed programme budget for the biennium by relevant legislative bodies Harmonise human resources management policies and practices in headquarters and the field Develop Administrative Manual and Guidelines to ensure better understanding of UN rules and regulations, policies and procedures Activities The EO/AO introduced a number of initiatives to enhance human resources management, and established a mechanism to keep staff better informed on HRM policies and procedures, training initiatives and career opportunities. It provided updates and clarification on conditions of service and entitlements; updated the administration component of OCHA s Field Guidelines; and established a system for tracking vacancy, gender and geographical targets under the HRM Action Plan. In addition, the E O / AO launched a series of flexible working arrangements aimed at enhancing the work/life balance of staff members; initiated an inventory of staff skills helped management establish a dialogue with staff representatives in headquarters and the field; and developed a comprehensive set of OCHA human resource management guidelines to allow transparency, accountability, performance-based advancement, and improved conditions of service, mobility and general welfare of staff. The EO/AO actively participated in the Secretary- General s Working Group reviewing the conditions of service for field staff, with a view to ensuring compatibility with those prevailing in the Funds, Programmes and Agencies. EO/AO also supported senior management in implementing the remaining recommendations of the Change Management Report. The EO/AO developed mechanisms to facilitate the recording and reporting of field accounts at headquarters: shadow-budgeting and cash flow summaries to assist field managers; in-house systems to improve recording of contributions and expenditures, transfers of funds, and quarterly status of allotments, which help programme managers; and aligned budgetary structures with the Office s organisational units to facilitate the monitoring of accounts. More than 10 missions by EO/AO to field locations helped strengthen local administrative mechanisms, including those with service providers. EO/AO staff participated in a comprehensive training programme in field administration for the Regional Support Office in Central and Eastern Africa. The EO/AO contributed to the Secretary-General's Task Force on Review of Trust Funds, aimed at the consolidation and more effective management of OCHA s extrabudgetary resources, and supported the preparation and production of OCHA Annual Report 2002 and OCHA in OCHA Annual Report 2003

37 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS The EO/AO assisted the USG in his presentations before the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, the Committee on Programme Coordination and the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, compiling documentation in support of OCHA s regular budget proposals, providing programme and financial information in response to queries, and monitoring deliberations of the Fifth Committee. Year in Review With the strengthening of the capacity of the Executive and Administrative Offices, particularly in human resource management, it achieved most of its objectives for Augmenting the human resources management capacity boosted overall administrative support, particularly for field offices. It has resulted in better planning; more timely action on personnel matters; a better understanding of staff rules, regulations and policies; and a better working relationship between OCHA s programme and administrative components. It has also enabled OCHA to pursue a number of initiatives aimed at achieving parity in contractual arrangements and conditions of service, enhancing staff and career development, and, ultimately, improving staff morale and productivity. Through participation in the Trust Fund Reform, Review of Conditions of Service for Field Staff, and Overall Delegation of Authority, the EO/AO brought the concerns of the field to the highest levels in the Secretariat. This resulted in recommendations to the SG to align conditions of service of Secretariat staff, including OCHA, with those in UN operational agencies. OCHA Annual Report

38 Acceptance and implementation of these recommendations, and a number of streamlined administrative procedures agreed by the Task Force, should help OCHA attract and retain the most qualified staff to serve in duty stations with difficult and hazardous living conditions. The recommendations on consolidation of Trust Funds will ensure a more effective and transparent management of OCHA s extrabudgetary resources. With the EO/AO s support, the USG s presentations on the programme budget for , together with intervention and consultations with various members of the Fifth Committee, provided the relevant reviewing bodies with a better understanding of OCHA s activities, priorities, resource requirements and funding constraints, resulting in a 6 per cent increase in its regular budget share, despite the zero-growth budget policy overall. OCHA is sti ll stru ggling with the ra p i d recruitment of staff for field deployments. Discussions have taken place with UNOG and OHRM. OCHA is developing a proposal for full delegated authority for recruitment and administration of field staff. To ensure consistency in contractual arrangements for local field staff, the EO/AO are planning continued discussions with UNDP at headquarters and in the field. Currently, different types of contracts and differing terms of conditions create large discrepancies in remuneration and can have a negative impact on staff morale. New York Geneva EO Common Costs AO Common Costs 2003 TOTAL Requirements 610, ,436 2,336, ,610 4,093,199 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 656,017-1,796,756 58,654 2,511,427 Consultant Fees and Travel - 9,090 9,090 Travel 12,940 26,355-39,295 Operating Expenses 22, , ,980 Contractual Services 23, , ,236 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 99,243-77, ,279 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 28,455 20, ,915 34, ,975 Total Expenditure US $ 684, ,800 2,063, ,769 3,223,282 Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. 30 OCHA Annual Report 2003

39 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Staff Development and Learning Project Background The Geneva-based Staff Development and Learning (SD&L) Project was established in 2000 to address longstanding staff development and learning concerns at headquarters and in field offices. Objectives in 2003 Identify organisational staff development and training needs Develop customised training programmes, evaluate their impact and ensure continuous improvement Coordinate the implementation of training for OCHA staff Activities The project conducted two Emergency Field Coordination Training (EFCT) workshops. The first planned field-based workshop, scheduled for March 2003, was cancelled for security reasons and the onset of Iraq war. It was eventually held in Kenya in December, the first field-based training ever. The Staff Development and Learning unit conducted an OCHA-wide survey of staff, to identify the main areas of stress in the workplace and to plan for a su i t a ble staff su pport programme. OCHA employees from headquarters and 26 field offices took part in the survey, with the outcome providing the basis for prioritising the project s work plan for offered and the overall expenditure on training (both internal and external); and assess the relevance and quality of training offered. Project staff proposed some revisions to the plan, in order to strengthen and simplify the system and its procedures, but they and human resource m a n a gem ent wi ll use the tool in 2004 to strengthen the linkage between staff development, performance appraisal and career advancement. Year in Review Staff Development and Learning Project staff collaborated closely with inter-agency partners to address common learning and training issues. Increased cross-agency participation in various training initiatives has contributed to the process of creating a common framework and strengthening the working relationship between various agencies. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 737,212 Income from Voluntary Contributions 350,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 173,804 Consultant Fees and Travel 58,100 Travel 10,935 Operating Expenses Contractual Services 945 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 808 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 78,522 Programme Support Costs 42,004 Total Expenditure US $ 365,118 The unit carried out the first year s implementation of the Training Management System. This is intended to: deliver a training profile of each individual; monitor overall training activities; promote equitable training opportunities; track the amount of training OCHA Annual Report

40 Strengthening Donor Relations Capacity Project Background With the separation of donor relations from the Consolidated Appeals Process in April 2003, the Donor Relations Section (DRS) was established in the Office of the Director in Geneva, with dedicated capacity in New York, to serve as the focal point within OCHA for all matters related to interaction with donor governments. The creation of this dedicated capacity has allowed a more focused and strategic approach to donor relations. In the effort to address OCHA s overall goal of providing effective, sustainable and transparent management of financial support, the DRS has a key role in obtaining increased, predictable and flexible funding for both field and headquarters activities. Donors have become more involved in efforts to put OCHA on a more stable financial footing, both by increasing their financial support and advocating for the incremental increase of OCHA s share of the regular budget and more flexibility in the allocation of funding. Objectives in 2003 Develop a donor relations and resource mobilisation strategy Improve donor relations information management tools, including the development with donors of standardised reporting format Strengthen existing cooperation with the Working Group on OCHA, improving support for senior management on donor relations and resource mobilisation issues Broaden OCHA s donor base Establish a more predictable funding base Activities In close consultation with various parts of OCHA, the section updated its draft resource mobilisation strategy. It developed a three-year strategy on broadening partnerships, with a hierarchy of priorities and approaches to categories of existing and potentially new donors. The section developed tailored concept papers providing profiles on relevant issues and approaches for these countries. Implementation of the strategy has started, in particular through senior OCHA management staff visiting to the capital cities of new partners, including Budapest, Madrid and Moscow. The arrival of the new Emergency Relief Coordinator brought a new impetus to this approach. The preparation for, participation in and follow-up to the International Meeting on Good Humanitarian Donorship (IMGHD), held in Stockholm in June 2003, placed the DRS within a wider context of involving the more traditional donors in partnerships with third countries, in line with the adopted Principles and Implementation Plan for Good Donorship. Relevant principles have also been incorporated in strategic partnerships and financing arrangements, with a number of donors committed to the process. The DRS continues to participate in the Geneva-based Good Humanitarian Donorship Implementation Group (GHDIG) established in September, as chair of the IASC Contact Group on Humanitarian Financing. It is also involved with three of the four sub-groups: definition of humanitarian assistance for statistical purposes; extending the coverage of OECD/DAC peer review to include humanitarian assistance voluntarily; and harmonisation of reporting requirements. The Contact Group was established by the IASC Working Group in July 2003, and the chair serves as the channel for relevant information between the participating agencies and donors. The GHDIG met twice in plenary session in 2003, while its sub-groups met more frequently. The way the GHDIG s work progresses will have an impact far beyond OCHA in most aspects, while the harmonisation of reporting promises a direct benefit, since OCHA is one of three agencies whose donor reporting requirements are being analysed in an effort to lighten the burden of a variety of reporting formats and levels of detail. 32 OCHA Annual Report 2003

41 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS The publication in April 2003 of the first OCHA annual report on activities and expenditures facilitated by the DRS has established the basis for an improved reporting system, by including performance indicators, to the extent possible, in the document OCHA in It is expected that this reporting will continue to improve in the year ahead. Besides working to broaden OCHA s donor base, DRS has developed a closer strategic dialogue with a number of key donors. This has had an impact on the increase in volume and predictability of funding. Together with the chair and troika of the OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG), a multi-year work programme was prepared and endorsed. It is intended to guide the process by which political, management and financial support can be provided to enable OCHA deliver its core mandate according to agreed priorities. DRS prepared and participated in a number of visits by management to capitals, and meetings with senior delegations in Geneva and New York. It also undertook several missions to capitals to provide information on OCHA priorities and humanitarian concerns. The positive feedback has guided the inclusion of such visits in the 2004 work plan. Although the section was not yet at its full capacity by the end of 2003, it provided continuous support on donor relations to all entities within OCHA (at headquarters and field level), and advised senior management on policy issues related to interaction with donors and resource mobilisation. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 748,625 Income from Voluntary Contributions 350,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 123,145 Consultant Fees and Travel 23,106 Travel 11,957 Operating Expenses 1,168 Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 20,719 Total Expenditure US $ 180,095 Year in Review Donors have followed up on many of their commitments in the context of the Working Group on OCHA, renamed the OCHA Donor Support Group when Switzerland took over the chair. The consistent interaction between the DRS and different parts of OCHA with the ODSG has increased the sense of ownership around changes in the area of donor relations, and of mutual agreement on OCHA priorities and how these can be achieved. While efforts were made to meet the reporting requirements of donors within the limited capacity of the DRS, the section had to postpone the development of a unified system for donor reporting to 2004, when dedicated capacity will be in place. OCHA Annual Report

42 IASC/ECHA Secretariat Background Established in 1992, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, brings together 17 humanitarian agencies to shape humanitarian policy and improve emergency response. These include UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration, the Red Cross Movement and three consortia of international NGOs. The IASC meets at the Executive Director level twice a year. The IASC Working Group comprises of senior agency representatives and acts as the prime inter-agency forum for consultations on all humanitarian issues. The Working Group is chaired by the Director of OCHA Geneva, and meets quarterly. The Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), also chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, is one of four Executive Committees created by the UN Secretary-General within the framework of UN reform. ECHA meets monthly, and is composed solely of UN agencies and departments, including the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peace- Keeping Operations. ECHA discussions focus on pressing humanitarian issues and linkages, where applicable, with the UN s political and peacekeeping efforts. A single secretariat, based in OCHA, serves both the IASC and ECHA. Objectives in 2003 Enhance the follow-up to the decisions taken within the IASC and ECHA, and monitor the work of the IASC subsidiary bodies more systematically Strengthen the linkage between the IASC and Humanitarian Coordinators, and with the field in general Ensure the effectiveness of the IASC s relations with the other executive committees established by the Secretary-General to link humanitarian, political and development goals Improve linkages with the permanent missions of UN member states on the deliberations of the IASC Activities In 2003, the IASC/ECHA Secretariat made concerted efforts to strengthen the linkage between the IASC processes and the field, in order to ensure effective coordination mechanisms on the ground. Inclusive coordination mechanisms at regional or country level, mirroring the IASC structure, were established in Indonesia, Latin America (Panama) and Southern Africa (South Africa). Efforts were made to involve the members of the expanded country teams - not only in the IASC Working Group discussions on crises but also in monitoring and follow-up of decisions taken within the IASC framework. Some of the collective commitments to advocacy resulted in the release of IASC statements on HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa and on Explosive Remnants of War. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat facilitated a number of processes that generated important outputs, including a Revised Terms of Reference for Humanitarian Coordinators and an external review of the IASC (in collaboration with OCHA s Policy Development and Studies Branch). The Secretariat undertook broad inter-agency consultations on measures that would address the issues raised in the review. The consultations led to the development of a Plan of Action outlining specific activities to be undertaken by all IASC agencies and to reinforce a number of critical IASC processes, such as advocacy and policy development; supporting inclusive field coordination; and improving the effectiveness of the IASC through strengthening its procedures. In addition, the IASC/ECHA Secretariat supported the work of 11 subsidiary bodies covering the Consolidated Appeals Process, contingency planning, emergency telecommunications, gender and humanitarian assistance, HIV/AIDS in emergency settings, human rights and 34 OCHA Annual Report 2003

43 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS humanitarian action, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, sanctions, natural disasters and training. Three additional subsidiary bodies were established for 2004: security; and field information management. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat worked in close coordination with the secretariats of the other executive committees, notably with the UN Development Group (UNDG) and Executive Committee on Peace and Security (ECPS), to ensure strategic complementarity among those committees. It also ensured that Humanitarian Liaison Working Group members were informed of IASC processes through regular or informal briefings. Year in Review The IASC/ECHA Secretariat made significant improvements in the transparency and decisionmaking aspects of the IASC process. It undertook new, participatory consultations involving: a) agenda-setting for IASC meetings b) preparations for the Humanitarian Segment of ECOSOC c) development of the IASC work plan for 2004 and d) development of the Plan of Action stemming from the external review of the IASC. Other achievements in 2003 included improved dissemination of IASC-related information through a redesigned website, creation of a periodic electronic newsletter, and production of other printed and electronic information materials. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat managed to improve the overall follow-up of IASC-related decisions through consistent use of monitoring tools. One of the major challenges for all IASC members is to ensure implementation of IASC policies and decisions at the field level. This requires effective and innovative information dissemination strategies by the individual agencies and by the Secretariat, and systemic reporting from the field about implementation of IASC decisions. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat has made considerable progress in strengthening the field linkage, especially through its systematic efforts to engage the members of expanded UN Country Teams of selected countries with the IASC processes. There is a need to find innovative ways to engage field staff of different agencies in the IASC policy development processes. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat is pursuing this by ensuring a link between the work of IASC subsidiary bodies and agencies field representatives. The IASC/ECHA Secretariat managed to strengthen the interface between the IASC and other relevant committees in notably with UNDG and ECPS. However, there is a continued need to ensure strategic complementarity between the IASC, ECHA and other coordination mechanisms. Improvements could be made by clarifying mechanisms for division of labour and interaction between the IASC and other coordination committees. New York Geneva 2003 TOTAL Requirements 444, , ,899 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 366, ,879 Consultant Fees and Travel - - Travel 10,287 14,410 24,697 Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 49,200 1,872 51,072 Total Expenditure US $ 426,366 US $ 16,282 US $ 442,648 Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. OCHA Annual Report

44 Humanitarian Emergency Branch Background The Humanitarian Emergency Branch (HEB) in New York is the main source of day-to-day analysis and advice to the Under-Secretary General/Emergency Relief Coordinator on current humanitarian emergencies. It keeps the USG/ERC abreast of developments in the field, helps maintain his dialogue with Humanitarian Coordinators, and brings to his attention strategic issues that require decisions and/or consultations with the UN system and the wider humanitarian community. The branch supports the USG/ERC s interactions on humanitarian issues with the Security Council, Executive Office of the Secretary-General, political, peacekeeping and security arms of the UN Secretariat (DPA, DPKO and UNSECOORD), and with UN agencies and NGOs, as well as with high-ranking representatives of member states. HEB represents OCHA in a number of UN inter-departmental and inter-agency fora dealing with crisis management, helping to ensure a humanitarian perspective in UN policy and strategy development. The branch also contributes to decision-making about the mandate, duration and structure of UN missions in crisis countries, and promotes the coherence and effectiveness of humanitarian coordination structures within them. It works closely with the IASC/ECHA Secretariat, providing analysis and recommendations for consideration by ECHA as well as the other UN executive committees. HEB regularly leads or participates in inter-agency and inter-departmental assessment and contingency planning missions to the field. In times of crisis, it routinely contributes to OCHA s surge capacity and Emergency Response Roster, as well as to UNDAC missions, through timely staff deployments to strengthen field coordination arrangements and expanded response initiatives. Objectives in 2003 Provide timely, fact-based and action-oriented briefings to the USG/ERC in support of his role Humanitarian Emergency Branch 2003 Requirements 1,338,937 EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN Staff Costs 619,379 Consultant Fees and Travel 2,709 Travel 207,045 Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 100,307 Total Expenditure US $ 929,440 Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. as principal adviser and advocate to the Secretary-General on humanitarian affairs Monitor and carefully balance the allocation of staff resources and time between high-profile c ri s e s, o t h er new em er gencies and lon g -standing chronic emergencies, especially those in Africa Play a central role in promoting a strategic response to complex emergencies, highlighting linkages with the underlying causes of vulnerability Monitor and promote OCHA compliance in the field with Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) Consolidate staff capacity through appropriate competency-based training, promotion of teamwork and exposure of staff to various types of field experience Activities The USG/ERC consistently engaged the Security Council on humanitarian concerns. HEB participated in all Council deliberations that had humanitarian dimensions, preparing inputs on the humanitarian situations in all crisis countries as well as specific humanitarian briefings delivered by the USG/ERC on Côte d Ivoire and DRC. 36 OCHA Annual Report 2003

45 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS In 2003, there were essentially two high-profile emergencies: Iraq and Liberia. For Iraq, HEB was closely involved in contingency planning and advance deployment of staff to the Middle East region, followed by deployment of staff to support the UN mission (UNAMI), both before and after the events of 19 August. The branch was also actively engaged in the Liberia crisis from August to October. Notwithstanding these two priorities, the branch also took part in inter-departmental or inter-agency needs assessment missions to Côte d Ivoire, southern Africa and Haiti, as well as exit strategy missions to Angola and Georgia. The branch directly supported missions by the ERC to Cyprus, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, as well as to Colombia, Haiti, DRC and northern Uganda. It also supported missions by the DERC to Liberia, Côte d Ivoire and the DRC, as well as extensive tours of West Africa in her capacity as the Secretary-General s Humanitarian Envoy for the Côte d Ivoire Crisis. In addition, HEB supported numerous missions by the Secretary-General s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan and the Special Envoy for Humanitarian Assistance in the Horn of Africa. HEB directly supported emergency response through the rapid deployment of staff to crisis countries, including Cote d Ivoire, Liberia and Iraq, as well as to West Africa and the occupied Palestinian territories, to assist the preparation of UN Consolidated Appeals. Some 60 per cent of staff members in the branch were involved in some form of competency-based training during the year. Year in Review The branch helped inform the USG/ERC s briefings to donors on funding gaps and requirements, occasionally with clear effect. For instance, HEB was influential in maintaining an uninterrupted food aid pipeline to DPRK, where more than two million children under five and some four million school-age children were at risk of starvation. Similarly, HEB helped galvanise a timely and robust humanitarian response to over 14 million people suffering from the combined effects of drought, HIV/AIDS and poverty in southern Africa; and another 12 million people affected by chronic food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. The deployment of staff for the Iraq crisis put major strains on the HEB throughout the year. In the special case of Iraq, the USG/ERC reinforced the branch through the temporary establishment of a Task Team in New York that was partly staffed with personnel deployed from OCHA in Geneva from April to June. The experience of the Iraq Task Team in New York was a generally positive one. HEB inputs on the nature and scope of UN missions promoted the coherence and effectiveness of humanitarian coordination structures in Iraq, Liberia, Côte d Ivoire and the DRC. In Liberia, HEB was instrumental in revitalising the IMTF when the first attempt at implementing a disarmament and demobilisation programme was mistimed and under-resourced, resulting in serious protection and other humanitarian consequences. HEB also played a crucial role in strengthening UN humanitarian coordination arrangements in Colombia as part of a response to millions being affected by conflict, displacement and blockades. The branch organised and supported the USG/ERC s mission to northern Uganda that led to a major international advocacy effort to address the impact and underlying causes of an otherwise forgotten 17-year conflict. Through its support to the DERC, in her capacity as the Secretary-General s Humanitarian Envoy for the Côte d Ivoire Crisis, the branch directly contributed to a regional inter-agency review, leading to a Humanitarian Strategy and Plan of Action that will engage new regional partnerships in addressing the fundamental challenges facing West Africa. The branch contributed to the safety and security of OCHA field staff in 18 high-risk duty stations through a pilot security training programme, implemented by UNSECOORD with funding from the UK. OCHA Annual Report

46 Response Coordination Branch Background The Response Coordination Branch (RCB) plays a leading role in mobilising and coordinating international assistance for complex emergencies and natural disasters. It supports field offices in over 30 countries, and coordinates the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP). Donor relations also fell within RCB s remit until April RCB works closely with the Emergency Services Branch and the Humanitarian Emergency Branch. RCB consists of five geographic sections: Europe and Central Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Africa I and Africa II, and the CAP section. Objectives in 2003 Enhance response procedures for complex emergencies and natural disasters, utilising the results of lessons learned exercises Improve collaboration with regional organisations, national governments, Geneva-based missions, donors and the humanitarian community Refine and develop strategies and procedures for the CAP, in accordance with Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) recommendations Consolidate and restructure the geographical coverage, priorities and objectives of Regional Disaster Response Advisers Promote and implement the improvement of working conditions for OCHA field staff Activities In an effort to ensure an effective humanitarian response, RCB was instrumental in providing surge capacity for UN Resident Coordinators and country teams in Iraq and Liberia. Rapid deployments were also used for complex emergencies in Burundi and Côte D Ivoire. In Response 2003, RCB Coordination facilitated Branch OCHA s 2003 response to 67 natural Requirements disasters and 23 appeals for international 4,023,478 assistance. In addition, it issued 177 report updates on the situation in the affected countries. EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN Staff Costs 3,619,018 The branch organised the 2003 Humanitarian Consultant Fees and Travel 18,690 Coordinators Retreat, at which key current and Travel 122,699 future challenges were considered. Furthermore, it Operating Expenses _ conducted contingency planning exercises in six Contractual Services countries in Latin America (including Haiti) and Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment the West Africa sub-region. These involved the Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 7,900 Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators, and Programme Support Costs 316,639 UN Country Teams. Total Expenditure US $ 4,084,946 Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. Improved coordination and collaboration was established for Latin America through regular monthly meetings involving RCB, Geneva-based missions, donors, the Emergency Services Branch and the Military Civil Defence Unit. A West African donor relations group was established in late 2003 to provide a platform for developing strategic policies from a regional perspective. Closer collaborative procedures on humanitarian issues were initiated with the Economic Community Of West African States. Efforts were also made to refine and develop strategies for the Consolidated Appeals Process. It resulted in the launch of 21 Consolidated Appeals (including regional appeals), plus two Flash Appeals, for the most challenging complex emergencies in 30 countries and regions. A new online platform was developed to allow humanitarian partners update and consolidate their input on the CAP, greatly reducing the manual effort involved and helping the timely production of appeals. RDRA coverage was extended in Asia, and a new office for the Middle East and southern Asia is scheduled to open in Activities for strengthening disaster response preparedness were undertaken in countries such as Guatemala, Vietnam, Nepal, Mongolia and Cambodia. 38 OCHA Annual Report 2003

47 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS New initiatives were introduced in the management of field offices and staff, including periodic staffing reviews in order to minimise turnover of staff and the issuance of a compendium of forthcoming vacancies to facilitate personnel planning among field staff. Guidelines on complying with Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) have been implemented at all field duty stations, and all staff have undertaken an online security course. Year in Review The year brought increasing demands for surge capacity for the crises in Iraq, Liberia and Côte d Ivoire, and worsening humanitarian conditions in the DRC and occupied Palestinian territory. Concurrently, improvement in the humanitarian and post-conflict situations in Angola, Guinea, Georgia and Tajikistan brought a phasing down of OCHA s field offices in those locations. The closure of the Balkan offices led to a collaborative approach between OCHA and UNDP, initiated by RCB, to establish guidelines for hand-over procedures during the transitional phase. In Angola, however, limited capacity and complex procedures for decision-making delayed the hand-over of OCHA functions. The 2003 Humanitarian Coordinators Retreat served as a useful platform to highlight current issues, such as the future of humanitarian action in an environment of increasing insecurity and the challenges faced by the humanitarian community in working for the protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict. Security and the associated problems of access continue to impede humanitarian efforts in many countries, and was a formidable constraint to OCHA field activities. In complex emergencies, where access remained problematic, field offices were faced with the additional dilemma of becoming MOSS compliant in timely fashion during a crisis situations. RCB contributed to a self-assessment by OCHA, ISDR and UNDP of activities and interaction in the field of natural disasters. This identified synergies and improved working arrangements and procedures. Lessons learned from OCHA s involvement in the Afghanistan mission have provided useful discussion material for its involvement and interaction with future integrated missions. Problems with the timeliness of donor funding hampered RCB s efforts to complete its planned objectives in This adversely affected staff recruitment in many countries, delaying the responsiveness to evolving emergencies. In the fourth quarter of 2003, RCB started a restructuring process. This is intended to provide better support to the field through timely administrative and financial actions, strategic dialogue with New York and field offices, and energetic advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations. OCHA Annual Report

48 CAP Strengthening Project Background The Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) enables an effective system-wide response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA is the custodian of the CAP, which benefits from extensive dialogue and policy development in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee CAP Sub-Working Group. From 2003, the CAP Section has been a separate one within OCHA s Response Coordination Branch, reflecting the importance of CAP as an inter-agency strategic planning, programming and coordination tool. Objectives in 2003 Implement the recommendations of the IASC and external reviews of the CAP, as well as those of the donor-led Humanitarian Financing Studies, the Montreux Process and ECOSOC Restructure the CAP section, ensuring increased capacity for the analysis of global financial assistance, supporting strategic planning in the field, and advocating for forgotten emergencies Bolster support to inter-agency strategic planning in humanitarian crises Strengthen advocacy for equitable humanitarian funding Monitor implementation of the IASC action plan to strengthen CAP, and report regularly to the IASC needs assessments. The tool will also facilitate the integration of gender analysis into the CAP. The CAP section has been involved in the activities of the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative that emerged from the Montreux Process, and the Humanitarian Financing Studies. OCHA was the focal point for the GHD pilot CAPs in Burundi and the DRC, and provided inputs to the GHD Implementation Group in arriving at a common definition of humanitarian aid. In 2003, the CAP section separated from the donor relations section, reflecting the CAP s emphasis on inter-agency strategic planning, programming and coordination. The unit was strengthened by the creation and staffing of two additional full-time positions: a section chief and a financial tracking manager. In 2003, the section oversaw the preparation and launch of 21 Consolidated Appeals for 2004, as well as two Flash Appeals. The global launch of the appeals was organised in five donor capitals as well as Geneva and New York. CAP preparation was preceded by 18 field workshops (for some 500 UN, NGO, Red Cross, donor and government representatives) to promote participation in the CAP, and to strengthen coordination and strategic planning in crises. The section oversaw the preparation of mid-year reviews for all 20 of the 2003 CAPs and an umbrella document that highlighted funding inequities among them. It also prepared a summary document that analysed donor response to the 2003 CAPs drawing particular attention to under-funded forgotten emergencies. Activities The section worked to implement the recommendations of the IASC and external reviews of the CAP through its chairmanship of the IASC CAP Sub-Working Group. For example, the section collaborated with WHO and UNICEF on the development and piloting of a shared interagency needs assessment tool intended to address the issue of incomparable and agency-specific Year in Review The CAP is primarily a mechanism for strategic planning, programming and coordination, it is also a fundraising tool, and one measure of the impact of CAP strengthening is funding response. Such response should be measured in the dimensions of total amount, response in proportion to requirements, equity across crises, and timing. 40 OCHA Annual Report 2003

49 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS As of 4 March 2004, total funding to the 2003 CAPs was reported at US$3.9 billion (of which US$2 billion was for Iraq), or 74.5 per cent of the US$5.2 billion requested. Previous CAP funding levels were US$2.9 billion for 2002 (67.5 per cent of US$4.4 billion requested) and US$1.4 billion for 2001 (55.3 per cent of $2.6 billion requested). The higher response in 2003 belied severe inequities in funding across emergencies and regions. Countries requiring much lower sums than Iraq, mainly in Africa, were severely underfunded some receiving less than 50 per cent of the amount required to meet critical needs. Data show that 13.4 per cent of contributions to the 2003 CAPs were made in the first quarter, 59.0 per cent in the second, 12.9 per cent in the third, and 14.7 per cent in the fourth quarter. These figures can be used as a baseline for future analysis of the timing of contributions, although the effect of the Iraq appeal must be borne in mind. In the future, the CAP section can and must advocate for increased humanitarian funding, and for greater predictability and timeliness of contributions, although there are numerous factors beyond OCHA s control, as documented in the Humanitarian Financing Studies. By working with donors and agencies in a concerted fashion, it has been possible to raise awareness about the challenges of equitable humanitarian financing, and the actions required. It is now necessary to ensure that Good Humanitarian Donorship principles are applied, lessons identified and best practices replicated. Financial tracking must be improved to monitor implementation of the GHD commitment to timely and equitable funding. The collection and presentation of more complete data on non-cap humanitarian aid flows is also needed. The FTS is currently implementing an improvement plan that aims to achieve more comprehensive data and more user-friendly online presentation. The CAP is a strategic planning tool, so indicators of success go beyond fundraising results. While the participation of NGOs is difficult to quantify, a steady increase is noted in the inclusion of NGO project proposals in recent CAPs - from US$92,752,000 in 2002 to US$119,892,000 in 2003 and US$168,241,000 in While challenges remain in ensuring that the CAP is truly inclusive and represents the shared understanding and commitment of NGOs, the Red Cross Movement and the United Nations, progress was made in Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 906,396 Income from Voluntary Contributions 733,746 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 484,066 Consultant Fees and Travel 59,492 Travel 54,557 Operating Expenses 20,376 Contractual Services 113,598 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 24,173 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 109,680 Total Expenditure US $ 865,942 OCHA Annual Report

50 Surge Capacity Project Background The Surge Capacity Project was designed to enable rapid field deployment of experienced staff in order to respond to sudden onset emergencies in a timely manner. Two senior emergency officers were recruited as an integral part of the Response Coordination Branch of OCHA, reporting directly to its chief. Objectives in 2003 Ensure rapid deployment of emergency staff to crisis areas Ensure preparedness to conduct at least 12 emergency missions Contribute to efforts that will ensure a field perspective in OCHA policy initiatives Provide field-oriented assistance on training initiatives Provide internal surge capacity to support sections within OCHA headquarters Activities As part of the overall contingency planning effort in connection with the Iraq crisis, a surge capacity was deployed to Amman, Jordan. It was foreseen as a main humanitarian hub in the region, mainly in view of ease of access, relative vicinity to the crisis and the presence of a large number of NGOs and UN agencies. An OCHA office was established in January as a humanitarian support to the Resident Coordinator, and helped update a contingency plan for Jordan. A common action plan was designed with the participation of the entire humanitarian community. A surge capacity officer was deployed to Liberia twice in The first time, in April-May, the staff member joined a UN, African Union and ECOWAS assessment mission, the findings of which informed decision-making at the UN Security Council. As the Liberia crisis reached its peak over the summer of 2003, the surge capacity officer was again called in to address protection and access issues. He was instrumental in forming a protection steering group involving UN agencies and NGOs. He also led two inter-agency missions to rebel-held zones of the country to assess the humanitarian situations there, which required complex negotiations with all parties involved. The senior officer explored options for crossborder operations from Côte d Ivoire into eastern Liberia, and was closely involved in drafting documents with the inter-agency humanitarian committee in Abidjan, Côte d Ivoire, that were used to address protection issues in the country. In a subsequent mission at the end of 2003, the senior officer participated in the review of the mandate of the Mission des Nations Unies en Côte d Ivoire (MINUCI), emphasising principles of independence and the neutrality of humanitarian action. At OCHA headquarters, the Surge Capacity Project was particularly useful in providing operational support to desks facing peak workloads, using the team s field experience in countries in crisis for instance chairing a weekly teleconference on Liberia, which allowed the Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator keep agencies abreast of developments in the field. In particular, this provided a forum where senior agency management could be requested to take action on issues that required their input be these pipeline issues, logistics, human resources or security matters. Project staff also contributed to the elaboration of policy documents on access and security, and organised press and donor briefings as appropriate. Year in Review Although a second senior emergency officer was recruited in 2003, the Surge Capacity Project has been managed by a single staff member, as a result of broader staffing constraints in RCB. The officer involved spent 165 days on field missions, reflecting a great measure of flexibility and readiness. 42 OCHA Annual Report 2003

51 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS The project s ability to deploy rapidly in emergency situations was limited by there being just one senior emergency officer for more than half the year. This also constrained the ability to provide field-oriented assistance on training and to give field perspectives a more central role in OCHA policy-making. The key to successful deployments was the level and form of consultations conducted with incountry UN officials, as well as other partners and interlocutors, prior to deployment. The Surge Capacity Project s to provide an interface between humanitarian and military bodies, as well as administrative support to NGOs, was particularly appreciated by humanitarian partners in the field. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 395,500 Income from Voluntary Contributions 308,824 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 205,804 Consultant Fees and Travel Travel 61,897 Operating Expenses 8,583 Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 25,178 Total Expenditure US $ 301,462 OCHA Annual Report

52 Emergency Services Branch Emergency Services Branch 2003 Requirements 308,066 EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN Staff Costs 283,453 Consultant Fees and Travel Travel 10,578 Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 77,654 Total Expenditure US $ 371,685 Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. Background The Emergency Services Branch (ESB) is primarily responsible for strengthening OCHA s capacity to provide assets in the field for speedy and effective international assistance to victims of natural disasters and emergencies. The branch provides the means required to coordinate international relief activities in response to disasters and emergencies, including the development, mobilisation and deployment of rapid response tools and assets. ESB oversees the following projects in order to achieve its objectives: Field Coordination Support Services (FCSS), which includes UNDAC, INSARAG and OCHA surge capacity; Military, Civil Defence and Logistics Support (MCDLS); and Environmental Emergencies Services (EES). The branch also manages three units in Geneva, which are functionally part of the Advocacy, External Relations and Information Management Branch, namely: ReliefWeb, the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) and the Information Technology Section Objectives in 2003 Manage UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) and ensure rapid _ deployments of UNDAC teams when required for sudden onset emergencies Maintain OCHA surge capacity, with agreements with standby partners and a roster of OCHA staff who are readily available for deployment Mobilise and coordinate international assistance for environmental emergencies and natural disasters with significant environmental impacts Facilitate and coordinate access to and use of international Military and Civil Defence Assets (MCDA) and provide UN-trained Civil- Military Coordination Officers in countries affected by humanitarian emergencies Maintain a sufficient stockpile of basic survival items in the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi, Italy, and dispatch these relief goods to disaster or emergency-affected countries as appropriate Activities During 2003, ESB managed the UNDAC system and provided rapid and coordinated emergency assistance to 11 sudden onset emergencies, primarily natural disasters, around the world. The branch ensured the smooth functioning of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group with regional meetings in Asia-Pacific, Africa-Europe and the Americas. It also facilitated the revision of the INSARAG Guidelines and coordinated international Urban Search and Rescue response to major earthquakes, notably in Bam, Iran. ESB provided 16 OCHA offices in the field, with 24 staff members from standby partner countries as part of its surge capacity activities. It also supported the UN operation in Iraq. The branch provided timely and coordinated assistance to address the environmental impact of emergencies throughout the year. Numerous training courses and workshops were also 44 OCHA Annual Report 2003

53 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS organised to build response capacity within the UN system and developing countries. As UN focal point for civil-military coordination for governments, international organisations and military and civil defence establishments, ESB promoted the Oslo and MCDA Guidelines for proper use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in emergency relief operations. The UN CMCoord Training and Exercises Programme, and the Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities, have become internationally acclaimed instruments. Through its stockpile at the UNHRD, the logistics support project of ESB arranged in 2003 for some 247 of emergency relief items to be dispatched to victims of disasters or emergencies in nine countries. Year in Review During the year, ESB successfully expanded the UNDAC team to include a regional wing in Asia. It has increasingly used developing country UNDAC members on emergency response missions to capitalise on their experience and local knowledge. The UNDAC system has added five member states, and the UN Human Settlements Programme has joined the system. The branch has facilitated INSARAG s increasing integration of regional earthquake response procedures. In 2003, it carried out earthquake response exercises in Colombia and Guatemala, and took a number of steps to implement UN General Assembly Resolution 57/150 of December 2002 on strengthening Urban Search and Rescue worldwide. ESB successfully negotiated MOUs with two standby partner member states for surge capacity, and agreed an MOU with UNDP on hand-over to a transitional team after a major natural disaster. The IHP system was strengthened, with the addition of Belgium. In 2003, the Virtual OSOCC became a fully utilised tool for facilitating international USAR teams response to earthquakes, most prominently in Bam. The international Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies held a meeting in Geneva in May 2003 to consider implementation of the Environmental Emergencies Partnership, launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in The partnership - which aims to reduce the frequency and severity of environmental emergencies through more effective and integrated prevention, preparedness and response made limited progress in 2003 due to competing priorities, but progress has become a major goal for the EES Project in The completion of a three-year consultation process on the use of MCDA in complex emergencies brought the co-launch by OCHA and ECHO in June 2003 of the MCDA Guidelines. ECHO has built on its active involvement in this process with a commitment to follow-up advocacy, dissemination and education. The ESB/MCDU is to develop a practical field handbook, based on the principles and criteria of the guidelines. The presence of a liaison officer in Brussels has been particularly important to following and influencing NATO and EU Military Staff (EUMS) activities and doctrines of civilianmilitary cooperation. OCHA Annual Report

54 Field Coordination and Support Services Pro j e c t Background The Field Coordination Support Section (FCSS) project manages the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system, Surge Capacity and the Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre. It also acts as secretariat for the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG). The FCSS supports three regional UNDAC teams in Europe/Africa, Latin America/the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, as well as three INSARAG groupings, in Africa-Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. OCHA s Surge Capacity Project comprises two Senior Emergency Officers provided by the Swiss government, an Emergency Response Roster of OCHA staff and standby partnerships with a range of other partners. The Virtual On-Site Coordination Centre was developed and is maintained by FCSS as an information-sharing tool for disaster respondents. Objectives in 2003 Ensure UNDAC s preparedness to deploy an emergency mission within hours anywhere in the world; build on OCHA s capacity for rapid staff deployment and material mobilisation Establish a new regional UNDAC team in the Asia/Pacific region, and conduct an induction course in Japan in March 2003 Establish standardised parameters for international Urban Search And Rescue response, training, structures and equipment; ensure that teams meet those standards globally Increase participation of developing countries and disaster-prone countries in the UNDAC system and the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group Network Enhance arrangements for mobilising external resources for rapid response to requests for assistance Activities UNDAC teams were deployed to 11 emergencies within 48 hours of requests by Resident Coordinators or national governments. To ensure greater preparedness, mobilisation has been streamlined through the use of fax, and SMS. Mobilisation alerts are also posted on the Virtual OSOCC. Standard Operating Procedures have been revised and a Deployment Mobilisation Checklist developed. An Asia-Pacific induction course was held in Kobe in March, with 40 participants from nine countries and seven organisations. Other UNDAC induction courses were held in Switzerland in May, and in Ecuador in June/July. An Asia UNDAC Development Plan and a Pacific UNDAC Development Plan were drawn up with partners in the regions to ensure the maximum participation of developing countries. FCSS, as the secretariat for INSARAG, facilitated meetings of the three regional groups for USAR experts from 50 countries, and organised an Asia Pacific Working Group on Training in Singapore in February The project also facilitated the UNDAC component of the INSARAG Africa- Europe Exercise with NATO Partnership for Peace, and the INSARAG Americas earthquake response exercise in Colombia. At these meetings, the secretariat promoted the establishment of standardised parameters for international Urban Search and Rescue. It was apparent from the standards demonstrated by most USAR teams responding to the Bam earthquake that the training and exercises had had an effect. Nine new countries were added to INSARAG through regional meetings. Standby partner orientation courses were offered to Danish and Norwegian Refugee Councils and the Swedish International Development Agency. Future standby arrangements were discussed with the national Red Cross Society of Ethiopia and the Red Crescent Society of Iran. Standard terms of reference for standby deployment of nine types of personnel were drawn up. Memoranda of 46 OCHA Annual Report 2003

55 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Understanding with current partners were updated. In all, 60 disaster management experts from resource-providing countries were mobilised in 17 different countries. The OCHA Emergency Response Roster was activated 14 times, having been called on just twice in FCSS became the secretariat to the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) at the end of the year. The partnership provided technical, financial and human resources for response to the humanitarian emergency in Iraq in 2003, and equipped the UNDAC team in Iran after the earthquake in Bam. It also sponsored a Support Staff Training Course in Finland in August-September. Field Coordination Support Section (FCSS) Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,392,428 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1,392,941 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 878,696 Consultant Fees and Travel 59,361 Travel 113,555 Operating Expenses 51,691 Contractual Services 16,449 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 21,075 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 148,308 Total Expenditure US $ 1,289,135 Year in Review The partnership between FCSS/OCHA and UNDAC member countries was reinforced in 2003, with the establishment of an UNDAC advisory board. It first met in February 2003 to discuss and resolve challenges facing the UNDAC system, and came up with 14 ways in which the UNDAC system might be developed over the following year. All the points have since been addressed, as confirmed to the satisfaction of donors in February In September 2003, an INSARAG meeting in Switzerland followed up on the lessons learned from the earthquake in Algeria in May. Concrete recommendations regarding On-Site Operations Coordination Centre methodology and encouraging compliance with INSARAG guidelines were adopted, as a yardstick for future earthquake response. These were acted upon in the UNDAC/INSARAG response to the earthquake in Bam. UNDAC Developing Countries Deployment and Training Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 400,302 Income from Voluntary Contributions 749,760 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 6,432 Consultant Fees and Travel 107,830 Travel 119,572 Operating Expenses 37,692 Contractual Services 5,265 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 15,360 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 26,580 Programme Support Costs 41,436 Total Expenditure US $ 360,167 OCHA Annual Report

56 Military, Civil Defence and Logistics Support Project Background The mandate of the Military and Civil Defence Unit (MCDU) is to facilitate and coordinate access to and use of international Military and Civil Defence Assets (MCDA) in countries affected by humanitarian emergencies. For this purpose, it serves as the UN focal point for governments, international organisations and military and civil defence establishments for the use of these assets in humanitarian situations. The MCDU works on the basis of the 1994 Oslo Guidelines, which affirm the significance of MCDA for disaster relief (by virtue of personnel being trained and ready to organise and manage a full range of relief services) when required. In this regard, national military, civil defence and civil protection organisations have enormous potential to help OCHA implement its humanitarian mandate. The MCDA directory included in the OCHAmaintained Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities serves as a practical tool to facilitate this. Objectives in 2003 Increase the unit s capacity to establish efficient civil-military coordination and cooperation in operations, through continued training of officers for deployment to areas where military forces operate alongside humanitarian agencies Promote international cooperation in the use of MCDA (which also includes civil defence, civil protection and civil security assets) in emergency relief operations Continue to improve and expand the Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities Activities The unit conducted seven United Nations Civil- Military Coordination (UN-CMCoord) courses and two UN-CMCoord staff courses for participants from the humanitarian community and from military/civil defence organisations. It also facilitated 17 training courses in cooperation with NATO s Partnership for Peace programme and several states; conducted one CMCoord workshop in South Africa; and conducted, at the request of the UN s Department of Peace-Keeping Operating, a CMCoord predeployment training. MCDU worked on four requested mobilisations in 2003: two airlifts in support of humanitarian operations related to the Iraq crisis; one on Turkey s request for assistance concerning nuclear, biological and chemical protection; and one after a request for the transportation of relief supplies to Sudan. A number of UN-CMCOORD trained officers were also deployed in the field, either directly by OCHA or through the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre. The unit completed 89 missions: five in Asia, seven in Africa, seven in USA, one in Latin America and 69 in Europe. MCDU participated in the planning and conduct of seven exercises involving the coordination of military and civil defence resources in humanitarian relief scenarios, in which more than 60 countries and international organisations took part. OCHA promoted the continued use of the principles of the Oslo and MCDA guidelines through presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings. MCDU served for the third year as facilitator and secretariat for the international process of drafting guidelines for the use of MCDA in complex emergencies. The unit developed a lessons-learned database to capture all of the CMCoord reports in an organised and accessible format. It also started an extensive CMCoord Lessons Observed project concerning the humanitarian operation in Iraq. MCDU continued to maintain the central register as a database of non-commercial governmental and other resources that may be available for humanitarian use. It worked hard to update the information in the database, increase the number of participating organisations and listings. 48 OCHA Annual Report 2003

57 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Year in Review MCDU achieved all of its objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner, considering the demands of training, exercises, mobilisation of MCDA, maintenance of the Central Registry and projects, such as the International Process. All targets met in 2003 despite the unit being staffed at 80 per cent of authorised strength. The unit s work on establishing global guidelines on the use of MCDA in complex emergencies resulted in the release of a final document, the MCDA Guidelines, in March. That was officially co-launched by OCHA and ECHO in June Storing, updating and expanding the database of military and civil organisations and assets potentially available to assist in emergency situations worldwide will improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The training programme attracts some of the best minds in the humanitarian community, with ever-increasing support for the courses from member states or regional organisations. By the end of 2003, the UN-CMCoord course database listed 807 trained people, with 245 of those at the highest level; others had also benefited from training that will improve capacities for humanitarian response as a result of the unit facilitating and supporting courses by different partners. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,488,648 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1,230,581 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 1,027,637 Consultant Fees and Travel 55,178 Travel 75,929 Operating Expenses 17,208 Contractual Services 16,602 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 6,544 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 145,946 Total Expenditure US $ 1,345,044 OCHA Annual Report

58 Environmental Emergencies Services Project Background The Environmental Emergencies Services (EES) Project is a partnership between OCHA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for mobilising and coordinating international assistance for environmental emergencies and natural disasters with significant environmental impacts. EES provides assistance for emergencies such as chemical and oil spills, industrial and technological accidents, forest fires and natural disasters with significant damage to the environment and human health. In particular, EES is available to mobilise assistance for developing countries when their national coping capacity is exceeded, or when additional response resources and specialised expertise are required. Objectives in 2003 Mobilise and coordinate assistance for countries facing environmental emergencies Improve integration of environmental considerations and prompt attention to environmental consequences during the response and management of natural disaster events Provide training and capacity building to assist developing countries improve their preparedness for and response to environmental emergencies Provide guidance to United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team members in assessing and addressing the environmental aspects of disasters Activities EES fulfilled its primary mandate by mobilising timely and coordinated emergency assistance, and deployment of teams, to a variety of emergencies in These included: a chemical spill into a river system in Kosovo, which also affected Serbia and Montenegro; a hurricane in the Seychelles which resulted in widespread damage and significant impact to the biodiversity of this ecologically sensitive area; an inland oil spill in Morocco, which affected groundwater used for watering livestock; and a marine oil spill in Karachi, Pakistan In line with the project s efforts to strengthen OCHA s overall capacity to address the environmental aspects of natural disasters, EES successfully developed and delivered a new training module on environmental emergencies for the UNDAC Induction Course. It trained participants to recognise and address the environmental consequences of natural disasters during UNDAC missions. As a complementary tool, the EES developed a new chapter on environmental emergencies for the UNDAC Field Handbook. EES hosted and participated in a number of training courses and workshops to build response capacity within the UN system and countries facing environmental emergencies. In September 2003, EES and the Swedish Rescue Services Agency held a successful 2nd Partnership for Peace (PfP) course on International Environmental Disaster Operations in Sandö, Sweden. The course, involving participants from all over Europe and CIS countries, aimed at strengthening countries ability to respond to environmental emergencies, and identifying how and when to access international emergency assistance when national coping capacity is exceeded. An Africa Regional Workshop on Environmental Disasters, organised by EES in collaboration with UNEP, was held in Nairobi in July. This brought together national, international and regional experts, mainly from Eastern and South Africa, to consider existing mechanisms and capacity, and to review ways in which cooperation on environmental disaster management could be enhanced at regional, sub-regional and national levels. 50 OCHA Annual Report 2003

59 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Year in Review EES met its broad objectives in 2003, and carried out its primary aim of mobilising and coordinating urgent assistance in response to environmental emergencies in a timely and effective manner. In line with several newly developed objectives, EES strengthened its training capacity by developing and testing training modules for the UNDAC Induction Course. Training was well received by participants and has resulted in a marked increase in the attention being given to environmental concerns in the response to natural disasters. The PfP Course on International Environmental Disaster Operations, significantly revamped and improved after a pilot course in 2002, was also well received. It has since resulted in the spontaneous establishment of an information exchange network by course participants. Progress was made on the Partnership on Environmental Emergencies, originally launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August In May 2003, an international meeting involving partners and key stakeholders was held in Geneva to discuss implementation of the partnership and identification of the way forward. However, very little was achieved in moving the partnership forward for the rest of the year due to competing priorities. This has been identified as a main priority for 2004 and a number of specific, related projects are planned. The main challenge for the EES project, which involved a small team of staff, remains its ability to ensure the timely and efficient management of environmental emergency situations, and the deployment of expert teams - particularly when faced with simultaneous events. EES has temporarily bridged this gap by relying on other sections of OCHA to help when it is faced with a large-scale emergency, and by deferring noncritical activities (where possible) during periods of crisis. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 233,740 Income from Voluntary Contributions 200,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 10,992 Consultant Fees and Travel 61,502 Travel 18,408 Operating Expenses 1,357 Contractual Services 1,003 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 3,251 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 12,547 Total Expenditure US $ 109,060 OCHA Annual Report

60 Emergency Telecommunications Project Background The Emergency Telecommunications Project focuses on improving inter-agency coordination and facilitation, and advising on the use of telecommunication in international humanitarian assistance. During 2003, the activities of the Emergency Telecommunications Project were assimilated into the Information Technology Section (ITS), and therefore the objectives and activities described under this project should be seen in conjunction with the Information and Communications Technology section under the Information Management chapter of this document. Objectives in 2003 Improve inter-agency coordination and facilitation of the telecommunication networks used for information management in international humanitarian assistance Promote and ensure the safety and security of personnel in the field through the unimpeded use of telecommunications equipment and networks in humanitarian operations Provide advice on the use of telecommunications, both internally in the UN and to external partners Activities The unit convened, chaired and provided secretarial support to the IASC s Reference Group on Telecommunications / Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications (IASC- RGT/WGET). Through the IASC-RGT/WGET, the telecommunications elements of the Minimum Standards for Safety and Security (MOSS) were reviewed by compiling and submitting a report and proposals to UNSECOORD, and promoting standards for staff safety networks. The project provided advice to users, including governments and delegations, on the use of telecommunications in the service of humanitarian assistance. Follow-up actions on the Tampere convention on the provision of telecommunication resources for disaster mitigation and relief operations were proposed to the Emergency Relief Coordinator, including writing reminder letters to governments to promote the timely signature of the convention. The project ensured the maintenance and expansion of OCHA s radio data network, including upgrading of UNOG infrastructure (for example, new antennae) and provision of facilities for wireless networks at external events. Information on OCHA and WGET s activities was provided to the private sector, as appropriate, through participation in external events and exhibitions. Year in Review The project strengthened inter-agency coordination in the telecommunication area (see also under the Information Management / Information and Communications Technology section). It also expanded awareness of the importance of telecommunications as an integral part of Information and Communications Technology support for humanitarian assistance, both within OCHA and among external partners. 52 OCHA Annual Report 2003

61 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS At the request of OCHA and donors, an independent evaluation of the project was undertaken. As a result of this, it was decided to discontinue the project as such, but to continue all the activities as an integral part of OCHA s Information Technology Section (ITS). Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 249,165 Income from Voluntary Contributions 80,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 149,535 Consultant Fees and Travel 4,164 Travel Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 19,981 Total Expenditure US $ 173,680 OCHA Annual Report

62 Internal Displacement Unit Background In 2003, there were about 25 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in over 50 countries, outnumbering refugees two to one. Since no single entity in the UN system is mandated to address this issue, the Internal Displacement Unit (IDU) was established within OCHA in January 2002 to strengthen the inter-agency response to the needs of IDPs, with particular emphasis on their protection needs. The unit has developed a two-tiered strategy: to provide targeted support in specific country situations, and to promote improvements in the UN system s response to internal displacement. Objectives in 2003 Promote a more concerted effort by all stakeholders to develop predictable, wellfunded and cohesive responses to internal displacement, with the aim of increasing system-wide accountability and responsibility Support field activities to strengthen the overall response to internal displacement, including through training and capacity building Undertake a Protection Survey to review protection arrangements and activities in selected countries; analyse and follow-up on the results of the IDP Response Matrix, a project started by the unit, with a view to identifying protection and assistance gaps Develop inter-agency collaboration through a more active role for the Senior IDP Network; encourage a more strategic use of the Inter- Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in endorsing the IDU s priorities and approaches; strengthen collaboration with NGOs Launch a thematic publication on internal displacement challenges, undertake an advocacy campaign and ensure that IDP issues are systematically reflected in the Consolidated Appeals Process Activities Field support activities focused on improving the response of UN Country Teams, through the integration of IDP issues into planning and operations. In addition to technical missions, two inter-agency missions were organised in 2003, to Afghanistan and the DRC. The deployment of long-term IDP advisers was promoted to support UN Country Teams in defining their IDP strategies and responses. IDP advisers were fielded in Iraq, Côte d Ivoire, Liberia, Sudan and Indonesia in 2003, in addition to those initially deployed to Afghanistan and Zimbabwe at the end of The Internal Displacement Unit organised 15 workshops in six countries to help develop IDP strategies, with a particular focus on protection. Six took place in DRC, as part of a wider training programme in collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council; two in Serbia and Montenegro; two each in Uganda and Côte d Ivoire with UNICEF; two in Jordan/Iraq with IOM; and one in the Republic of Congo. At the system-wide level, IDU and the Brookings Institution completed a Protection Survey in nine displacement-affected countries: Angola, Burundi, Colombia, DRC, Liberia, Nepal, the Russian Federation, Somalia and Sri Lanka. That provided an overview of existing approaches and arrangements, and a greater understanding of the problems that impede IDP protection efforts. Strengthening the institutional framework to promote a consistent and predictable response to internal displacement was another key priority in The unit developed the IDP Response Matrix project, aimed at mapping the responses of humanitarian actors to internal displacement in all affected countries, and examining the effectiveness of the collaborative approach. The project involved gathering responses from 350 organisations in 51 countries. At the request of the IASC Working Group and in an effort to further clarify institutional arrangements, the unit also developed a Guidance Note on the Collaborative Approach. 54 OCHA Annual Report 2003

63 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS IDU worked to raise awareness of the plight of IDPs through the publication, No Refuge: The Challenges of Internal Displacement. This first UN publication on internal displacement, launched in summer 2003, addressed key themes such as sovereignty, access, protection and solutions, with illustrative case studies. More than 4,000 copies have been disseminated to humanitarian partners at headquarters and field levels, and to government authorities. The unit also examined concrete measures to reinforce field support in specific countries and to ensure that the collaborative approach to IDP issues is implemented. These include consolidating and updating IDP policies, and developing tools to assist Humanitarian and Regional Coordinators. In 2003, the Senior IDP Network was revitalised as the inter-agency support and advisory mechanism for the unit, and as the critical link to the IASC. The IDU, the Office of the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internal Displacement and the Global IDP Project also began a concerted process to clarify the complementarity of their roles and responsibilities, and to explore ways and means to strengthen joint planning and coordination. Year in Review The IDP Response Matrix and the Protection Survey, two major projects initiated by IDU, were completed in Both projects assessed a lack of commitment to the collaborative approach, compounded by a lack of awareness of its basic tenets, and called for a more predictable, consistent and systematic approach to IDP protection and assistance. They also suggested the need for: more assertive and effective advocacy by UN officials in the field and at headquarters; coordination, planning and strategising on protection; establishment of monitoring and reporting mechanisms; enhanced and meaningful international presence; stronger local and national protection capacity; and, greater financial and political support from donors. In 2003, at the request of the IASC, an external evaluation of IDU was undertaken. It corroborated IDU s findings on the collaborative approach, while also noting a number of weaknesses inherent to the unit. Among the most significant recommendations was that the unit needed to become more strategic in identifying areas of activity in order to ensure impact and value. In particular, it was suggested that the unit focus more on internal advocacy and increasing its impact on the UN system, particularly with regard to making the collaborative approach work. IDU was also asked to become more operational, focusing on a number of strategic priority countries and ensuring that an effective response to the protection and assistance needs of the displaced was put in place in those. Follow up to those recommendations will be the focus of IDU s work in It envisages: 1) development of procedures to define agency responsibilities and accountability in response to IDP crises, including updating the IASC policy and developing a procedural road map; 2) development of mechanisms to address protection gaps for all types of IDP situations, including a protection surge capacity and 3) strengthening leadership and strategy formulation on IDP issues, particularly at country level, in a number of priority situations. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 2,379,426 Income from Voluntary Contributions 2,482,858 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 2,057,797 Consultant Fees and Travel 148,821 Travel 244,651 Operating Expenses 8,372 Contractual Services 2,108 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 19,732 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 13,861 Programme Support Costs 379,240 Total Expenditure US $ 2,874,582 OCHA Annual Report

64 Policy Development and Studies Branch To help OCHA achieve its mission of mobilising effective and principled action, PDSB focuses much of its work on: Promoting the Humanitarian Agenda, Field Action and Coordination and the Protection of Civilians. During 2003, PDSB worked on fostering enhanced strategic and policy coherence within OCHA and among humanitarian partners. In particular, it focused on: gender mainstreaming, natural disaster response, transition situations, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. The branch also strove to advance compliance with humanitarian principles through its work on coordination standards, civil-military relations and terms of engagement with armed groups. The Iraq crisis had a significant impact on the branch in 2003, due in part to the full-time secondment to the crisis of one senior staff member for several months. But Iraq also demonstrated the branch s increased influence in ensuring enhanced take-up of agreed humanitarian policies on the ground for example, through the development of the Iraq Protection Matrix and specific guidelines on civil-military relations. Policy Development and Studies Branch 2003 Requirements 1,993,315 EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN Staff Costs 1,350,120 Consultant Fees and Travel 111,601 Travel 98,073 Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 60,000 Programme Support Costs 161,650 Total Expenditure US $ 1,781,444 Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. PDSB achieved increased integration of humanitarian policy work in the activities of OCHA s geographical branches (RCB and HEB), through its involvement in a variety of task forces and brainstorming sessions during the year also saw an increase in demand from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee for the branch s support in preparing policy papers and guidance notes on a variety of issues and concerns. _ 56 OCHA Annual Report 2003

65 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Promoting the Humanitarian Agenda To develop a humanitarian policy agenda, the Policy Development and Studies Branch identifies emerging humanitarian trends and changes in the humanitarian environment to build common or harmonised policy positions among humanitarian agencies, based on human rights, international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles. To promote this agenda and ensure respect for humanitarian law and principles among nonhumanitarian actors, PDSB engages with UN member states and the various departments and organs of the UN, including the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC). Objectives Establish and develop processes for strengthened strategic and operational coordination between DPA, DPKO and OCHA Work for an agreement on inter-agency division of roles and responsibilities during transition from relief activities Contribute to UN-wide natural disaster policies to ensure inter-agency coherence, and to clarify agencies respective responsibilities in disaster response and disaster response preparedness Finalise the inter-agency manual on best practices for engagement with armed groups, and the inter-agency assessment methodology for the humanitarian impact of sanctions Strengthen measures for protection of IDP beneficiaries from sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian crises Initiate a gender policy for OCHA and develop a plan for gender mainstreaming within the IASC that will facilitate the systematic incorporation of a gender perspective into humanitarian activities and policies Activities In 2003, PDSB made steady progress toward achieving its objectives. It represented OCHA in the Knowledge Project, led by the Department of Political Affairs. This focuses on enabling more effective and shared contextual analysis, understanding of, and response to crisis situations. Throughout the year, the branch maintained a regular dialogue with senior counterparts in the UN s Department of Political Affairs Department and DPKO on policy issues of mutual concern. In collaboration with the UN Development Group and its colleagues in OCHA s Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) section, the branch developed interim guidelines for the use of UN Country Teams to help plan and coordinate the UN s response to countries emerging from conflict. On natural disasters, OCHA, UNDP and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) completed a shared assessment of their mandates, roles and comparative advantages that will serve as a basis for creating better synergies in work programmes. Efforts to better understand and counter unintended humanitarian consequences of sanction regimes led to the establishment of an assessment methodology, which should be used for humanitarian evaluations of sanctions regimes. To facilitate coordination between military and humanitarian actors, PDSB and MCDU finalised Guidelines on the use of Military-Civil Defence Assets in Complex Emergencies, which were endorsed by the IASC in March The branch continued to co-chair the IASC task force on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. It focused, in particular, on: supporting the finalisation of the Secretary-General s Bulletin (SGB) on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse; and developing a strategy for implementing the Bulletin in a consistent manner across the UN system at the field level. OCHA Annual Report

66 The PDSB also focused on the preparation of model complaints mechanisms and investigation procedures on sexual exploitation and abuse; reviewing implementation of the 2002 IASC Plan of Action and supporting Humanitarian Coordinators and field offices to improve implementation; and, securing the re-engagement of DPKO in sexual exploitation and abuse prevention efforts. PDSB also worked to integrate gender-related responsibilities into revised terms of reference for Humanitarian Coordinators. The revised document stipulates that the promotion of gender mainstreaming and women s rights is a key component of their strategic coordination and humanitarian accountability functions. Year in Review While the UNDG/ECHA working group was able to facilitate a shared analysis of and agreement on the key issues facing the UN in post-conflict transitional contexts, there remains a pressing need to move from conceptual issues to practical guidance for UN Country Teams. The interim guidelines developed are a step in the right direction, but need further elaboration. In particular, a shared framework is needed for contextual analysis, needs assessment and the hand-over of coordination functions. The long delay in the finalisation of the Secretary- General s Bulletin on sexual exploitation and abuse severely delayed progress on ensuring implementation of elements of the plan of action relating to standards of behaviour and complaints procedures in the field. Once promulgated, however, the SGB provided a unique opportunity to ensure that systematic steps are implemented throughout the UN system both in the field and at headquarters level to prevent, and to respond to, sexual exploitation and abuse. There remains a need for OCHA to better promote gender mainstreaming, particularly at field level, regardless of the revisions to the Humanitarian Coordinators terms of reference. For example: the Lesson Learning Review on OCHA s Response to the Iraq Crisis demonstrated that OCHA did not proactively ensure implementation of the 1999 IASC policy statement for the integration of a gender perspective in humanitarian assistance in that instance. Otherwise, the development of a gender policy for OCHA and preparation of a related action plan proceeded quite well. The PDSB facilitated several internal debates and consultations on this topic in Geneva, New York and Nairobi in The gender policy and action plan are due to be finalised in Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions Project Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements Income from Voluntary Contributions 262,381 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 227,323 Consultant Fees and Travel 41,866 Travel 594 Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 35,072 Total Expenditure US $ 304, OCHA Annual Report 2003

67 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Field Action and Coordination To foster strategic and operational coherence, the PDSB crafts practical policies, guidance and analytical tools for use in the field by humanitarian practitioners. It also develops aide memoires and diagnostic tools for political actors, such as UN member states and peacekeepers, to help ensure consideration of key humanitarian concerns during crisis management. PDSB contributes to the development of training, to ensure that staff and other actors in emergencies are aware of key humanitarian policies and methodologies, and are able to apply them appropriately yet flexibly in varied contexts. Objectives in 2003 Provide policy guidance on OCHA s role and responsibilities regarding human rights, and develop closer interaction with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Revise humanitarian coordination policies and standards, and achieve inter-agency agreement on criteria by which these can be judged Establish clear guidelines on the role, structure, function and entry and exit strategies for OCHA offices and staff presences in the field Activities Throughout 2003, PDSB engaged in dialogue with OHCHR on the relationship between human rights and humanitarian action through participation in the inter-agency working group on Action Point 2 in the UN Secretary-General s programme of reform. The branch developed a conceptual note on OCHA s particular role in the protection of civilians, which will form the basis of guidance for field staff in With regard to coordination, the PDSB drafted a revised terms of reference for Humanitarian Coordinators that more clearly establishes their coordination responsibilities for IDPs, transition, gender and the prevention of sexual exploitation of beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance. The IASC subsequently endorsed the document. PDSB also developed a draft entry/exit policy for OCHA field offices. This is awaiting final review and approval, after which it will be packaged into a guidance noted for OCHA field staff, with guidelines on structure, function, and so forth. Year in Review In 2003, significant constraints on humanitarian access arose in a number of countries, demanding a more analytic, systematic and creative response from OCHA. The PDSB responded by developing (in collaboration with the Humanitarian Emergency Branch of OCHA, and the Response Coordination Branch) an analytical framework for identifying and understanding constraints on access, and for raising awareness among decision-makers. In addition, PDSB was requested by senior OCHA management to review its existing planning practices, identify gaps and constraints, propose alternative methods and systems, and pursue their implementation. In response, the branch held a Workshop on Work Planning in April 2003, facilitated by the head of planning, monitoring and evaluation for ICRC. It led to the proposal of a simplified planning hierarchy, along with clear planning terminology and definitions. Based on this, PDSB developed and supported implementation of a more consistent, achievement-oriented and user-friendly planning system that integrates headquarters and the field. The work on humanitarian access and OCHA planning were carried out without additional staff resources, which curtailed the time available for the anticipated priorities for OCHA Annual Report

68 Protection of Civilians Project Background OCHA has been mandated by the UN Security Council to develop a policy framework on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This project is part of the efforts by PDSB to foster strategic and operational coherence. The intention is that, by collaborating with humanitarian partner agencies and mainstreaming protection issues into the policies and decision-making processes of UN member states, OCHA will gradually develop the culture of protection called for by the Secretary-General. Objectives in 2003 Implement three protection of civilians workshops for government officials of member states Support efforts for the development of training materials, and a framework interagency coordination on protection issues at international and country level Activities In the course of 2003, PDSB organised three regional workshops. These improved the dissemination and sharing of information on key protection issues, and provided an opportunity for consultation with key stakeholders in the field on how to mainstream protection concepts at national and regional levels. PDSB also established an Implementation Group within the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA) to coordinate protection efforts among key UN departments and agencies. Chaired by the PDSB, the Implementation Group provided guidance and input on tools intended to facilitate a collaborative approach to civilian protection issues, including an updated version of the Aide Memoire on the Protection of Civilians; the road map for implementing 54 recommendations outlined in the first two reports of the SG on the protection of civilians; and a glossary of humanitarian terms related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Year in Review The PDSB s work has resulted in increased awareness among Security Council members of the need to include protection issues in missions for which it provides a mandate. This has been particularly true of the six-monthly briefings to the Security Council by the Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs and targeted advocacy with members of the UN Security Council, in collaboration with other agencies. The effects have been seen in the specific inclusion within the mandates of certain peacekeeping missions (including MONUC in the DRC, the ECOWAS and French forces in Cote d Ivoire, and UNMIL in Liberia) of the requirement to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence, as well as of other important protection language. The mission structure for UNMIL also includes a protection officer to ensure greater coherence between the mission and the humanitarian community on protection issues. The updated Aide Memoire and the roadmap on the protection of civilians in armed conflict were presented to the Security Council in December 2003 as tools to promote protection issues. The updated Aide Memoire was adopted by the Council as an annex to a presidential statement (S/PRST/2003/27). The PDSB supported UN member states through policy guidance to the Member States Support Group on protection issues, and by convening a roundtable on ways to apply protection principles to the impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism on civilian populations in armed conflict. The branch also promoted and mainstreamed the protection agenda at national and regional levels through several regional workshops. Organised with the aim of widely disseminating information on key protection issues, these brought together representatives of governments, UN Country Teams and civil society organisations in West Africa, the South Pacific and South Asia, in order to identify and address major regional protection concerns. In some regions, these workshops have formed part of a sustainable process. For example, concerns for the protection 60 OCHA Annual Report 2003

69 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS of civilians are being taken up institutionally by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) and the Pacific Islands Forum. PDSB s future work in this area needs to focus increasingly on supporting a comprehensive approach to protection issues in the field. The ongoing challenge is to identify and utilise more effective means of implementing the protection policies and principles that are in place, and to translate them into concrete measures on the ground. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 525,337 Income from Voluntary Contributions 421,118 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 164,159 Consultant Fees and Travel 69,903 Travel 130,805 Operating Expenses 16,365 Contractual Services 26,000 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 800 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 73,212 Programme Support Costs 62,563 Total Expenditure US $ 543,807 OCHA Annual Report

70 Lessons Learned and Evaluation Studies Project Background This project is part of PDSB efforts to promote greater accountability and improve the effectiveness of humanitarian action. To this end, the branch initiates and manages a portfolio of studies, reviews and evaluations for OCHA and its humanitarian partners. In addition, it helps to design and implement monitoring standards and systems. These activities help measure performance and reveal where improvements should be made in the provision of material assistance and protection. They also help identify best practice and innovative concepts that should be disseminated widely to inform and guide policy, operational decisions and crisis management. Objectives in 2003 Implement phase two of the three-year Evaluation and Studies Plan Introduce performance monitoring mechanisms and institutionalise monitoring capacity to improve implementation of findings of reviews and evaluations Support development of humanitarian financing policies; analyse changing trends in humanitarian financing and their implications for UN humanitarian action Strengthen inter-agency processes for consultation, analysis and decisionmaking through a review of the functioning of the IASC Activities The unit successfully implemented phase two of the evaluation and studies plan, managing a total of eight evaluation exercises: three independent evaluations of three key OCHA tools (IRIN, IASC, inter-agency IDP unit); an inter-agency study on humanitarian financing; two reviews (Consolidated Appeals launch, RIACSO); and two internal lessons learning reviews (Iraq, Angola). There was significantly increased inter-agency participation and consultation in most of the evaluation activities. Evaluation findings and recommendations were discussed by broad stakeholder groups internal and external to OCHA. As a result, inter-agency processes for consultation, analysis and decision-making have been strengthened in the IASC and the IDU. The implications of changing humanitarian trends have been widely debated by agencies, which has resulted in concrete action - for example, the development of a joint needs assessment methodology and of the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative. The CAP launch review led to immediate improvements in the planning and implementation of the launches, and is expected to increase their effectiveness. The internal lesson learning reviews revealed a number of critical areas in need of improvement in the case of Iraq, and good practices to be replicated in Angola. For instance, Angola demonstrated that full coordination (including applied effective information management, an inclusive planning process, an extensive field network and leadership of great competence) enabled OCHA and its partners to agree on goals and priorities, increase the efficiency of the total humanitarian operation and leverage their unity to create change in government policy. Experience of the Iraq crisis demonstrated the need for leadership in the establishment and protection of humanitarian space; that a combined OCHA New York and Geneva team, brought together in one place with a clear chain of command and a clear exit strategy, works well for a large, complex emergency; and that timely, accurate and contextual information is vital informed decision-making and effective coordination. The Lessons Learned and Evaluation Studies unit also started to work on global and countrylevel performance monitoring mechanisms, and institutionalised a management response 62 OCHA Annual Report 2003

71 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS matrix for all evaluations. Increased support on monitoring and evaluation issues is now provided to OCHA field offices and branches, and should translate into improved resultsoriented strategic frameworks. Year in Review Most if not all objectives set for 2003 have been achieved. The increased involvement of other agencies in some of the evaluations was instrumental for the credibility and acceptance of the exercise. The IASC is an effective and appropriate platform for developing and following-up on inter-agency evaluations and issues. More fine-tuning is needed to make the concept of lesson-learned reviews an effective and widely applied learning tool for OCHA staff. Training on monitoring and evaluation is key to ensure enhanced capacity and accountability. Monitoring of the implementation of previous evaluation recommendations has pointed to follow-up weaknesses and a lack of ownership that need to be addressed. Given the unit s location within PDSB, there has been a natural link to applying key evaluation insights and lessons learned for policy-making. There is limited transfer of evaluation knowledge to the activities of other branches and in the field. Unless this transfer is much stronger, the objectives set in the three-year evaluation framework cannot be fully achieved. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 406,800 Income from Voluntary Contributions 371,428 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs Consultant Fees and Travel 397,882 Travel Operating Expenses 2,929 Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 52,105 Total Expenditure US $ 452,916 OCHA Annual Report

72 Advocacy and External Relations Background Humanitarian advocacy is a core mandate of OCHA s, and creating awareness of humanitarian issues among a wide range of stakeholders is a critical element in raising the necessary political and financial support for humanitarian action. The Advocacy and External Relations Section (AERS) serves this function by assisting and supporting the Emergency Relief Coordinator and OCHA senior management in advocating effective and principled humanitarian action at the global and regional levels, as well as supporting OCHA regional and country offices to develop and implement humanitarian advocacy and public information strategies. AERS in Geneva serves as the OCHA focal point for external affairs and public information in Europe. Objectives in 2003 Develop strategies and carry out public information and advocacy initiatives to raise awareness and support for humanitarian action at all levels Activities In 2003, OCHA launched its first-ever corporate humanitarian advocacy strategy. AERS undertook a global advocacy needs assessment of OCHA and humanitarian partners at headquarters and field locations. This formed the basis for developing advocacy and public information strategies and materials, as well as training programmes for different categories of OCHA staff. A regional advocacy workshop for heads of office and public information officers from countries in Eastern and Central Africa was held in Nairobi in July A one-day session on media and communication was organised for Humanitarian Coordinators during their retreat in December AERS worked with IASC partners to develop and implement a strategic communication plan for the Advocacy, External Relations and Information Management 2003 Requirements 4,304,908 EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN Staff Costs 2,408,178 Consultant Fees and Travel 44,997 Travel 206,565 Operating Expenses 8,958 Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 57,814 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 325,763 Total Expenditure US $ 3,052,275 * Income for Core Activities is recorded in total under the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of OCHA. * Table consolidates expenses for Advocacy, External Relations and Information Management 2004 Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP). The plan included a web and poster campaign (ongoing) on the theme Hear our Voices. It focuses on the experiences of beneficiaries, especially those living in forgotten emergencies. A well-planned media strategy, executed in collaboration with agency and donor partners, led to extensive and positive media coverage of the global CAP launch, as well as subsidiary launches in selected capitals. AERS developed a model for humanitarian media partnership in conflict areas. This was piloted in Côte d Ivoire, where AERS worked with the OCHA country office, UN agencies and media NGOs to organise a roundtable forum on Media and Conflict Resolution in April As a follow-up, OCHA, UNESCO, the Media Foundation for West Africa and International Media Support (a Danish NGO) officially created the Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa. In public information, AERS highlighted forgotten emergencies by issuing information to the media and the Office of the Spokesman of the Secretary- General. AERS developed a strategy to boost media coverage for missions by the ERC and _ 64 OCHA Annual Report 2003

73 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS DERC, which translated into extensive coverage for the ERC s mission to Northern Uganda and the DERC s missions to Côte d Ivoire and Ituri, DRC. During the Iraq crisis, AERS headed up the information section of the OCHA task force on Iraq that funnelled information to the media, donors and senior management. AERS played a key role, with DPI and UN agencies, in developing and coordinating the UN s public information response, including the set-up of the UN Briefing Centre in Amman. AERS began the development of a field advocacy training manual and public information handbook. It also finalised the development and production of a series of OCHA public information materials, including posters, leaflets, brochures and folders. Preparations for the relaunch of OCHA Online began in earnest, with the recruitment of staff. In Geneva, AERS maintained close cooperation with the institutions of the European Union (presidency, troika, European Commission and Council), and other regional organisations such as NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Council of Europe. Major steps in the implementation of the Fribourg Process were by the development of the concept of a fast-track OCHA/EC consultative process to address conflicting mandates in field coordination; and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the governments of Greece and Turkey. Cooperation with the business community was strengthened through the Business Humanitarian Forum and the Disaster Response Network (of the World Economic Forum). In addition, AERS established regular consultations with the Group of 77 coordinators in Geneva, Rome and Paris. Cooperation with NGOs was enhanced through monthly meetings and regular contacts in both Europe and the US. Year in Review In 2003, AERS had enhanced staff capacity in New York compared to previous years. This allowed for increased and more effective work in advocacy and public information at headquarters, and increased support to the field. AERS staff carried out most activities directly, with the main costs being staff time and occasional travel expenses. However, as output increased, demands for services and support also rose. In 2004, AERS will need to concentrate greater efforts on boosting advocacy and public information capacities, particularly at the field level. This can best be done through training and the provision of support materials. In addition, it will be important to build on partnerships within the UN Secretariat, with UN agencies and with other partners. OCHA Annual Report

74 Chernobyl Project Background The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the site of the world s single worst nuclear power accident in The populations of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine developed a scepticism that lingers to this day, as USSR authorities were not forthcoming about the scale of the human catastrophe following the accident. Since 1990, when Chernobyl was brought to the UN agenda, the problem has evolved from one of emergency response to longer term development. OCHA is mandated to play a coordination role and be the focal point on Chernobyl issues within the UN system under General Assembly Resolution 45/190 in It serves as the office and secretariat of the UN Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl, who in a different role - is also the head of OCHA. The programme was significantly reinvigorated in 2002, with the UN mapping out a new process in which the UNDP, UNICEF and other development agencies will play a more prominent role in ad d ressing the con s equ en ces of the nu clear disaster. Objectives in 2003 Coordinate and facilitate efforts to study, mitigate and minimise the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster by directing resources to those most in need, and by helping the affected populations to move from dependency on aid to self-sufficiency Conduct advocacy at international level around the continuing consequences of the Chernobyl disaster for the affected populations Activities In 2003, there was a concerted effort to reinvigorate cooperation between UN agencies on Chernobyl; and to catalyse and facilitate cooperation with the World Bank, the European Commission and interested donors, through the framework and mechanism of the UN Inter- Agency Task Force on Chernobyl. At the field level, a number of concrete actions were taken by the UN Country Teams in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. These included: a) renewed policy dialogue with relevant government agencies on macro and sectoral policy issues around implementation of recommendations in the UN strategy for recovery report b) enhancing the integration of UN activities with local and national government initiatives c) strengthening local partnership with donors, and related resource mobilisation. The disbursement of modest sums of seed money from the UN Chernobyl Trust Fund was authorised for three pilot projects in each country. These were aimed at supporting socio-economic rehabilitation and improving the health of people in the affected region. OCHA, in close collaboration with the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Chernobyl, launched the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network (ICRIN) to support the ongoing international, national and civil society efforts for the sustainable development of the affected regions. The first phase of the project has been implemented. ICRIN aims to raise awareness of the continuing effects of the Chernobyl disaster. In particular, it is intended to support ongoing international, national and civil society efforts for sustainable development of the affected territories by compiling, consolidating and coordinating relevant scientific research; commissioning further research where required; and making available and ensuring the effective dissemination of its findings to all stakeholders. This is a regional, inter-sectoral and inter-agency programme, in the coordination of which OCHA plays a key role. 66 OCHA Annual Report 2003

75 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS The newly revamped UN Chernobyl website created and maintained by OCHA was launched in March. It contains the single comprehensive database on all assistance and research-related projects undertaken by members and standing invitees of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Chernobyl since In 2003, OCHA initiated the process of handing over the UN s coordination role of Chernobyl to the UNDP. In moving the Chernobyl issue from an emergency humanitarian focus to one of longterm development within the UN system, the programme hopes to improve support for international efforts in priority areas: the broad socioeconomic, health and environmental needs of affected communities in the three countries, and the requirement to rekindle interest in the human dimension of the Chernobyl disaster. Year in Review The Chernobyl programme faces difficulty attracting donor funding, falling into a grey area between humanitarian and development requirements. However, it would of great practical utility to affected populations in the area if the funding allocated by donors to international assistance efforts were commensurate with the funds being allocated by the same donors to nuclear safety problems around the now-closed nuclear plant. In the context of the shift in policy on Chernobyl from emergency humanitarian assistance to longterm sustainable development, and as part of the renewed efforts to bring assistance to the affected populations, the UN sees a clear need to energise work with donors. Despite efforts in various directions, more needs to be done to secure donor support in a systematic way. UN Country Teams have tried to draw attention of the donors in their respective countries, but this work needs to be invigorated and coordinated. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 166,562 Income from Voluntary Contributions EXPENDITURE Staff Costs Consultant Fees and Travel 35,900 Travel Operating Expenses Contractual Services Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 4,667 Total Expenditure US $ 40,567 This project is funded from the Trust Fund for Chernobyl. OCHA Annual Report

76 Information Management Through its various information management services, OCHA aims to provide efficient and integrated information and communications systems to ensure ease of access to, and exchange of, information among headquarters staff, field staff and humanitarian partners. Information management in OCHA ranges from the provision of technical infrastructure through information collection and analysis (including early warning) to the development and deployment of web-based information dissemination tools and services. In 2003, OCHA strove to consolidate and streamline those tools and services for example, through consolidation of the different web services, and more consistent and better technical ICT support. Information analysis capacity was strengthened, as were partnerships for information exchange. Information and Communications Technology B a c k g ro u n d The re s pon s i bi l i ty for providing In form a ti on and Com mu n i c a ti ons Tech n o l ogy (ICT) su pport within OCHA re s i des with the In form a ti on Tech n o l ogy Secti on (ITS ). It provi des basic i n f ra s tru ctu re, rel i a ble and intern et con n ectivi ty, and user su pport, as well as rel a ted database and web - b a s ed app l i c a ti on s. Objectives in 2003 E n su re coord i n a ti on of i n ter- a gency ICT activi ti e s, both in gen eral and for s pecific em er gen c i e s Im prove OC H A s internal and ex tern a l i n form a ti on sys tem s, e s pec i a lly web - b a s ed site s and servi ce s, both for re s tri cted audien ces and the public at large A c t i v i t i e s The secti on coord i n a ted inter- a gency ICT activi ti e s for specific em er gen c i e s, i n cluding Iraq and L i beri a, by providing (among other things) web - b a s ed co ll a bora ti on tools that can also be used for o t h er em er gency opera ti on s. It provi ded el ectron i c con n ectivi ty and IT su pport to field of f i ces in DRC and sout h ern Su d a n ; e s t a bl i s h ed equ i pm ent and procedu res to provi de su r ge su pport ; a n d s tren g t h en ed fac i l i ties for rem o te acce s s. The secti on also stren g t h en ed ICT su pport in G en eva, i n cluding upgrading equ i pm ent and a ppoi n ting two more (tem pora ry) su pport staff t h ere. It devel oped web too l s, i n cluding a rede s i gn ed OCHA Online, a new site for the Con s o l i d a ted Appeals Proce s s, a new Hu m a n i t a rian In form a ti on Cen tre port a l [ w w w. hu m a n i t a ri a n i n fo. org] and a nu m ber of HIC web s i te s, su ch as the So ut h ern Af ri c a Hu m a n i t a rian In form a ti on Net work. In ad d i ti on, the ITS furt h er devel oped web - b a s ed tools for shared dra f ti n g, and issu ed OCHA F i el d Gu i del i n e s in CD-Rom and web form a t s. Year in Review The secti on stren g t h en ed inter- a gency ICT coord i n a ti on, re su l ting in bet ter coord i n a ted activi ties and bet ter inter- a gency buy - i n. It hel ped del iver con s o l i d a ted and high er qu a l i ty i n form a ti on servi ces and produ ct s, l e ading to bet ter inform a ti on sharing and, t hu s, m ore ef fective re s pon s e. For instance, ef forts to s tren g t h en an inform a ti on bri d ge bet ween h e ad qu a rters and field of f i ces re su l ted in the F i eld Gu i del i n e s C D - ROM being used as a too l for Emer gency Field Coord i n a ti on Tra i n i n g, and as a va lu a ble re s o u rce for hu m a n i t a rian work at field level. 68 OCHA Annual Report 2003

77 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS Ma ny con c rete proj ects proved that it is best not to jump on any new tech n o l ogy but to pursu e a well con s i dered stra tegy on ICT. For instance, the approach of using laptops to be used as n et worked work stati ons at head qu a rters proved to be probl em a ti c, due to a lack of a ut h ori s ed n et work con f i g u ra ti ons or i m a ge s. Wh en finally con f i g u red correct ly for head qu a rters, l a ptop s would more of ten than not need recon f i g u ra ti on a f ter staff m em bers retu rn ed from field mission s. The work stati on idea was su b s equ en t ly a b a n don ed ; i n s te ad, OCHA has pools of l a ptops to be used for mission assign m en t s. L i kewi s e, the use (espec i a lly the integra ti on and s y n ch ron i s a ti on) of pers onal digital assistants ( P DAs) was con s i dered very ti m e - con suming for su pport staff, m a i n ly due to different standard s, formats and model s, and tech n o l ogy that is not a lw ays rel i a bl e. Con s o l i d a ti on of ICT su pport and servi ces proved to be both co s t - ef fective and essen tial to avoid con f u s i on, t h ro u gh the def i n i ti on of com m on standard s. This means that OCHA has one or at least a limited nu m ber of com p uter m odels to su pport, wh i ch redu ces the need for tra i n i n g, time spent on tro u bl e - s h oo ting and the def i n i ti on of s t a n d a rd con f i g u ra ti on s. Con s o l i d a ti on of su pport also all ows a pooling of re s o u rce s, l e ading to more ef fective and ef f i c i en t use of a limited nu m ber of s t a f f. Con c rete em er gencies made it clear that more coord i n a ti on of i n ter- a gency activi ties in the ICT a rea is nece s s a ry for ef fective and ti m ely provi s i on of s ervi ce s. Th ey also showed that it does not take too mu ch ef fort to make this coord i n a ti on work, and that buy-in from the different agencies is e s s en ti a l. In Ira q, for instance, t h ere was som e con f u s i on bet ween UN agencies and dep a rtm en t s as a re sult of u n clear mandates and cert a i n i n i ti a tives that were not apprec i a ted by all. The i dea of dep l oying a Regi onal Tel ecom mu n i c a ti on s Coord i n a ti on Officer in em er gency situ a ti ons - to act as a n eutral bro ker and coord i n a tor / f ac i l i t a tor of opera ting sys tems at the nati on a l / l ocal level a ppe a rs to of fer a lot of prom i s e. Fo ll owing requests from the field for more i n form a ti on on regi onal agreem ents and tre a ti e s, and for doc u m ents in local language s, the OC H A F i eld Gu i delines doc u m ent co ll ecti on was a m en ded to meet these need s. It is ex pected that, in sys tem a ti c a lly seeking to meet field staff ex pect a ti ons on guidance for their work, t h e k n owl ed ge - s h a ring capac i ty wi ll grow (within the hu m a n i t a rian com mu n i ty and with loc a l pop u l a ti on s ), re su l ting in a bet ter re s ponse to l ocal con cern s. Information Analysis Located within the Information Analysis Section (IAS) are three important components of OCHA s capacity to collect, share and disseminate information, namely: the Early Warning and Contingency Planning unit (EWCP), the ReliefWeb project, and the Field Information Support (FIS) project. IRIN also provides field-based analysis through its multimedia web-based special reports and in-depth focuses on topics of interest to the humanitarian community. Founded on principles of building partnerships to ensure humanitarian information exchange, each component of the Information Analysis Section contributes a unique value-added service to the information it collects. EWCP provides analytical information products for early warning, prevention and contingency planning. The ReliefWeb and FIS projects both facilitate information exchange among humanitarian actors for coordination and response, by leveraging the internet, Geographic Information Systems, databases and other tools, and by strengthening information partnership networks. These constituent elements of the IAS also provide valuable information to guide decision-making at senior UN and governmental levels. The following sections describe each of these components objectives, outputs and achievements in full. OCHA Annual Report

78 Early Warning and Contingency Planning Background Continuing and expanding its work within UN headquarters, country teams in the field and with regional organisations, the unit plays a pivotal role in the UN Secretariat in the analysis of information for early warning and contingency planning for complex emergencies. In an effort to prevent and mitigate humanitarian crises, it provides analytical tools such as global risk assessments, country-specific analysis, alerts, indicators, planning methodologies and preventive measures. It also trains personnel in the use of these tools. Objectives in 2003 Undertake in-depth early warning analyses for countries and sub-regions considered most at risk, and provide strengthened update products on a regular basis Support and strengthen the international community s ability to collect, analyse, disseminate and act on information; improve preparedness and response mechanisms Develop Contingency Plans for 10 new situations and update existing country plans Integrate preventive strategies in Early Warning and Contingency Planning activities, in collaboration with regional organisations - in particular, ECOWAS Facilitate the development of the open Internet Forum on Crisis Prevention (IFCP) and develop case studies on preventive measures, particularly humanitarian measures Activities In 2003, the EWCP unit produced a quarterly Global Risk Matrix, rating the scale of risk of humanitarian crisis in countries of concern, and produced 20 in-depth early warning analyses for those countries and sub-regions considered most at risk. It also provided one-page Early Warning Alerts as required, to brief OCHA senior management on urgent threats with potentially serious humanitarian implications. EWCP strengthened inter-agency early warning capacity by providing early warning tools, information products and services to partners in the UN Framework Team for Coordination and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, as well as to partners in the field. OCHA developed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in which it was agreed that EWCP would cooperate with and help strengthen the capacity of regional organisations. The unit conducted inter-agency contingency planning exercises in 10 countries considered at high risk. It distributed open-source and internal UN reports based on analysis of early warning indicators to inform and support joint UN system recommendations on prevention and preparedness. EWCP staff liaised within the UN system, regional organisations, civil society and research institutes for the voluntary contribution of eight preventive case studies made available on the IFCP. It created a password-protected prototype IFCP site, hosted by Harvard s Humanitarian Programme on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at no additional cost. Year in Review In 2003, early warning information tools, products and services were significantly enhanced to ensure that they met the needs of decision-makers with respect to preparedness and prevention. The unit s early warning analyses for countries considered to be at risk of crisis were shared with UN Country Teams and are increasingly being used within inter-agency mechanisms, such as the Framework Team for Coordination. These products allow humanitarian issues to be more widely considered in inter-agency preventive action, contingency planning and early response mechanisms. 70 OCHA Annual Report 2003

79 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS After sharing the Global Risk Matrix with senior management at OCHA, members of the UN Framework Team for Coordination and other selected UN and external partners, the Early Warning Unit is working to refine the Matrix by incorporating inter-agency and interdepartmental feedback. While it is too early to gauge the pragmatic impact of this new tool, the Early Warning Unit and select partners view it, at a minimum, as a useful monitoring mechanism that notes the fluidity of various crises on a month-to-month basis. One-page alerts and a bi-weekly early warning report helped ensure that decision-makers had time-critical access to early warning information to strengthen their capacity for prevention. The growing use of early warning tools and analysis is a positive development, reflecting the importance of anticipating potential crises and the need for preparedness to mitigate their effect. OCHA participates in several inter-agency fora to enhance early warning efforts, including the UN Framework Team for Coordination and the IASC task force on contingency planning and preparedness. The Internet Forum on Crisis Prevention (IFCP) has made steady progress, if slower than anticipated, because of the need to raise more support and funding for the project. After a delay in the official launch date, an evaluation of the IFCP was undertaken in mid-2003 to assess the feasibility and added value of the project. Feedback from within and outside the UN ascertained the interest in and need for such a project. The evaluation showed that the IFCP is seen as a tool offering operational guidance to practitioners in the field, and improved collaboration on preventive measures within the UN - and between UN and non-un organisations. OCHA will further develop the IFCP pilot in 2004 and assess its progress by the end of the year. OCHA Annual Report

80 ReliefWeb Project Background ReliefWeb was developed to meet the information needs of the humanitarian relief community through the timely dissemination of information on a public internet portal. ReliefWeb teams in New York, Kobe and Geneva publish updates on all global emergencies 24 hours per day, and broker information from over 1,000 sources. The site provides daily updates in the form of documents, maps and financial tracking of aid contributions, and supplements these with an extensive library of documents on humanitarian policies and issues. In order to improve the efficiency of humanitarian response, ReliefWeb also provides professional resources such as vacancy and training listings, and links to professional communities of practice in various response sectors. Objectives in 2003 Inform the professional humanitarian community through the publication of relevant information and resources on all global emergencies, 24 hours a day Develop the international humanitarian information management community through the production of a regular newsletter, and by hosting regional and international meetings on best practices in humanitarian information management Redesign the ReliefWeb site to improve the efficiency of tasks performed by our target audiences Redesign the humanitarian assistance training inventory to provide more efficient access to training materials and events Perform a full internal review of information management policies for ReliefWeb Activities ReliefWeb published over 25,000 documents on humanitarian response, and provided 24-hour coverage on 27 complex emergencies and over 100 natural disasters. The project held a regional information exchange workshop in Thailand to help improve information exchange in the Asia-Pacific region, and to further promote the principles and best practices developed in the 2002 Symposium Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 New York & Geneva Kobe TOTAL Requirements 1,245, ,620 1,753,064 Income from Voluntary Contributions 974, ,000 a/ 1,760,850 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 645, , ,162 Consultant Fees and Travel 21,547 19,225 40,772 Travel 51,027 43,860 94,887 Operating Expenses 8,906 11,513 20,419 Contractual Services 146,657 17, ,355 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 9,136 6,165 15,301 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 16,938 16,938 Programme Support Costs 116,019 62, ,451 Total Expenditure US $ 998,463 US $ 421,822 US $ 1,420,285 a/ Includes US$381,000 pledged for 2002 by Japan which was received in OCHA Annual Report 2003

81 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS on Best Practices in Humanitarian Information Exchange. ReliefWeb published a quarterly newsletter on Humanitarian Information management to promote best practices, and to keep the information management community informed of new initiatives. The project developed an entirely new information architecture and visual design for the ReliefWeb site, in order to facilitate the completion of user tasks. This involved developing cognitive mental models of target audiences and content mapping that ensures a navigation scheme to match user requirements ReliefWeb launched a new database-driven version of the Humanitarian Assistance Training Inventory, which is tightly aligned with other ReliefWeb site sections. This includes the option to subscribe to training updates by . The project performed a full internal review of editorial and content management policy. All of its policies were discussed and validated with expert user groups, and will be published on the redesigned ReliefWeb site. Year in Review ReliefWeb met all its objectives for 2003 except the launch of the redesigned site. That project evolved into a more complex exercise than originally envisaged, giving rise to the full review of internal content management policies. Work is expected to be completed on the redesign by the second quarter of Site usage on ReliefWeb exceeded expectations, with statistics indicating that it received over 200 million hits in ReliefWeb continues to work on the advancement of best practices in humanitarian information management and exchange, and plans additional regional workshops. OCHA Annual Report

82 Field Information Support Project Background The Field Information Support (FIS) project, part of OCHA s Advocacy, External Relations and Information Management Branch, aims to strengthen and facilitate the use of data and information in humanitarian operations. Established in June 2000, it is based in New York and consists of a small team with a variety of information management and field operations skills. Objectives in 2003 Strengthen the Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) concept by integrating the HIC-in-a-box into an inter-agency preparedness and response network that will include all partners, in particular the NGO community; strengthen links with Regional Resource Centres, and with the situation centres of all response agencies, to reinforce joint activation procedures; develop structured links with early warning indicators, analysis and data preparedness as a component of contingency planning Establish an FIS capacity in Geneva to reinforce field information management as a critical component of field coordination, and develop Regional Resource Centres to cover the Americas and the Southeast Asia region Reinforce the Information Technology Outreach Services (ITOS) geographic repository to take full responsibility for all geographic data preparedness and integration functions Increase membership in the interagency Geographic Information Support Team (GIST) network, ensuring the participation of the NGO community, the Red Cross/ Red Crescent movement and key donors Complete the development of global analytical products, such as: weather tracking, hot spots and affected population estimates in urban areas, and a global policy on the production and use of geospatial data within the UN system, in collaboration with the United Nations Geographic Working Group Activities The priority for 2003 was to strengthen the HIC concept with refined procedures. In reality, the focus was on the deployment of the largest centre to date in Iraq and, by mid-year, another centre in Liberia. The Iraq operation started with the deployment of staff in Cyprus, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait and Turkey. By May, the first HIC staff members were deployed in Baghdad, representing the first group of UN staff into Iraq; within two months, four HIC sub-offices were established. In the course of the year, over 30 international staff were deployed. In addition to national staff, over 25 national surveyors were employed on short-term contracts to collect data for the Rapid Assessment Process. The start-up of the HICs in both Iraq and Liberia was led in the field by one of FIS two staff members for two and a half months. Despite the focus on operations, progress was made in structuring links with early warning and preparedness. Guidelines for the use of GIS and remote sensing, GPS use and the use of unique geographic place codes were developed, and work continued on the development of standardised tools. That work finished in early Furthermore, the concept of the HIC was well received by the IASC in February 2003 and is expected to be fully endorsed in ITOS was successfully strengthened and, during the year, became the data repository for the GIST. This facilitated the sharing of data among members, provided technical backstopping for data sharing, and promoted shared data preparedness for countries noted by OCHA s early warning unit. Other partnerships were also strengthened and are adding real value to the work of FIS, including 74 OCHA Annual Report 2003

83 HEADQUARTERS CORE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS with the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on weather tracking. FIS also remains an active member of the UN Geographic Information Working Group and has been involved in the development of a paper regarding the policy on use of geospatial data. Year in Review The Iraq HIC was not only the largest HIC to date and notable for the level of prior preparedness; it was also the quickest and most effective deployment yielding new lessons. Regular feedback revealed a general consensus that it has been the most successful centre yet in terms of information facilitating a humanitarian response. The benefits of the FIS involvement with ITOS and the NOAA were to be seen in the preparation of data for the deployment of new HICs - ensuring that deployment included bringing basic data sets to enable the production of maps and other products necessary for HIC work, along with personnel and equipment. Due to operational demands placed on FIS and its partners during 2003, work on improving the GIST did not progress as much as had been anticipated. Discussions are ongoing with key GIST members to review the future direction of the group and refocus energies in data-sharing. The major lesson learned after less than three years of FIS is that it is essential to have more of a strategic vision to consolidate the successes of HICs and improve their deployment procedures - but also to support the information management requirements of all OCHA field offices. During 2003, the unit was significantly constrained by inadequate staffing and funding (FIS was only 35% funded for the year) and was unable to establish any presence in Geneva. This meant that the unit had to concentrate on operational work, particularly with the complex emergencies in Iraq, to the detriment of strategic development. Having a staff member in Geneva remains an operational necessity and is a priority for Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 831,397 Income from Voluntary Contributions 790,450 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 285,823 Consultant Fees and Travel 38,329 Travel 22,052 Operating Expenses Contractual Services 11,750 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 14,062 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 48,362 Total Expenditure US $ 420,378 This project is funded from the Trust Fund for Chernobyl. OCHA Annual Report

84 PART III COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD "OCHA has definitely added value. It is vital that the coordination is efficient in the field as there are so many actors and organisations working together. OCHA s coordination role is important in order to avoid any duplications and to make sure that operations run smoothly. OCHA is doing a very good job worldwide. Its staff has dedicated itself to helping people and they often work in very difficult and challenging circumstances. Furthermore, OCHA is doing a valuable job in the area of disaster preparedness and response." Donor

85 Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) Use local correspondents and partners throughout Africa and Asia to ensure an IRIN presence at minimum cost in countries currently under-reported, thereby enhancing early-warning efforts Enhance the capacity to reach grassroots entities and local populations by further strengthening radio services and incorporating capacity-building support for local radio stations; funds permitting, expand to other conflict-affected countries in Africa and Central Asia Increase readership and deepen the regional relevance of the HIV/AIDS service PlusNews, through expanded editorial support, the launch of a daily news briefs service and, funds permitting, French translations Context The Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) is an impartial humanitarian news service that covers 46 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and eight in Asia. In 2003, IRIN started an Iraq service using freelance correspondents to provide original reporting on humanitarian issues. The success of IRIN s pilot radio projects in Somalia and Burundi encouraged donors to fund the expansion of the programme; new initiatives were started in Angola, Afghanistan, Liberia, Cote d Ivoire and Sierra Leone. The networks HIV-AIDS news and feature service has also expanded. Objectives in 2003 Strengthen core information services, with an emphasis on the production of in-depth multifaceted reports, providing background detail and expert analysis with links to other relevant documents Provide support to early warning and advocacy initiatives aimed at conflict prevention and promotion of humanitarian principles, including through the use of film Activities IRIN produced more than 7,000 reports, which included a 33 per cent increase in analytical reporting and 11 multi-media web-based special reports: double the number produced the previous year. The networks used more than 60 local correspondents to provide original, cost-effective reporting on humanitarian developments in forgotten emergencies. In Iraq and Liberia, IRIN correspondents provided sustained humanitarian coverage when UN international staff were evacuated as a result of insecurity. IRIN Radio, piloted in 2001 to reach communities where modern information technology does not exist, now serves populations in Afghanistan and six African countries. Assessment missions have been undertaken in three other African nation, prior to the establishment of operations in those countries. IRIN produced a mini-documentary, book and multi-media web-based special report to highlight the gruesome consequences of the continuing 78 OCHA Annual Report 2003

86 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD conflict and forgotten humanitarian crisis in Northern Uganda, as part of joint advocacy efforts with OCHA and other humanitarian partners. IRIN increased its direct subscribers from 18,000 to more than 23,600, an increase of almost 33%, giving a total estimated daily readership of approximately 120,000. Its website registered more than 11 million hits per month at the end of the year, three times more than in the previous year. The HIV/AIDS text service, Plus News, significantly increased its overall readership and output. A user survey confirmed that PlusNews material was extensively reposted throughout the internet, redistributed through other list-serves and reached mass media worldwide. Year in Review 2003 was a successful year in which IRIN made significant progress in involving victims of conflict and local populations in the humanitarian debate through expansion of its radio project and an increase in original reporting in French and local languages. the year. The late arrival of funds at times affected travel in the field and translation services. IRIN s plans to expand its HIV-AIDS information service to West Africa were postponed after funding promised did not materialise. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 4,324,957 Income from Voluntary Contributions 4,903,529 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 2,472,279 Consultant Fees and Travel 349,875 Travel 230,700 Operating Expenses 567,481 Contractual Services 104,028 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 127,761 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions - Programme Support Costs 502,127 Total Expenditure US $ 4,354,251 IRIN continued to implement key recommendations of an independent evaluation conducted in 2002, including increasing the distribution of its reports through the international and local media. Through its analytical and special reports, in particular, IRIN helped support early warning initiatives and promote humanitarian principles. A key lesson learned was the importance of maintaining a network of local correspondents in remote parts of Africa and Central Asia, where they were able to provide on-the-spot humanitarian reporting when UN international staff had to be evacuated for security reasons. IRIN has continued to be constrained by the late receipt of some donor contributions, although all funds requested had been provided by the end of OCHA Annual Report

87 Angola destruction, decay and neglect, combined with weak institutional capacity to deliver essential social services. In some areas, no local government was in place and access to the most basic social services was extremely limited or non-existent. The presence of landmines continued to undermine humanitarian operations, with the demand for mine action activities greatly exceeding in-country capacity even as greater freedom of movement resulted in an increase in mine-related incidents. Restoring the rule of law, eliminating human rights abuses and promoting peaceful conflict resolution remained priorities within the recovery strategy. Context The humanitarian situation in Angola improved dramatically during At the height of the emergency in 2002, more than two million people relied on life-saving assistance. In 2003, conditions stabilised in areas where humanitarian agencies had uninterrupted access and approximately 500,000 people with critical needs received assistance. Access expanded significantly and provincial teams, along with UN security officers and de-mining partners, were able to assess hundreds of return and resettlement areas, including many emergency pockets, where critical needs had been reported. During the year, the government completed the demobilisation and reintegration process, and all gathering or quartering areas were closed as of mid-june. By the end of the year, nearly four million people (including more than 100,000 demobilised soldiers, together with approximately 350,000 family members) had returned to their areas of origin. By November, the nutritional crisis was considered largely over, as malnutrition levels reached their lowest point since Although 2003 marked the turning point in the acute crisis, the humanitarian community was still confronted with a deep-rooted structural emergency due to years of infrastructural Objectives in 2003 Convene appropriate coordination structures with partners to facilitate needs assessments, identify gaps in humanitarian coverage, monitor progress, ensure the integration of programmes across sectors, and develop strategic and operational objectives for each province Support government efforts to uphold humanitarian principles and promote compliance with Angolan laws on return and resettlement, and procedures for their implementation, commonly referred to as Norms and Regulamento Advise the relevant ministries at provincial and national levels on core coordination functions, and collaborate in capacity building for the transfer of core functions following OCHA s departure Develop a work plan, in consultation with the Mi n i s try of Social Af f a i rs and Rei n tegra ti on, for transferring key coordination functions to the government Restructure the office to coordinate transition and development issues as part of the UN Resident Coordinator s unit, and develop an exit strategy 80 OCHA Annual Report 2003

88 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD Achievements OCHA helped prepare Provincial Transitional Plans defining priorities and plans of action for all 18 provinces, through a provincial planning workshop and follow-up in the field. In addition, it designed a capacity-building programme for the government counterparts to prepare for transfer of key coordination, information and monitoring functions to the government. In doing so, it downsized its central office in Luanda and its field presence, and reactivated the Public Information Officers Working Group to improve inter-agency information flow and promote a common UN communication strategy. OCHA also developed, through extensive consultations with partners, a phase-out strategy that defined core functions to be transferred to UN and government partners. The office implemented the Programme Bloc approach to draft the 2004 Transitional Appeal for Angola. In this way, it tailored humanitarian coordination structures to evolving needs within the post-conflict transition environment, streamlining and simplifying mechanisms. OCHA also highlighted ongoing priority needs through the coordination and preparation of proposals, and drafting the Transitional Appeal. OCHA helped to strengthen local capacity through its support for the IRIN Radio project with Angola s national radio station, training local correspondents and contributors, and providing technical support to radio broadcasts on humanitarian issues. OCHA rapidly responded to changing government policies in an effort to ensure assistance was provided for vulnerable people within gathering areas, but assistance pipelines were sometimes insufficient to help needy local populations as well as demobilised soldiers and their families. An inclusive process - involving donors, the government and NGO partners - is important in defining ongoing coordination structures, ensuring continuity of priority functions and building local capacity during the critical post-conflict transition. While OCHA maintained close links with key government counterparts for humanitarian assistance in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Reintegration and the Technical Unit for Coordination of Humanitarian Aid the rapidly changing situation will require closer relationships with a broader spectrum of ministries, particularly in the course of 2004 with the transfer to the government of the coordination function. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 6,065,017 Income from Voluntary Contributions 5,100,380 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 3,842,811 Consultant Fees and Travel 96,922 Travel 321,396 Operating Expenses 763,397 Contractual Services 165,251 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 191,490 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 182,288 Programme Support Costs 700,052 Total Expenditure US $ 6,263,607 Year in Review One of OCHA s main concerns remains the high number of mine-related incidents. Although access to vulnerable communities, cut off for years by war and poor infrastructure, increased greatly during the year, so did the number of mine incidents. The need for de-mining and mine action operations is much greater than the capacity for clearance, and blocks the return to normal life for a large majority of the population. OCHA Annual Report

89 Burundi Context The security situation stabilised gradually in 2003, especially in northern and western provinces, following accords between various former rebel groups and the Transitional Government. This led to a gradual return of IDPs and refugees to their zones of origin. Population return accelerated towards the end of the year, after the signature in November of a ceasefire agreement between the Transitional Government and the largest faction of the CNDD-FDD (Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie). Access to vulnerable populations expanded considerably throughout Burundi. Although there were some positive trends, concerns arose from continued armed confrontation between the government army and the FNL (Front National de Libération) in Bujumbura Rural province. Hostilities peaked in July and October but continued through the last months of the year, resulting in displacement, destruction of property, sexual abuse and violence. Objectives in 2003 Establish mechanisms to address access to and protection of vulnerable populations, especially IDPs Consolidate the OCHA database on IDPs and prepare specialised maps and advice on numbers, locations, conditions and protection issues Finalise inter-agency contingency planning, identifying the roles and responsibilities of all humanitarian partners in the most likely scenarios Help improve a coordinated response to the malnutrition crisis, facilitating the management of the former UNHCR field office (Ruyigi Province) as an inter-agency operation in planning for refugee resettlement in Burundi Orchestrate the deployment of inter-agency, UN and NGO multidisciplinary rapid reaction teams for assessment of needs and follow-ups Activities OCHA supported the Humanitarian Coordinator in access negotiations. This involved working in close collaboration with the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi on specific access issues, such as restrictions resulting from the conflict situation in Bujumbura Rural. The office prepared an IDP survey to update the 2002 study carried out by government authorities. It is currently underway and will contribute towards transition planning in 2004 and The UN inter-agency field office in Ruyigi, operated on a cost-sharing basis, was successfully used as a hub for humanitarian activities in eastern Burundi. OCHA also prepared a national inter-agency contingency plan and, in collaboration with UNICEF and WFP, supported 82 OCHA Annual Report 2003

90 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD the preparation of five provincial plans to increase the emergency preparedness and response capacities of provincial governments. This included a series of training sessions for local administrators on simple methodologies of rapid assessment to identify food security, nutrition and health needs among vulnerable populations. The inter-ministerial, inter-agency Groupe Technique de Suivi (GTS) was an important forum for coordination and monitoring of protection issues affecting IDPs. OCHA co-chaired regular meetings of GTS, facilitated monitoring activities in IDP locations, and helped liaise with relevant ministries and provincial authorities to advocate more systematic attention to IDP protection. The office played an important role in organising the first nation-wide advocacy campaigns to address sexual violence against women. Although there are no reliable statistics, regular reports from human rights groups, NGOs and UN agencies point to sexual violence against women as a widespread phenomenon in Burundi. were a substantial source of information used to update the overall analysis of humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities among various groups of the population. The advocacy campaign addressing sexual violence against women, which included the participation of government bodies, UN agencies and NGOs, helped to highlight the scope of the problem in Burundi. An issue that had remained taboo for many years is now publicly discussed and a number of activities are being established in the health sector, focusing on women victims of sexual violence. In 2004, OCHA will continue to play an active role in strengthening advocacy efforts, particularly in the areas of protection and legal reform. Staff turnover posed considerable challenges in 2003 as heavier workloads fell on fewer national and international staff. While OCHA Burundi was well funded, staff changes delayed activities like the national IDP survey, which had to be rescheduled for the end of the year. Year in Review OCHA coordination teams played a key role in maintaining dynamic coordination with local authorities and NGOs, while strengthening linkages between provincial and national levels. As field trips outside Bujumbura became more frequent, coordination activities at the provincial level became more active, allowing humanitarian partners to establish more dynamic monitoring and response in the various regions. OCHA s field presence in the eastern provinces bordering Tanzania was essential as population movements in Burundi increased during the second half of the year. Generally improved security allowed OCHA teams increased access and the opportunity to reach areas and populations that had remained inaccessible for several years. Provincial-level needs assessments Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,240,740 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1,456,698 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 824,007 Consultant Fees and Travel 5,000 Travel 51,822 Operating Expenses 125,224 Contractual Services 20,387 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 78,559 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 48,657 Programme Support Costs 146,106 Total Expenditure US $ 1,299,762 OCHA Annual Report

91 Côte D Ivoire southwestern Côte d Ivoire of a new wave of Liberian refugees following the escalation of violence in Liberia. The situation was also marked by the continued absence of local administration and social services in the north and West, pressure on impoverished host communities due to the presence of IDPs, and a weakened economy and militia activities in the south. Context In 2003, significant progress was made towards the consolidation of peace in Côte d Ivoire. The country continued to operate under a de facto political and administrative partition, with the centre and north controlled by the Forces Nouvelles and the south controlled by the government. As a consequence, the humanitarian response differed from zone to zone: the west experienced open violence, with life-threatening consequences for the civilian population in the first half of the year; the south caved in due to the pressure of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons; the north struggled to support the population in the absence of local administration and social services. In June, OCHA Côte d Ivoire was restructured to coordinate an effective humanitarian response to the crisis. A number of key elements characterised the evolution of the humanitarian situation in These included: gradual securing of the west and access to affected populations there; an increase in inter- and intra-community tensions, particularly in the west and north; and, the arrival in Objectives in 2003 The first task for the OCHA office was to coordinate and support the development of a common response strategy by the humanitarian community. OCHA concentrated on four main areas: Establishing and strengthening coordination mechanisms country-wide to facilitate a better response to humanitarian needs; Providing communication and information tools and products for the humanitarian community; Identifying and responding to the protection needs of IDPs and other vulnerable groups; and, Advocating for the most vulnerable groups while supporting peace initiatives. Activities OCHA Côte d Ivoire gradually strengthened its presence throughout the country, increasing the number of international staff and establishing three sub-offices in Yamoussoukro, Guiglo and Bouaké. This enabled OCHA to facilitate the collection of information and strengthen the coordination of humanitarian activities in these areas, while ensuring close collaboration with UN agencies, NGOs, local authorities and other partners. In Abidjan, OCHA established the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Coordination Committee 84 OCHA Annual Report 2003

92 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD (IAHCC), consisting of UN humanitarian agencies, ICRC, IFRC, IOM and international NGOs. This helped analyse the humanitarian situation, develop strategies and policies to ensure a better response to humanitarian needs and advocate for civilians caught in conflict. Sector group meetings were also put in place, organised by OCHA. In collaboration with other humanitarian organisations, OCHA developed a Common Inter-agency Communication Plan. The office also provided essential humanitarian information services, comprising: daily monitoring updates of the local press; the production of radio programmes highlighting humanitarian activities; the publication of situation reports; and, the preparation of press releases and regular bulletins. To facilitate better information management, OCHA established a Humanitarian Information Platform, which included detailed geographical maps of the region and Côte d Ivoire, along with indicators of IDP and refugee movements. OCHA and UNICEF organised a workshop on the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, humanitarian principles and relevant areas of international humanitarian law for the benefit of national authorities and operational agencies. OCHA also developed a common advocacy strategy for the humanitarian community for the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly through the implementation of targeted programmes. With the active involvement of the UN Humanitarian Envoy for the crisis in Côte d Ivoire, OCHA successfully exerted pressure on the government, the Forces Nouvelles and the international community to react to the humanitarian crisis and numerous human rights violations. OCHA organised two workshops for the formulation of Consolidated Appeal documents, and launched two appeals in In pursuit of the consolidation of peace, OCHA launched the project Culture de la Paix in collaboration with a number of NGOs. The office also initiated A Week of Peace in the Media, which included a television programme, five short TV documentaries and 12 radio programmes. Year in Review During 2003, OCHA rapidly established itself within the humanitarian communities of Abidjan, Guiglo, Yamoussoukro and Bouaké. OCHA contributed to strengthening the coordination of humanitarian activities and, by developing a common strategy for humanitarian response, gained a reputation for presenting reliable and accurate information regarding humanitarian developments, at local and regional levels. Despite its successes, a number of constraints influenced the potential of OCHA to meet its objectives in Côte d Ivoire and ensure its presence throughout the country. The sub-offices remained small and had to operate without essential equipment and vehicles. For transport, OCHA had to rely on the goodwill of other partners in the field. This meant that OCHA was not always able to travel to areas requiring its presence, and often relied on second-hand information from humanitarian partners. Limited personnel numbers meant that the staff available were overstretched. The establishment of field presence in Korhogo, in the north, was postponed due to the late arrival of donor contributions. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 1,160,464 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 326,618 Consultant Fees and Travel 49,295 Travel 58,770 Operating Expenses 93,401 Contractual Services 7,461 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 155,593 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions Programme Support Costs 78,812 Total Expenditure US $ 769, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

93 Democratic Republic of the Congo The outlook was varied at the end of 2003, with violence and insecurity rife but renewed interest by investors. Political movements and armed groups in eastern DRC felt excluded from the reunification, shaking confidence in the Transitional Government. The slow implementation of decisions at provincial level has heightened tensions. C o n t e x t The DRC turned a page in its political history in A new Transitional Government was formed, uniting government and rebel groups under a common banner for the first time. The establishment of the first ever Ministry for Solidarity and Humanitarian Affairs was perceived as a significant step in its strategy to ensure respect for humanitarian principles. Yet, fighting between armed groups continued at varying rates of intensity, notably in Ituri, the Kivus, Maniema and Northern Katanga. Sexual violence as a weapon of war has rocked cultural foundations. Waves of militia movements have increased the number of IDPs to record levels, increased people s vulnerability and impeded humanitarian access. Insecurity prevailed in many areas, under the influence of neighbouring countries, shifting alliances among warring factions and a continued f l ow of a rm s. The Sec u ri ty Co u n c i l s revi s i on to Ch a pter VII of the mandate of the UN pe ace keep i n g m i s s i on (MONUC) and the wi t h d rawal of forei gn troops has so far on ly improved sec u ri ty in areas of su s t a i n ed UN military pre s en ce. In August, river trade reopened effectively after the first humanitarian convoy reached Kisangani in May This helped restart local economies, although the plundering of natural resources continued. Objectives in 2003 Widen humanitarian space, improve access to vulnerable populations and ensure the security of humanitarian actors Improve existing coordination mechanisms and establish new ones Improve collection and dissemination of information Develop hand-over strategies from emergency development partners, and strengthen reintegration dynamics A c t i v i t i e s Through strong advocacy by OCHA and peacebuilding efforts supported by MONUC and local actors, access began to improve in Ituri, North and South Kivu, and Maniema. Media interest in the Ituri crisis and high-profile visits were leveraged to highlight the needs in other areas, like South Kivu. OCHA assisted the NGO community by providing legal services and operational advice, and facilitating higher standards of protection. The office supported a concerted effort between UN agencies and NGOs to ensure higher standards of security for humanitarian workers, and worked with UNSECOORD to ensure compliance to MOSS standards. It also sought to persuade several armed groups to respect humanitarian principles and relief workers. Several armed factions in Maniema, Kivu and Ituri have committed to abide by these principles. OCHA restructured in the DRC in 2003, following the conclusions of a 2002 donor mission. All OCHA offices are currently operational and fully staffed, and several have been reinforced. New offices were opened in Mahagi and Uvira. 86 OCHA Annual Report 2003

94 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD In an effort to improve the quality and flow of humanitarian information, OCHA chaired and streamlined weekly inter-agency meetings. The DRC weekly monitoring tool played an active role in focusing on priority areas. Early warning information was included to promote timely reaction. A Humanitarian Information Service was set up in Goma, and a similar service is being established in Kinshasa. Advocacy officers provided valuable information, especially on protection issues, which persuaded OCHA to prepare the ground for a common strategy to fight sexual violence. OCHA participated in wide-ranging discussions on the needs of ex-combatants and their dependants. In April 2003, an interim strategy for DDR was developed in close consultation with national and international stakeholders, and linkages established with all DDRRR partners. Yet, implementation of DDR activities was slow, hampering the return of IDPs. Year in Review A key priority for 2003 was continued advocacy for respect of humanitarian principles to re-establish or consolidate access. The reopening of the Congo River and advancement of Kambelembele railway project between Katanga and Maniema were decisive triggers for broader dynamics. To promote the protection of IDPs, the OCHA Internal Displacement Unit and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) undertook joint training and awareness programmes for key stakeholders, including local authorities and non-state actors. Close coordination with MONUC was essential to provide logistical support to reach populations in the east and north, and to provide actual protection for civilians during extreme violence in Ituri and Northern Kivu, especially prior to Resolution 1493 providing a Chapter VII mandate. In May, OCHA, in close collaboration with MONUC, UNICEF and ECHO, ensured immediate protection of and assistance to 20,000 civilians trapped by heavy fighting in Bunia. This joint move against passivity, complemented by a media campaign, provided a decisive push for the adoption of Resolution OCHA fully implemented the restructuring of its offices and opened new sub-offices in the east, strengthening information provision and coordination, and improving monitoring on access. In 2003, Emergency Humanitarian Interventions valued at US$400,000 supported more than 25 emergency actions and numerous interdisciplinary assessment missions to consolidate access. EHI- funded Aviation Sans Frontières aircraft, based in Bunia, to facilitate humanitarian evaluation missions and open up new areas to life-saving activities. Despite many successes, the lack of accountability by parties to the conflict has limited the impact of humanitarian aid. Strict respect for neutrality and independence had to be combined with the use of armed protection in Ituri to allow humanitarian actors to operate in a safer environment. Sustained advocacy and negotiations with armed non-stated actors are needed to gain access to areas of greatest need, but the current system of humanitarian aid cannot meet the needs of all vulnerable populations: alternatives to the classic model of humanitarianism need to be identified. Media attention on specific, major crises resulted in less publicised areas being overlooked in terms of advocacy and funding. Remote areas have not benefited from improved coordination at national and provincial levels. Greater stability in neighbouring countries led to the repatriation of more than 23,500 refugees as of August, with the support of central and local authorities. However, the delayed installation of transition structures in DRC held back the transfer of responsibilities from relief to development actors. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 6,385,820 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 7,280,407 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 2,461,392 Consultant Fees and Travel 167,067 Travel 387,460 Operating Expenses 823,158 Contractual Services 160,100 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 1,384,689 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 56,784 Programme Support Costs 691,484 Total Expenditure US $ 6,132, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

95 Eritrea Eritrean refugees, with less than one-third of the registered refugees in Sudan repatriated. Context Since its border conflict with Ethiopia, Eritrea s problems have been aggravated by the severe drought of It resulted in an almost total failure of the harvest, acute shortages of drinking water and fodder, and increased malnutrition rates, leaving more than two-thirds of Eritreans exposed to the risk of famine in With the erosion of household coping mechanisms and safety nets, some 65 per cent of rural households live below the poverty line. Thousands of IDPs remained in makeshift shelter in camps and with host communities in 2003, unable to return to their home villages because of insecurity, damaged infrastructure, landmines or delays in demarcation of the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. In total, an estimated 2.3 million drought-affected and vulnerable Eritreans required food or nonfood aid until the harvest in December Contrary to expectations, disputes over the Ethiopia-Eritrea border demarcation remained unresolved, endangering the fragile peace process and impeding the return of IDPs and reintegration of returning refugees. Deaths and injuries caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance could be associated with the slow pace of de-mining activities. The closure of the Sudan-Eritrea border adversely affected the voluntary repatriation of Objectives in 2003 Advocate funding and programming priorities for 1.4 million drought- and 900,000 waraffected people, as well as long-term structural solutions to humanitarian crises Support government field coordination structures in affected regions, and attempts at improved coordination among NGOs, the UN and the government Monitor the humanitarian situation and interventions, particularly in drought- and war-affected regions, to strengthen early warning and preparedness Continue to work on building the capacities of local partners Activities OCHA adopted a new advocacy strategy to increase international awareness of the humanitarian situation in Eritrea and mobilise resources for the affected population of 2.3 million. OCHA continued to develop its Information Coordination Centre (ICC) by ensuring the provision of services including standardised geographic information data about humanitarian needs and operations in Eritrea. The office co-chaired and supported the joint government, UN and NGO technical task force on needs assessment. National staff were trained and equipped to use GIS and database applications. OCHA advocacy on IDPs helped resource and coordinate operations that had a positive impact by preventing the outbreak of diseases and providing temporary shelter. OCHA also facilitated the permanent resettlement of more than 10,000 IDPs and expellees to a new settlement area in Gherenfit, northwestern Eritrea. 88 OCHA Annual Report 2003

96 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD The office chaired the inter-agency task force on the humanitarian and human rights implications of demarcation. To enhance regional cooperation, a joint Eritrean-Ethiopia UN Country Teams meeting in Asmara discussed potential humanitarian, human rights and legal issues. A Joint Plan of Action has been developed, with a task force to monitor its implementation. A special resource mobilisation mission to Europe and North America helped capture attention for the humanitarian crisis in Eritrea. The Consolidated Appeal for 2003 was subsequently 77.3 per cent funded, while advocacy efforts also helped raising up to US$72 million in funds outside the CAP framework through NGOs, the Eritrean diaspora and bilateral donors. Such advocacy also resulted in the government s contribution to the procurement of grain and development of strategies to address the effects of recurrent drought. OCHA supported the strengthening of coordination mechanisms, with an emphasis on information-sharing and joint assessment missions. It also assisted operational agencies in leading sector-based coordination. The additional presence of OCHA sub-offices allowed better field coordination, particularly with the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission (ERREC) field offices, UN agencies and NGOs operating in the regions. OCHA improved the national capacity for humanitarian information management with the hand-over of the ICC to the Eritrean government in December 2003, and played a key role in establishing a joint needs assessment task force. It also assured local financial tracking of funds raised outside the Consolidated Appeals Process. OCHA was active and engaged in raising the visibility of the crisis by providing services and information sharing products, analysis and mapping, and facilitating advocacy missions. It also contributed to the UN Secretary-General s report on Eritrea. Year in Review With the deterioration of the humanitarian situation during the year, the focus later shifted to life-saving interventions in food, water, health nutrition, agriculture and shelter. Agencies also took steps to further prioritise the target population, with a view to ensuring that the limited resources were spent in the first instance on those whose lives were at risk. As a result, there has been a reduction in the prevalence of global acute malnutrition in the four regions prioritised, although the current situation remains unstable. The demand for coordination of information sharing and the monitoring of humanitarian activities continued for longer than initially anticipated. Because of the value that OCHA represents in this regard, there are increasing demands for its continued presence in Eritrea. Despite many successes, funding delays and the low level of funding in the first six months after the launch of the Consolidated Appeal hampered the effectiveness of programme delivery in all key sectors. For instance, the inability to pre-position food and other vital supplies resulted in the reduction of food aid rations and beneficiaries. Another concern is of the imbalance in funding between food and non-food sectors. The year also gave rise to a number of lessons learned, including: the need for international media to maintain Eritrea s humanitarian concerns on the international agenda; and the need to continue support for humanitarian issues without linkage to political developments in the country. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 703,900 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 260,066 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 427,824 Consultant Fees and Travel 505 Travel 49,551 Operating Expenses 44,551 Contractual Services 10,300 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 28,628 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 17,949 Programme Support Costs 73,200 Total Expenditure US $ 652, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

97 Ethiopia Continue to advocate, facilitate and engage actively in effective, accountable coordination and vigorous resource mobilisation Enhance the effectiveness of all operational agencies in the delivery of emergency food assistance as part of the relief operations Reinforce the national structures, such as the DPPC Context Famine presented a humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia in 2003, as 13.2 million people (19 per cent of the population) required emergency food and non-food assistance during the year. Poor rains in 2002 had caused widespread harvest failures, while severe pasture and water shortages in 2003 further increased the vulnerability of the population. Repeated climatic shocks in a context of overwhelming rural poverty have seriously weakened people s coping mechanisms in the preceding years. High population growth, smaller and degraded family landholdings, and a lack of significant off-farm income earning opportunities were among the underlying structural factors that exacerbated food insecurity and the vulnerability to disease. Objectives in 2003 Support the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, the UN Country Team, and the government s Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) through field assessments, monitoring and evaluating programme response Activities In an effort to support the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Country Team, OCHA undertook field assessment work in the food and non-food sectors in key regions. The results were incorporated into management decision-making to initiate appropriate emergency responses for Afar, Arsi and Oromiya regions and, later, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) in response to the drought emergency. OCHA field officers were strategically deployed to hot spots identified after analysis of early warning information provided by partner UN agencies, NGOs and the DPPC, the main state counterpart responsible for emergency food assistance. As the drought situation worsened in the SNNPR, the office helped establish a UN sub-office in the regional capital, Awassa, to which OCHA staff was deployed to assist the government coordinate the response at the regional and sub-regional levels. OCHA helped mobilise resources for the drought appeal, although data collection problems remained in accounting for the non-food component. High-level visits organised by OCHA, other UN agencies and donors were important for advocacy and resource mobilisation. OCHA helped the DPPC to decentralise operations to the major drought-affected region. This included assistance to establish central-level and decentralised information management structures, and build capacity for future emergency responses. The office helped the 90 OCHA Annual Report 2003

98 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD DPPC establish sector task forces at central level, and to replicate these in SNNPR and Somali regions, in order to facilitate coordination and the flow of critical information on needs and responses. The task forces included all humanitarian actors active in a sector, and were widely praised as an effective means of coordination, information sharing and establishing priorities. Information gathered through field operations was used to provide numerous publications. A video was also produced on the drought situation. Successful advocacy activities resulted in unprecedented donor response to the appeal. Advocacy efforts included the organisation of two visits by the UN Secretary-General s Special Envoy for the Humanitarian Crisis in the Horn of Africa, and a visit by the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator. They were instrumental in publicising the severity of the crisis and mobilising additional resources. OCHA s active involvement in contingency planning for a drought situation in the Somali region resulted in close cooperation between UN partners and the government - particularly the DPPC - to facilitate an effective response to the emerging crisis in the region at the end of The office took the lead in establishing and managing an emergency information centre within the DPPC, with strong support from WFP. Under OCHA management in 2003, the centre developed mapping and reporting mechanisms, improved the connectivity with the regions, and secured funding to the end of Year in Review It was only through the coordinated efforts of humanitarian agencies, NGOs and the Ethiopian government that a humanitarian catastrophe was averted in Collective action and an unprecedented donor and public response prevented widespread famine-related mortality and morbidity. OCHA helped the humanitarian response through: active and effective information gathering; dissemination and advocacy with donors to mobilise resources; facilitating credible needs assessments; and providing assistance to key governmental structures to better manage and coordinate existing and future crises. Despite the overwhelming response, delays in resource delivery and the involvement of all humanitarian actors affected the emergency intervention, especially in the first half of The former constraint demonstrated again that timely delivery is as important as the overall quantity of resources pledged in an emergency. Business as usual for coordination, response mechanisms and logistics would not have been sufficient to meet the needs of the affected population. Increased efforts will be needed to strengthen the timeliness of information collection, analysis, dissemination and early warning for pastoral areas. OCHA management structures will also need to be broadened and deepened to be more inclusive of all humanitarian actors - specifically NGOs and civil society - and to place more emphasis on HIV/AIDS and gender in the development of programmes. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 909,567 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 573,600 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 565,259 Consultant Fees and Travel 151,746 Travel 33,825 Operating Expenses 94,577 Contractual Services 12,619 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 116,667 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 32,981 Programme Support Costs 127,421 Total Expenditure US $ 1,135, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

99 Guinea Objectives in 2003 Strengthen the response capacity of humanitarian actors and the government Reinforce information management for better protection and early warning Improve preparedness and response Advocate for the most vulnerable groups while supporting peace initiatives Context The humanitarian situation in 2003 was influenced by uncertainties around the presidential elections in December, lack of political dialogue, the consolidation of peace in Sierra Leone, the aftermath of the crisis in Côte d Ivoire and violent armed confrontations that led to the removal of former Liberian president Charles Taylor. Guinean security forces deployed heavily along the borders with the aforementioned countries, but Guinea maintained its international commitment to asylum rights and border areas remained stable if subject to temporary unrest and limited access in certain villages due to government restrictions. During 2003, Guinea was subject to a substantial deficit in rainfall in the northwest, a flash flood along the Guinea-Bissau border and a series of bush fires in Forest Guinea and in the Sahel region bordering Mali. Social and economic development was seriously hampered by limited international funding, mostly due to differences between the government and the international community on matters of good governance. This has led to a serious deterioration in living standards particularly within the capital, Conakry, which is still experiencing widespread disruption of basic services and currency instability. Activities Although a downward trend in funding for humanitarian coordination in Guinea impeded OCHA s ability to provide the fullest support to humanitarian actors at national and local levels, the strategic decision to reinforce the consultative processes allowed OCHA to make progress. In the first instance, OCHA strengthened the response capacity of humanitarian actors by: maintaining strategic coordination among UN and key NGO actors; providing policy and technical assistance to consultative efforts led by the Humanitarian Coordinator; and acting as the secretariat to inter-agency meetings and/or chairing inter-agency working groups. OCHA also chaired working groups on priority matters such as the Côte d'ivoire and Liberia crises; contingency planning; vulnerability assessment and information management; and policy discussions that led to the adoption by the government of a National Humanitarian Coordination strategy. In 2003, the office reinforced information management for better protection and early warning by establishing regular contacts with a selected number of UN and non-un partners. Early warning analyses were brought to the attention of key decision-makers (Humanitarian Coordinator, heads of UN agencies, INGO chiefs of mission, government officials and the donor community), which led to the formulation of an appropriate humanitarian response. The OCHA team placed a heavy emphasis on strengthening the ability of the Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) to facilitate coordination 92 OCHA Annual Report 2003

100 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD mechanisms; provided free internet access to local NGOs and ad-hoc briefings to visiting missions and media teams; managed a webbased humanitarian platform that eased access to humanitarian updates; and presented background information on the humanitarian situation, including situation reports, maps, geo-codes, who-does-what-where data, contact lists, coordination structures and key background documents. To improve preparedness and response, OCHA coordinated ad-hoc joint field assessments and fact-finding missions related to natural disasters and complex emergencies. With donor support, OCHA was able to establish a field office in Nzérékoré, Forest Guinea, which was a key coordination structure during the Ivorian and Liberian crises. To complement this effort, the office led an intensive internal and sub-regional consultative process that resulted in a contingency plan for Guinea. OCHA s advocacy for the most vulnerable and support for peace initiatives was achieved through the Consolidated Appeal Process, as well as donor meetings that increased their attention to the needs of refugees and non-refugee groups, including Guinean returnees from Côte d Ivoire and those of host communities. groups, and responding to natural disasters. In addition, the capacity of Nzérékoré field office was reinforced. A strong field presence and effective interaction with other humanitarian actors fostered a collaborative environment that was instrumental in addressing the needs generated by the sudden emergencies in Côte d'ivoire and Liberia, and by natural disasters, through joint assessments and coordinated responses. In 2003, inadequate funding affected the office s capacity to maintain appropriate international and national staffing levels. Some of the activities planned for 2003, such as in-depth monitoring of cross-border population flows, could not be fully implemented. The funding situation also hampered the development of governmentrun coordination mechanisms at central and local levels, the involvement of national nongovernmental and community actors in humanitarian activities, and the transition from relief to development. OCHA s presence in Guinea nevertheless improved the humanitarian community s capacity to plan and respond to humanitarian crises jointly, to advocate for refugees and non-refugee groups, secure donor support for humanitarian operations, and provide early warning of potential crises. Year in Review One of the key lessons learned in 2003 was the usefulness and impact of inclusive coordination mechanisms when crises occur in a resourceconstrained environment. Overall, the global objectives set for 2003 did not change, although the pace of implementation was affected by the lack of resources experienced by OCHA Guinea. This situation was somewhat compensated for by OCHA s effort to maintain routine UN consultative processes with NGOs and government bodies on various policy and operational issues. These included the relocation of refugee camps, securing access along the borders, delivering assistance to non-refugee Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 754,494 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 212,104 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 439,852 Consultant Fees and Travel 5,651 Travel 55,798 Operating Expenses 107,065 Contractual Services 11,528 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 74,622 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 18,225 Programme Support Costs 89,875 Total Expenditure US $ 802, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

101 Liberia vu l n era ble pop u l a ti ons in Gre a ter Mon rovi a. Si mu l t a n eo u s ly, the increase in the nu m ber of hu m a n i t a rian actors made ef fective coord i n a ti on a ch a ll en ging en de avo u r. C o n t e x t The first half of 2003 wi tn e s s ed a sign i f i c a n t deteri ora ti on in the sec u ri ty envi ron m en t, a s f i gh ting inten s i f i ed bet ween the govern m ent and the arm ed forces Liberians Un i ted for Recon c i l i a ti on and Dem oc racy (LURD) and Movem ent of Dem oc racy in Liberia (MODEL). That re su l ted in an unpreceden ted nu m ber of over 800,000 IDPs and ref u gees co u n try wi de. Mon rovia hosted over 300,000 IDPs, while other su bu rban re s i dents were obl i ged to seek ref u ge and rel a tive safety in chu rches and sports fac i l i ti e s in the city cen tre. In s ec u ri ty, i n cluding the targeting of aid workers, and limited hu m a n i t a rian access to growi n g nu m bers of vu l n era ble people culminated in the evac u a ti on of i n tern a ti onal UN staff and those of s ome NGOs bet ween June and Au g u s t. O n ly the ten ac i ty, s k i ll and ded i c a ti on of n a ti onal UN s t a f f, the ICRC and local and intern a ti onal NGOs en su red that some assistance and su pport re ach ed the local pop u l a ti on. The arrival in late August of West Af ri c a n pe ace keepers, toget h er with the retu rn of i n tern a ti onal UN staff m em bers led by the S pecial Coord i n a tor for Liberi a, and the signing of a Com preh en s ive Pe ace Agreem ent bet ween the three warring parties later the same mon t h, en a bl ed life - s aving assistance to be ex ten ded to Objectives in 2003 Im prove coord i n a ti on mechanisms at cen tra l and field and cen tral level s Provi de ef fective inform a ti on managem ent for the hu m a n i t a rian com mu n i ty Co ll ect, a n a lyse and dissem i n a te rel evant data on IDPs and vu l n era ble groups iden ti f yi n g gaps and re s pon s i bi l i ti e s, and taking rem edial acti on Iden tify and re s pond to the overa ll pro tecti on n eeds of I D Ps and vu l n era ble gro u p s Provi de su pport to the UN Re s i dent and Hu m a n i t a rian Coord i n a tor in hu m a n i t a ri a n policy devel opm ent and advoc ac y A c t i v i t i e s OCHA con ti nu ed to provi de coord i n a ti on su pport for the hu m a n i t a rian com mu n i ty, de s p i te the absen ce of a UN Re s i dent and Hu m a n i t a ri a n Coord i n a tor du ring the early days of retu rn and the initial re s pon s e. It establ i s h ed va ri o u s m echanisms to en h a n ce inform a ti on exch a n ge, i n cluding regular hu m a n i t a rian bri ef i n gs, hu m a n i t a rian aid coord i n a ti on and sector- s pec i f i c working group meeti n gs. Camp Ma n a gem ent Com m i t tee meeti n gs were h eld in most IDP camps, an innova ti on that en a bl ed ben ef i c i a ries of hu m a n i t a rian assistance to arti c u l a te their con cern s. Camp leaders h i p s tru ctu res were also establ i s h ed, t h o u gh not all opera ted indepen den t ly of po l i tical facti on a l i s m. The govern m ent was en co u ra ged to parti c i p a te in coord i n a ti on and lead some sector gro u p s, with an em phasis on invo lvem ent by the Liberi a n Ref u gee, Rep a tri a ti on and Re s et t l em en t Com m i s s i on (LRRRC ). Fo ll owing the dep l oym ent of the regi on a l pe ace keeping force (ECOMIL) in August 2003, OCHA establ i s h ed coord i n a ti on mechanisms for all hu m a n i t a rian actors. For ex a m p l e, i t 94 OCHA Annual Report 2003

102 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD e s t a bl i s h ed a hu m a n i t a rian opera ti ons cen tre m a n a ged by a civi l - m i l i t a ry coord i n a ti on of f i cer. The of f i ce led and parti c i p a ted in several Rapid Needs and Sec u ri ty assessmen t s, b a s ed on su ccessful nego ti a ti ons with the warring p a rti e s. Su ch coord i n a ti on was vital in vi ew of the ex pon en tial increase in the nu m ber of hu m a n i t a rian actors, and the need for co h eren ce bet ween the ef forts of hu m a n i t a rian agencies and pe ace keepers. Du ring the last qu a rter of , a s s e s s m ent missions were con du cted s i mu l t a n eo u s ly with hu m a n i t a rian re s pon s e : teams carri ed with them basic em er gency health kits and high - en er gy biscuits for distri buti on to vu l n era ble peop l e. OC H A s establ i s h m ent of a Hu m a n i t a ri a n In form a ti on Cen tre (HIC) as a cen tral loc a ti on for data and inform a ti on re s o u rces en h a n ced its abi l i ty to serve the hu m a n i t a rian com mu n i ty. The cen tre became firm ly establ i s h ed in Mon rovi a, provi d i n g com m on coord i n a ti on tools su ch as the Wh o, What and Wh ere d a t a b a s e, and maps con t a i n i n g details of IDP and ref u gee camps, l ogi s tical hu b s and su pp ly ro ute s. The HIC also managed an ex ten s ive doc u m ent database drawn from con tri buti ons from the hu m a n i t a rian com mu n i ty. The of f i ce produ ced a daily Si tu a ti on Report and Wee k ly Hu m a n i t a rian Bri efing on the retu rn of t h e UN Co u n try Team in late Au g u s t. Th ro u gh o ut the ye a r, OCHA Liberia worked cl o s ely with the In tegra ted Regi onal In form a ti on Net works (IRIN) to en su re the ava i l a bi l i ty of ti m ely, i n form a tive and impartial inform a ti on on hu m a n i t a ri a n opera ti on s, s ec u ri ty and po l i tical devel opm en t s. In the absen ce of an overa ll stra tegic vi s i on for IDP re s pon s e, OCHA and its hu m a n i t a rian partn ers, i n cluding the In ter- Rel i gious Council of L i beri a, were active in advoc a ting the provi s i on of adequ a te a s s i s t a n ce to those IDPs acce s s i ble to aid workers. Year in Review OC H A s perform a n ce du ring the second half of t h e year was hampered by a high ra te of s t a f f a t tri ti on in a very difficult opera ting envi ron m en t. However, rel a tively robust coord i n a ti on m echanisms were establ i s h ed - both gen era lly, for sector activi ti e s, and for more specific issu e s su ch as IDP re s ponse and camp managem en t. Al t h o u gh the hu m a n i t a rian need was great and s everal agencies started opera ti ons in Liberia or ex p a n ded their pre s en ce there, i n adequ a te funding h a m pered the hu m a n i t a rian com mu n i ty s abi l i ty to re s pond and many vital interven ti ons were not m ade in Access and adequ a te hu m a n i t a rian space were probl em a ti c, p a rti c u l a rly out s i de Mon rovi a, as a re sult of i n s ec u ri ty and limited coopera ti on by warring facti on s. The targeting of hu m a n i t a ri a n workers was of p a rticular con cern. While progre s s was made in providing assistance to displaced and vu l n era ble pop u l a ti ons in and around the capital, m a ny in the co u n trys i de and in other regi on a l cen tres were vi ctims of, or vu l n era ble to, ra m p a n t l awl e s s n e s s, s exual vi o l en ce and displacem en t. Ot h er difficulties in 2003 invo lved the slow dep l oym ent of pe ace keeping force s, t h ei r i n adequ a te logi s tics capac i ty, an inauspicious s t a rt to the DDRR programme in early Decem ber , and the absen ce of a com preh en s ive stra tegy for managing the re s ponse to IDP matters. Th ere were also deep con cerns that the provi s i on of hu m a n i t a rian assistance in some a reas incre a s ed the vu l n era bi l i ty of com mu n i ti e s, as it incre a s ed the likel i h ood of t h eir being loo ted by arm ed gro u p s. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,298,861 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 1,680,103 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 745,647 Consultant Fees and Travel 130,445 Travel 222,226 Operating Expenses 180,031 Contractual Services 7,046 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 527,526 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 24,691 Programme Support Costs 223,465 Total Expenditure US $ 2,061, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

103 occupied Palestinian territory of f i ce s. These of f i ces are co - l oc a ted with other a gencies su ch as W F P, UNICEF and the Un i ted Na ti ons Special Coord i n a tor s of f i ce (UNSCO). Th ey have devel oped strong links with local actors and other agencies at the mu n i c i p a l i ty l evel. The Jeru s a l em and Gaza of f i ces were s tren g t h en ed in 2003 to meet specific inform a ti on and advoc acy need s. C o n t e x t The hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on in the occ u p i ed Pa l e s tinian terri tory deteri ora ted in As part of its sec u ri ty policy to redu ce su i c i de attacks by Pa l e s tinian militants, Is rael has en forced a stri ct cl o su re po l i c y, with over 700 ch eck points and road bl ocks in the West Bank and Gaza. Set t l em en t s and bypass roads con ti nue to ex p a n d, and Is rael is building a sep a ra ti on barri er, wh i ch it deem s n ece s s a ry for sec u ri ty re a s on s, that is cut ting into the West Bank and direct ly affecting the daily life of m a ny Pa l e s ti n i a n s. Is raeli military forces have con ti nu ed the occ u p a ti on of Pa l e s tinian loc a l i ti e s and there have been frequ ent home dem o l i ti on s, p a rti c u l a rly in Gaza. With no easing of the cl o su re policy ex pected, u n em p l oym en t, depen dency on i n tern a ti onal assistance and fra gm en t a ti on of Pa l e s tinian com mu n i ties is likely to con ti nu e. The key hu m a n i t a rian con cerns con ti nue to be : access and pro tecti on ; ef fective targeting of vu l n era ble gro u p s ; coord i n a ted, re su l t - ori en ted advoc ac y; a n d, re s pect for hu m a n i t a rian pri n c i p l e s. OCHA ex p a n ded its pre s en ce in the occ u p i ed Pa l e s tinian terri tory in 2003 fo ll owing an intera gency technical assessment mission that took p l ace in Novem ber OCHA has open ed s m a ll field coord i n a ti on of f i ces in the West Bank in Tu l k a rm, Hebron, Ra m a llah and Na blu s, i n ad d i ti on to the pre - ex i s ting Jeru s a l em and Gaza Objectives in 2003 Provi de su pport to UNSCO and UNRWA in their coord i n a ti on ro l e s E n h a n ce opera ti onal coord i n a ti on stru ctu re s, e s pec i a lly at the local level, in su pport of UN and civil soc i ety en ti ti e s Provi de both stra tegic and specific inform a ti on on the hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on to don ors and o t h er hu m a n i t a rian actors, i n clu d i n g i n form a ti on on hu m a n i t a rian need s, the impact of a s s i s t a n ce provi ded and the hu m a n i t a ri a n i m p act of the cl o su re regi m e S tren g t h en and lead inter- a gency coord i n a ti on and planning meeti n gs, and hu m a n i t a rian f act-finding mission s Advoc a te, t h ro u gh a va ri ety of ch a n n el s, t h e ob s erva n ce of i n tern a ti onal hu m a n i t a ri a n pri n c i p l e s, and put toget h er a con s o l i d a ted UN advoc acy stra tegy at the co u n try team level, as envi s i on ed under the 2002 Hu m a n i t a rian Plan of Acti on A c t i v i t i e s In 2003, OCHA served as a coord i n a ti n g m echanism in su pport of policy dec i s i on - m a kers and opera ti onal or ga n i s a ti ons working on hu m a n i t a rian needs in the occ u p i ed Pa l e s ti n i a n terri tory. It was invi ted to act as the sec ret a riat to the Hu m a n i t a rian and Emer gency Policy Gro u p ( H E P G ), ch a i red by the pre s i dency of the Eu rope a n Un i on. The HEPG aims to devel op a co h eren t don or stra tegy tow a rds the current em er gency and con s i der policy opti ons that don ors might wi s h to pursu e. OCHA played a proactive ro l e, provi ded bri efing note s, reports and maps in adva n ce of HEPG meeti n gs, and took re s pon s i bi l i ty for fo ll ow-up acti on s. 96 OCHA Annual Report 2003

104 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OCHA acted as sec ret a riat to the Opera ti on a l Coord i n a ti on Groups in both Gaza and the We s t Ba n k. These gro u p s, ch a i red by UNRWA, bri n g toget h er the heads of opera ti onal agencies and s ectoral bodies re s pon s i ble for the all evi a ti on of hu m a n i t a rian con s tra i n t s, su ch as access and s ec u ri ty. The of f i ce also dra f ted, with its agen c y p a rtn ers, the UN Con s o l i d a ted In ter- a gency Appeal for 2004, l a u n ch ed in Novem ber One of OC H A s pri ori ties in 2003 was to provi de s tra tegic and re a l - time inform a ti on on the hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on. On the basis of its field and Jeru s a l em pre s en ce, and con t acts with ac adem i c and intern a ti onal insti tuti on s, it provi ded factu a l a n a lysis on the hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on, m ovem en t re s tri cti ons and, wh ere rel eva n t, on matters of i n tern a ti onal hu m a n i t a rian pri n c i p l e s. The of f i ce d i s s em i n a ted inform a ti on and analysis abo ut the hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on to both local and i n tern a ti onal actors, and worked with these p a rties to raise aw a reness of the impact of t h e hu m a n i t a rian cri s i s. OC H A s inform a ti on and analyses were d i s s em i n a ted in regular reports and a series of maps of the cl o su re s ; com preh en s ive data on c a su a l ti e s, c u rfews, house dem o l i ti on s, l a n d con f i s c a ti on s, ch eck points and other movem en t re s tri cti on s ; fortn i gh t ly analyses of trends and even t s ; and mon t h ly reports on the Is rael i govern m en t s fulfilment of com m i tm ents made to the UN Sec ret a ry - G en era l s pers onal Hu m a n i t a ri a n E nvoy. The of f i ce also provi ded mon t h ly reports to the Hu m a n i t a rian and Emer gency Policy Group on devel opm ents in the con s tru cti on of the West Ba n k Ba rri er and its hu m a n i t a rian impact ; and spec i a l reports on em er ging crises or events wi t h hu m a n i t a rian impact. These reports were part of an en h a n ced ef fort to target as a pri ori ty the recom m en d a ti ons of t h e Technical As s e s s m ent Mi s s i on in In an ef fort to advoc a te for the vu l n era bl e, OCHA also provi ded bri ef i n gs to nu m erous del ega ti ons vi s i ting the We s t Bank and Gaza on the hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on and the impact of the Ba rri er. Year in Review OCHA managed to expand its pre s en ce at the mu n i c i p a l i ty/ local level, in coord i n a ti on wi t h p a rtn ers su ch as WFP and UNICEF, who also ex p a n ded their field pre s en ce. Coord i n a ti on wi t h U N RWA was excell ent at nati onal and field level. F i eld coord i n a ti on of f i ces devel oped strong links with local partn ers, en su ring the ava i l a bi l i ty of a con s i s tent flow of i n form a ti on. OCHA has becom e the cen tral referen ce point for hu m a n i t a ri a n i n form a ti on in the occ u p i ed Pa l e s tinian terri tory. De s p i te many su ccesses and the gen erous su pport of don ors, ch a ll en ges rem a i n. Opera ti on a l coord i n a ti on needs to be con s o l i d a ted and s tren g t h en ed at nati on a l, l ocal and sectoral level s, i n cluding with NGOs. A more com preh en s ive a n a lysis of hu m a n i t a rian needs should be devel oped in con ju n cti on with a more acc u ra te database of proj ects and interven ti on s. Access and sec u ri ty remain major con s tra i n t s. Pa l e s tinian movem ent is heavi ly re s tri cted and ri s k s to hu m a n i t a rian workers remain high. Im mu n i ti e s and privi l eges for UN staff a re of ten disrega rded. Coord i n a ti on meeti n gs with the Is raeli aut h ori ti e s on acce s s, p a rti c u l a rly in and out of G a z a, h ave en h a n ced hu m a n i t a rian access on ly on a limited b a s i s. OCHA and its partn ers need to con ti nu e working on devel oping a com m on stra tegy in case of total denial of access within the fra m ework of the opera ti onal coord i n a ti on gro u p s. S pecial ef forts must also be made to en su re b a l a n ced reporting in the unique con text of t h e Mi d dle East cri s i s, wh ere we are reporting on ly on the hu m a n i t a rian impact on one of the two parties to the con f l i ct. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 2,079,092 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 2,249,377 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 1,362,271 Consultant Fees and Travel 19,440 Travel 38,688 Operating Expenses 160,964 Contractual Services 19,000 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 311,742 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 6,000 Programme Support Costs 261,380 Total Expenditure US $ 2,179, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

105 Regional Office Southern Africa Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, South Africa and the Seychelles. Context Countries in Southern Africa are prone to a variety of natural disasters, including drought, floods and cyclones. In 2002 and 2003, a severe drought placed in danger the lives of 14.4 million people in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A Consolidated Appeal was launched in June 2002, requesting US$611 million for food and non-food assistance for one year. The executive director of WFP was subsequently appointed Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa. To support his work, the IASC established the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Support Office (RIACSO) under the guidance of a Regional Coordinator. OCHA was appointed as the secretariat. In June 2003, a second Consolidated Appeal was launched for the same six countries, targeting over six million people with continued high levels of vulnerability as a result of the triple threat of food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and weakened governance. This triple threat is mirrored in other countries in the region; as a result, the OCHA Regional Office for Southern Africa (RO-SA) also monitors and supports humanitarian response needs in Angola, Botswana, Objectives in 2003 Provide leadership to the humanitarian community in developing common strategies that reflect the priority needs of the country or situation, including in relation to the crosscutting HIV/AIDS crisis Support the Regional Coordinator of the Special Envoy in overseeing a coordinated UN response to the emergency in the region Coordinate and monitor the delivery of humanitarian assistance, especially to the most vulnerable Coordinate information services related to the humanitarian crisis Establish effective, inclusive, coordination structures by promoting preparedness and contingency planning Activities OCHA supported the Special Envoy by helping to prepare missions, contributing to policy debates regarding scaling up of the UN response, and providing inputs for stakeholder meetings such as the Humanitarian Liaison Working Group and the IASC. The office provided analysis and input for the work of the Special Envoy and the UN High Level Committee on Policies (HLCP). It also participated in the Regional Director s Group on HIV/AIDS in Africa. OCHA facilitated 40 RIACSO meetings, 20 with NGO partners, and chaired the RIACSO Advocacy Group, which coordinates advocacy needs and messages. It produced and disseminated 22 RIACSO Southern Africa Humanitarian Crisis Updates and 22 updates from the Special Envoy to the UN Secretary-General. In addition, the RO-SA coordinated, prepared and monitored the regional 2002/2003 CAP Mid-Term Review and the 2003/2004 second regional 98 OCHA Annual Report 2003

106 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD CAP, and helped prepare a separate appeal for Zimbabwe. The office s emergency response assistance included support for inter-agency contingency planning in the six countries of the appeal, as well as Namibia and the Comoros. Other activities included disaster response assessment missions in the Comoros and Zambia, and a humanitarian needs assessment in Namibia. OCHA established the Southern Africa Humanitarian Information Management Service (SAHIMS) website in March By the end of the year, it was receiving up to 5,000 visits per day. SAHIMS staff provided training and capacity building support to UN Country Teams to develop and maintain country-level humanitarian information systems; provided methodological support to the regional Information Sharing Working Groups; and organised a technical workshop attended by 18 government department and humanitarian agency representatives from the six countries. In partnership with key agency stakeholders, the regional office played a significant role in advocating a broader scope for vulnerability assessments, to include information on livelihoods, HIV/AIDS and the social sectors. It also played a central role in the rolling vulnerability assessments of the South African Development Community (SADC). OCHA is now represented on the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee, supporting the development of a more consistent and reliable approach to needs assessment in the region. Humanitarian affairs officers supported Resident Coordinators in the six countries of the appeal to assist in strengthening of coordination structures. Year in Review Strong leadership from the Special Envoy was crucial in raising the profile of the crisis and mobilising donor support for this new type of emergency. The RO-SA facilitated robust followup with RIACSO partners to ensure effective resource mobilisation for coordinated action. The Special Envoy noted that the Southern Africa crisis required immediate actions to address immediate needs and immediate actions to address longer-term needs. This did not fit neatly with understanding of a typical humanitarian emergency and resulted in the stretching of the CAP to include activities that did not strictly address emergency needs, yet were urgently required. The Consolidated Appeals Process served as the foundation for a more comprehensive approach to address the long-term challenges associated with HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and weakened governance. During 2003, the High Level Committee on Policies elaborated a UN system approach to addressing the triple threat. This is expected to be implemented in southern Africa after June The CAP provided a regional coordination mechanism that was vital to understanding and addressing underlying causes as well as symptoms of the crisis. Through the CAP and the collaborative activities in RIACSO, joint programming increased and targeting of assistance improved. Including donors and NGO partners from the start facilitated flexibility in later stages. Support provided to UN Resident Coordinators through RIASCO was important in enhancing coordination and cooperation between UN agencies and with external partners. The streamlining of information gathering and dissemination through SAHIMS supported this. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,394,591 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1,397,495 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 633,967 Consultant Fees and Travel 42,023 Travel 59,018 Operating Expenses 118,063 Contractual Services 11,880 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 60,671 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 17,282 Programme Support Costs 114,654 Total Expenditure US $ 1,057,558 OCHA Annual Report

107 Regional Support Office Central and Eastern Africa Context The phrase mixed fortunes summarises the humanitarian situation in the Central and Eastern Africa region in While peace negotiations progressed in some countries, the humanitarian situation deteriorated seriously in others, with an increase in violence and human rights violations. In the DRC and Burundi, a discernible pattern of mutual accommodation between governments and armed opposition groups slowly emerged. In Somalia, peace talks between the dozens of warlords, elders and political leaders continued. In Sudan, there was remarkable progress on negotiations to end the long-running civil war in the south, but violence in Darfur displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia reached a critical juncture following Ethiopia s formal rejection of the April 2003 delimitation decision by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission. In Uganda, unstructured but brutal attacks and abductions by the Lord s Resistance Army (LRA) spread beyond the north. In addition, many countries in the Horn of Africa region, in particular Ethiopia and Eritrea, suffered a drought-induced humanitarian crisis. In 2003, the estimated number of IDPs and refugees exceeded 10 million; that of other vulnerable groups approached 34 million. Objectives in 2003 Support OCHA country offices by backstopping, providing technical support and organisation of training sessions Coordinate strategic regional response and mobilise funds; report on affected populations in the region; maintain an operational database; develop a Consolidated Appeal Process for the Great Lakes region; track and reallocate existing resources in times of crises; and, liaise with the donor community on the financial needs of country offices and programmes Develop emergency preparedness, early warning and disaster mitigation mechanisms; identify emergency mechanisms; support country specific contingency or response plans; and liaise with regional bodies to involve them in these processes Identify advocacy issues, establish strong media networks and support OCHA country offices in advocacy efforts. Activities In 2003, the Regional Support Office provided backstopping to the DRC office during the Ituri crisis; to Ethiopia to open a sub-office in Awassa; and to Turkey during the Iraq crisis. Technical support was provided to Burundi, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, to Liberia and Cote d Ivoire in West Africa, on the CAP, administration and finances, and advocacy. A total of 21 backstopping and/or technical support missions were undertaken by the RSO-CEA in 2003, resulting in 45 weeks spent in the field. The office organised a regional administrative and finance workshop in May in Nairobi, the first ever held in the field, as well as a regional advocacy workshop in July and an emergency field coordination training session in December. In an effort to enhance regional strategic coordination and mobilise funds, the regional office shared information collected from the field with the humanitarian community each fortnight during Information Exchange Meetings. Regional 100 OCHA Annual Report 2003

108 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD partners met on a monthly and ad hoc basis to discuss the humanitarian, political, economic and social situation in the region, informing early warning and contingency planning. The Great Lakes Affected Populations Report was published in February and September, and the Horn of Africa Affected Populations Report in May and November. The regional support office monitored the 2003 Great Lakes CAP; and coordinated, elaborated and launched the 2004 appeal later in the year. It facilitated meetings with regional donor partners, and organised joint donor missions to areas of crisis. To address emergency preparedness, early warning and disaster mitigation, the RSO organised three contingency planning exercises looking at key issues and concerns: in February and June for the Great Lakes Region, and in November, for the first time, for the Horn of Africa. To support country offices, it helped design, update and maintain databases and boost mapping capacity. In addition, the office facilitated a UN Security Council mission on peace and security to the Central Africa sub-region. The regional support office brought international attention to a complex and often neglected area, including humanitarian crises related to violent conflict in northern Uganda, Ituri province in northeastern DRC and in Burundi, among others. It organised a joint OCHA-donor mission to Uganda; co-produced a photo-book on Northern Uganda with the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN); and briefed the press corps. Coverage of the crisis increased significantly, including in international media. In July, the RSO and the advocacy branch of OCHA conducted a mission to Uganda, Burundi and DRC to assess advocacy training needs, and the type and nature of support required from headquarters and the regional office. It also worked closely with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on preparations for the International Conference on Peace, Security and Development in the region. The RSO has been appointed as the lead agency for the Social and Humanitarian Issues cluster of the conference. Year in Review While a number of constraints caused a strain on the resources and capacity of the office, they did not stop it achieving its objectives for the year. The Iraq crisis affected travel to Kenya, forcing the office to postpone some training activities. In addition, the new crises in Iraq and Liberia drained the human resources of the office, with two staff members sent on mission to Ankara (Turkey) and Monrovia (Liberia) for more than four months altogether in In achieving the set objectives, donor support has been critical to maintain staffing levels at the regional office. Adequate staffing is vital to backstopping and technical support, advocacy and preparedness activities. The offices support to fellow OCHA offices was considered positive and cost-effective by those involved. Backstopping brought the flexibility to respond quickly to crises, allowing key activities to continue without disruption. The RSO s participatory and all-inclusive approach to coordination activities has been highly praised in user surveys and evaluations. NGOs and donors, in addition to UN agencies, were systematically involved in all regional discussions, meetings and activities. This facilitated information exchange and a broadening of views, better coordinated strategies and improved implementation of humanitarian programmes. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,699,016 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1,767,033 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 928,834 Consultant Fees and Travel 11,638 Travel 65,262 Operating Expenses 116,487 Contractual Services 24,957 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 53,754 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 10,182 Programme Support Costs 150,590 Total Expenditure US $ 1,361,704 OCHA Annual Report

109 Regional Support Office West Africa Objectives in 2003 Reinforce RSO-West Africa s capacity to coordinate the response to diverse crises Strengthen support to the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa (UNOWA) and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators Contribute to reducing the vulnerability of victims of armed conflict and natural disasters Monitor political, social and economic developments, measuring their impact on the region, establishing early warning mechanisms and identifying preventive measures Pursue various resource mobilisation and advocacy initiatives Context The West African sub-region suffers from chronic instability and recurrent violence. The vulnerability of millions of people increased in 2003 in the face of political instability, violent conflict and state collapse (Côte d Ivoire, Liberia); disputed governance (Guinea, Togo); the growing economic weakness of countries already ranked low on the Human Development Index (Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana); and coup attempts (Guinea-Bissau). Parts of the sub-region also faced droughts and floods. OCHA s Regional Support Office (RSO) transferred in late 2003 from Côte d Ivoire to the Senegalese capital, Dakar. It focused there on: the development of a sub-regional Consolidated Appeals Process and a CAP document for 2004; preparation for the establishment of a Regional Protection Initiative, as recommended by a Joint Humanitarian Review Mission in June/July 2003; regular inter-agency coordination meetings involving NGOs and UN system partners; and, establishment of the OCHA RSO itself, with recruitment of personnel, identification of office space, and so forth. Activities OCHA strengthened its coordination capacity in the sub-region, establishing cooperation and collaboration in Dakar with UN Regional Offices (WFP, UNICEF, FAO) as well as NGOs (Oxfam, World Vision) and the International Organization for Migration. With the reestablishment of the RSO in Dakar, OCHA started a recruitment process for five international and eight national staff. Resource mobilisation was addressed with the launch of the CAP for 2004 in Dakar, as well as through bilateral meetings with donor representatives in Senegal, Côte d Ivoire and Liberia. After discussions among a broad range of UN and non-un humanitarian partners, the strategic humanitarian goals and priorities for West Africa were agreed to be: development of a comprehensive approach to protection; creation of a conducive environment for sustainable peace; reduction of vulnerability to food insecurity; and, establishment of a coordinated humanitarian response. The CAP was subsequently launched in Dakar on 28 November. 102 OCHA Annual Report 2003

110 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD RSO-WA strengthened its support to the UN office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa by providing a humanitarian adviser, in the person of the RSO head of office. The office s activities provided appropriate humanitarian input to studies by the SRSG s office, sensitised it to humanitarian concerns in the sub-region, and participated in relevant discussions. The RSO also started work on implementing the recommendations of the Joint Humanitarian Review Mission. The groundwork for the establishment of a Regional Protection Initiative was completed, and substantive work was started on the development of a sub-regional protection strategy to address the specific protection needs of children, women, youths, refugees, IDPs, returnees and third-country nationals. In view of increasing coordination needs at the sub-regional level, OCHA heads of office from Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d Ivoire met in December 2003 to reflect on best practices in humanitarian action, develop a common understanding for a strategic framework for sub-regional and country specific issues, and define the role of the RSO. An important role of the RSO will be the provision of Information Management (IM) services. Within the office, an IM unit will be formed to provide services and products to Dakar-based partners. More broadly, the regional office s IMU will be able to serve as a secure back-up facility for OCHA offices in the region, provide technical support, and serve to consolidate data and information from the different countries in the region to produce broader analysis to assist decision-makers. Year in Review In the short period of its existence, the RSO has been instrumental in improving collaboration and coordination, especially within the UN system, in West Africa. It has also supported inter-agency consultation and decision-making at a sub-regional level on particular humanitarian themes, including IDPs, civilian protection a nd resource mobilisation. The office s major problems during the year included the rotation of personnel, long recruitment processes for local staff, and lack of office space from which to operate. The handover of various functions from the former Abidjan-based RSO posed additional challenges at a time when the Côte d Ivoire crisis demanded the full attention of the OCHA team there. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,076,144 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 862,594 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 353,617 Consultant Fees and Travel 25,858 Travel 44,173 Operating Expenses 89,343 Contractual Services 4,421 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 117,831 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 795 Programme Support Costs 77,909 Total Expenditure US $ 713, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. The Regional Support Office has already developed strong linkages with the OCHA offices in Côte d Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, as well as with the UN Country Teams in Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana. OCHA Annual Report

111 Sierra Leone surrendered and are being accommodated in two government internment facilities. The key humanitarian challenge is to advance the recovery process in an equitable manner, ensuring that peace and recovery dividends reach all regions and simultaneously meet the needs of refugees, their host communities and those of resettling communities. Background Continued stability allowed for significant progress in With IDP resettlement completed, all camps were formally closed early in the year, enabling UNHCR to proceed with the voluntary repatriation of some 33,000 Sierra Leonean refugees from Guinea and Liberia. Community-based interventions led reconstruction work in all districts, ensuring the provision of some basic services. Civil administration has been restored in all districts and government capacity has been significantly strengthened through the work of District Recovery Committees (DRCs). Despite these achievements, access to other basic services is inadequate countrywide; according to vulnerability assessments, 79 out of 150 chiefdoms fall into this category. While stability in Sierra Leone itself has improved, insecurity within the sub-region has adversely affected the humanitarian situation. Renewed unrest in Liberia generated a further influx of 19,800 Liberia-refugees between February and June 2003, bringing the total number of Liberian refugees seeking refuge in Sierra Leone to 70,000. In response, way stations and camp facilities were expanded and an eighth camp, Tobanda, was opened in April In addition, over 430 Liberian combatants Objectives in 2003 Work in close collaboration with the government of Sierra Leone and international partners to close resettlement camps; mobilise effective community-based support in areas of high concentration of resettlement to facilitate community reintegration Facilitate the inter-agency contingency planning process to respond to the new influx of Liberian refugees Provide leadership to the Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CCSEA) in developing and implementing an innovative programme to prevent, and respond to, this problem Work closely with all partners to advance the recovery process, through support to District Recovery Committees Activities Working through the inter-agency Resettlement Steering Committee, in which OCHA was active, all IDP camps were formally closed in Sierra Leone by April, with the exception of the amputee and war-wounded camps in Freetown peninsula. Under the stewardship of OCHA, the inter-agency contingency planning task force met regularly throughout the year to ensure the articulation of a clear contingency and operational plan to respond to newly arriving refugees from Liberia, and to prepare for further potential insecurity in the sub-region. Through the interventions of the international community, the situations in Liberia and Guinea stabilised in late OCHA Annual Report 2003

112 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD A lot of attention was devoted in 2003 to addressing sexual exploitation and abuse. In close collaboration with the CCSEA, the OCHA Coordinator for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse managed to implement the newly articulated standards of accountability for all agencies in a comprehensive training programme for relevant agencies and government staff. That included a peer education and community reporting mechanism, with protocols for investigating and addressing cases of sexual exploitation and abuse. OCHA has now transferred its role in this area to UNICEF. OCHA, UNDP and UNAMSIL civil affairs staff worked much more closely to provide consistent support to the country s recovery process. OCHA facilitated a series of workshops throughout the year to ensure that UN support to DRCs was consistent and properly coordinated. This was complemented by the work of the Sierra Leone Information System, which liaised with the government and all field teams to develop an information management and monitoring system for recovery. A quarterly data collection mechanism was established, and sector and district data packs produced to inform decisionmaking at national and district levels. In mid-2003, OCHA engaged in a dialogue with all partners to develop a transition strategy for its withdrawal in 2004; plans were developed for each OCHA field and satellite office, and for OCHA at the national level. The Sierra Leone Information System was transferred to the government s Development Assistance Coordination Office in December 2003, with UNDP support. OCHA will continue to support its activities. OCHA supported the UN Country Team and its government partners in producing the UN Appeal for 2004 and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, as part of efforts to integrate humanitarian concerns in longer-term development strategies. In the course of 2003, the UN Country Team and, especially, UNDP started to expand their capacity in preparation for the withdrawal of OCHA and UNAMSIL. The establishment of UN Transition Support Teams in three key districts has greatly facilitated this, and these will be expanded in 2004 to take over key coordination functions at district level. Year in Review As Sierra Leone moves towards recovery, the number of agencies there increases and their interventions become more diverse, the need for effective coordination becomes greater. OCHA s emphasis in 2003 was on building government capacity to lead coordination, while its field presence helped provide coherent coordination of external support. Continued OCHA field presence through national staff is vital to achieving an equitable national recovery, particularly through technical support and guidance to DRCs, and the development of a comprehensive information database to monitor recovery and inform decision-making. Despite political and humanitarian progress, many challenges remain. OCHA will continue working in parallel with the Transitional Support Teams to enhance national capacity and the transfer of skills and assets. There are residual humanitarian needs, such as the provision of basic but vital services to communities that have recently received resettled former IDPs and repatriates, or who are host to significant refugee communities. There is also a need for heightened vigilance in Sierra Leone about events in neighbouring countries, and their likely demographic and humanitarian impact. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,676,314 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 368,064 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 1,095,104 Consultant Fees and Travel 12,019 Travel 80,859 Operating Expenses 289,557 Contractual Services 37,002 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 147,510 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 53,349 Programme Support Costs 176,728 Total Expenditure US $ 1,892, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

113 Somalia April, but deteriorated towards the end of the year with the killing of four international aid workers. Key humanitarian issues included a worsening drought affecting at least 93,000 people in Sool and Sanaag regions. An estimated 350,000 IDPs require assistance and enhanced protection, especially in Mogadishu, where approximately 150,000 are living with very poor access to basic services and subject to human rights abuses. Also of critical concern were the challenges faced by both Somaliland and Puntland authorities in integrating 400,000 Somali refugees back home. Human rights violations remained endemic in Somalia, including murder, looting, child soldiering, discrimination against minorities, torture, unlawful arrest and detention, and denial of due process. Context Twelve years after the collapse of the central government, Somalia remains one of the poorest countries in the world - characterised by political instability, factionalism, a poor human rights environment, frequent violent conflict and natural disasters. The IGAD-sponsored Peace and Reconciliation Process continued throughout 2003 without a concrete resolution or the participation of the secessionist northwest region of Somaliland. The peace process has had little or no effect on violent conflict or political stability in the south, and has sometimes tended to politicise inter-clan disputes. The prolonged absence of key leaders from the country, combined with efforts to consolidate their areas of influence during powersharing negotiations, ensured that violence and armed conflict continued throughout much of southern Somalia, especially in Mogadishu, Baidoa, Middle Shebelle and Gedo. While pockets of stability exist in the south, sudden setbacks make them a difficult and generally inhospitable environment for aid interventions. By contrast, the northern regions of Somalia moved ever closer to political, economic and social reconstruction. The peace and security achieved in Somaliland allowed elections in Objectives in 2003 Strengthen field coordination in collaboration with the Somalia Aid Coordination Body (SACB) Advocate for vulnerable communities, especially IDPs, and work towards greater engagement by international agencies and local authorities in order to meet basic needs and rights Advocate on humanitarian policy issues, especially access to areas affected by conflict or naturally-triggered emergencies Promote emergency preparedness, mitigation and contingency planning to deal with natural disasters such as drought and flooding (This was superseded to some extent by the drought crisis in northern Somalia.) Improve information collection, analysis and dissemination through the field coordination network Activities The partial establishment of a field coordination network inside Somalia, to complement the largely Nairobi-based SACB, was a key output. Despite 106 OCHA Annual Report 2003

114 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD difficulties recruiting internationals, five of a targeted eight national positions were filled in southern Somalia and Puntland. In addition to providing a forum for agencies to coordinate activities, OCHA led a number of assessments resulting in coordinated responses. This additional field presence has strengthened OCHA s role in the areas mentioned below. OCHA conducted a piece of action-research with IDP communities living in Kismaayo town, though instability in Kismaayo and lower Juba has temporarily curtailed implementation of the plan. At the national level, OCHA chaired a UN working group to develop a strategic action plan focusing on protection and human rights, to be implemented in 2004 as funding and security allow. Meanwhile, a Somali language version of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement is being prepared. In southern Somalia, access negotiations have not always been successful due to the politicisation of the conflict, partially as a result of the peace and reconciliation talks in Kenya (with Rahanweyn over access to Baidoa and with leaders of the conflict in Gedo Region, southwest Somalia). More successful negotiations took place with the Somaliland and Puntland authorities on international assistance in the drought-affected areas of northern Somalia that span the contested area of Sool and Sanaag regions: the written agreements that resulted enabled international assistance to reach affected communities. In response to early warning alerts issued by FAO s Food Security Analysis Unit, OCHA led a major inter-agency assessment of the drought-affected regions of the Sool Plateau. That led to responses on food, water, health and livelihood support, which OCHA continues to coordinate through the Humanitarian Response Group of the SACB. Field coordination and collaboration with FSAU are being strengthened, and innovative cash-based responses promoted. OCHA also collaborated with FAO and UNICEF on flood contingency plans for the flood plains of southern Somalia. With the development of a field network inside Somalia, greater access to sources of accurate information and OCHA s capacity to analyse it, the quality of humanitarian information on Somalia improved in The office developed and disseminated monthly information products to the international humanitarian community. Year in Review OCHA Somalia made substantive progress toward developing an effective coordination system inside the country that interfaces with the SACB in Nairobi. The system enabled agencies to conduct joint assessments in the field and develop coordinated plans for humanitarian activities, as well as transitional work. It also allowed local authorities to participate more fully in the process. Difficulties in recruiting international staff in Somalia delayed the full network deployment on the ground. OCHA s advocacy helped raised the profile of IDPs and provided the strategic framework within which agencies can assist them in a more structured way. Negotiating access in Somalia had mixed results but particular lessons have been learned about the importance of maintaining rather than merely negotiating humanitarian access through a strong presence in the field. OCHA and others played an important role in raising drought awareness but agency response times suggested the need for more flexible funding mechanisms. OCHA will work on developing a rapid response fund for 2004 to meet this need. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,254,345 Income from Voluntary Contributions 853,286 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 639,774 Consultant Fees and Travel 41,340 Travel 76,204 Operating Expenses 99,159 Contractual Services 5,500 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 158,208 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 5,986 Programme Support Costs 112,681 Total Expenditure US $ 1,138,852 OCHA Annual Report

115 Sudan Context The OCHA office for Sudan serves the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, based in Khartoum; the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, based in Nairobi, covering the southern sector, including Operation Lifeline Sudan interventions; and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs to the Sudan. In 2003, inordinate efforts were devoted to ensuring open dialogue between the government and Sudan People s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), and on adherence to humanitarian principles, particularly those pertaining to access, with the creation in April of the Humanitarian Working Group and the Cross-line Committees. Objectives in 2003 Objectives were continually modified in 2003 to meet new opportunities provided by extended ceasefire and the overall positive atmosphere created by the continued peace talks. They included: Securing greater humanitarian access by engaging the OLS, the government and the SPLM/A in meaningful, action-oriented discussions aimed at alleviating remaining obstacles. Specifically, this meant: restrictions on telecommunications; travel; use of aircraft; and, obstacles/delays created through inefficient processing systems; Monitoring population migrations, human rights violations and the status of affected groups, through OCHA s eight field coordination support officers, who provided regular reports on humanitarian risk indicators to all stakeholders in the Weekly Monitoring Report and Monthly Humanitarian Update; Engaging UN agencies and NGOs in the preparation of regular contingency plans to determine in-country resources/stock levels; identify priority needs; and otherwise ensure that both needs and delivery/implementation capacity were addressed; Initiating and leading inter-agency missions to identify priority needs, especially of IDPs, refugees and ex-combatants; and, Encouraging national authorities to develop policies on planned assistance to IDPs and other vulnerable groups. Activities At the request of the UN Country Team, OCHA established the Sudan Information Gateway to facilitate inter-agency access to relevant information, and an inter-agency database and Humanitarian Information Network (HIN) to serve as an on-line repository and clearinghouse for data and information needed to plan humanitarian interventions. Secondary data, based on the Millennium Development Goals, were compiled by sector and geographical region in the Sudan Transition and Recovery Database (Starbase), a key component of the HIN. This information was synthesised into a unique, comprehensive data resource (comprising county level reports, statistical tables and maps) offering a summary of socio-economic information on Sudan at the county level, as well as details on past, current and planned assistance. This will be vital to monitoring the Appeal for the Sudan Assistance Programme OCHA Annual Report 2003

116 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD During 2003, OCHA undertook several initiatives to ensure that its own staff and field coordination support officers were well-trained and capable of transferring new skills and methodologies to national counterparts. Training programmes included applied survey techniques and civilianmilitary operations. In order to monitor, track and analyse resource levels and needs by area, sector and affected populations, a national officer was assigned to the newly established Partnership Development Service to build and maintain donor profiles; follow up on donor contributions and pledges; and ensure that resource gaps are brought to the attention of authorities and the international community. OCHA provided staff as well as training in assessment, budgeting and accounting, office management and information systems management to the Humanitarian Aid Commission and Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (HAC, SRRC), empowering them to take a more active role in humanitarian planning and implementation. It also continued to encourage national authorities to develop policies to plan assistance to IDPs and other affected groups, and facilitated the development of a post-conflict draft National Policy on Internal Displacement. OCHA organised meetings of the Technical Committee on Humanitarian Assistance (TCHA), as well as the Cross-line Working Group and informal technical-level meetings between parties to the conflict, to facilitate humanitarian access and the delivery of relief items. An increase in cross-line operations, assessments and humanitarian interventions required the appointment of three international area coordinators to facilitate coordination, planning, monitoring and reporting (particularly on returnees), as well as the delivery of humanitarian assistance, in zones of critical need and increasing complexity. Additional field bases were established in Greater Darfur, and OCHA helped establish an area coordination office in the Red Sea State to cover Eastern Sudan. Year in Review Most notable in 2003 was progress in the peace negotiations between the North and the South. Although the talks are continuing, agreement has been reached on power-sharing and the status of two of the three disputed areas. This progress has resulted in greater access for relief workers to Sudanese populations in need. However, the year also brought a seriously deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Fighting between the government, Janjaweed militiamen and the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) has led to a great number of IDPs, and of Sudanese refugees in Chad. The biggest constraints experienced by OCHA and other humanitarian actors in this area have been problems with access and insecurity, which have hindered and frequently prevented the provision of assistance to those people in need. The coming year presents three great challenges: completion of the peace negotiations between North and South Sudan, enabling IDPs in North Sudan to return to their homes in the south; gaining unimpeded access to people in need, especially in North, West and South Darfur; and negotiation of a complete and all-inclusive humanitarian cease-fire between the parties to the conflict in Darfur. Not having a cease-fire imposes a strain on humanitarian aid workers in the field, as they run the risk of being attacked. That leads to the most important lesson learned over the past year: complete and unimpeded access, together with a humanitarian cease-fire, is a prerequisite to any successful alleviation of humanitarian suffering. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 2,182,251 Income from Voluntary Contributions 3,831,251 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 1,224,052 Consultant Fees and Travel 40,005 Travel 351,436 Operating Expenses 402,232 Contractual Services 29,849 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 310,906 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 54,944 Programme Support Costs 230,373 Total Expenditure US $ 2,643,797 OCHA Annual Report

117 Uganda pro l i fera ti on of s m a ll arm s. The limited provi s i on of basic servi ces and psych o s ocial su pport, toget h er with repe a ted vi o l a ti ons of human ri ghts and hu m a n i t a rian pri n c i p l e s, a re also major hu m a n i t a rian con cern s. In this vo l a tile cl i m a te of pron o u n ced insec u ri ty, OCHA has attem pted to maintain a coord i n a ti on f ra m ework, advoc a te for the most vu l n era ble and en co u ra ge dialogue bet ween all hu m a n i t a ri a n p a rtn ers. As part of its mandate, OCHA has been rel entless in its ef forts to raise the profile of t h e for go t ten cri s i s in nort h ern Uganda at nati on a l, regi onal and intern a ti onal level s. In this, it has ad ded its voi ce to those of rel i gious leaders, hu m a n i t a ri a n workers and close to one mill i on IDPs, i n cluding up to 20,000 ch i l d ren abdu cted by the LRA. C o n t e x t The hu m a n i t a rian situ a ti on in nort h ern Uga n d a d ra m a ti c a lly deteri ora ted du ring 2003, as attacks by the Lord s Re s i s t a n ce Army (LRA) escalated in scope, i n ten s i ty and cru el ty. The co llapse of pe ace initi a tive s in Ma rch 2003, the wi t h d rawal of the Pre s i den ti a l Pe ace Team and cancell a ti on of a limited pre s i den ti a l ce a s ef i re in pursuit of a military approach to the n ort h ern insu rrecti on pre s a ged an upsu r ge in i n s ec u ri ty and vi o l en ce. L RA attacks su b s equ en t ly s pre ad beyond the north to eastern distri ct s, p a rti c u l a rly Lira. The Ugandan govern m en t s policy of forced en c a m pm ent of the IDP pop u l a ti on in the north did not improve their sec u ri ty con d i ti on s. Ra t h er, it incre a s ed their vu l n era bi l i ty: I D Ps are of ten en c a m ped beyond the re ach of hu m a n i t a ri a n a s s i s t a n ce in crowded and unsanitary con d i ti on s ; i n s ec u ri ty on the roads and the inabi l i ty of the army to provi de escorts to actors in non - food s ectors have severely com prom i s ed the del ivery of hu m a n i t a rian assistance. In s ec u ri ty in the Acholi su b - regi on has caused f u rt h er human displacem ent and led to incre a s ed n eeds for material assistance and pro tecti on. Th e d ro u gh t - a f fected su b - regi on of Ka ra m oja also su f fered from insec u ri ty due to a stall ed d i s a rm a m ent proce s s, a ll egedly incre a s i n g com m erc i a l i s a ti on of cattle rustling within and out s i de Ka ra m oja, and the cro s s - border Objectives in 2003 In i ti a te and or ganise inter- a gency fiel d a s s e s s m ent missions to iden tify re s o u rce ga p s, opera ti onal con s traints and high l i ght the needs of the vu l n era bl e Su pport initi a tives aimed at en su ring pe ace and a su s t a i n a ble soluti on to the nort h ern Uganda cri s i s Hi gh l i ght human ri ghts vi o l a ti ons in nort h ern Uga n d a Advoc a te implem en t a ti on of the draft n a ti onal policy on internal displacem ent and prom o ti on of tra n s i ti onal programmes from rel i ef to recovery Re activa te the inter- a gency Uga n d Aid web s i te and en su re its con ti nuous update A c t i v i t i e s Mu ch of OC H A s coord i n a ti on and advoc acy activi ty was foc u s ed on nort h ern Uganda du ring 2003 due to the scale and scope of the hu m a n i t a rian cri s i s t h ere, and insu f f i c i ent staff re s o u rces to ad d ress o t h er issues at the same time in the way they m eri ted. However, the situ a ti ons in Ka ra m oja and the Rwen zoris (to wh i ch many people are vo lu n t a ri ly rep a tri a ting given improved sec u ri ty in the we s t ) remain of con cern. OCHA took part in several inter- a gency joi n t a s s e s s m ents or su rveys in areas affected by vi o l en t con f l i ct, e s pec i a lly to con s i der con d i ti ons for I D Ps and iden tify hu m a n i t a rian ga p s. An inter- 110 OCHA Annual Report 2003

118 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD a gency Pro tecti on Working Group (PWG) was e s t a bl i s h ed and ex p a n ded to the field level to m on i tor and advoc a te for the basic ri ghts of I D Ps and other parti e s. To su pport va rious initi a tives aimed at su s t a i n a bl e s o luti on s, the Con t act Group (CG) on nort h ern Uganda met in Kampala twi ce wee k ly to discuss and devel op hu m a n i t a rian stra tegy, s h a re inform a ti on, advoc a te for the ri ghts of I D Ps, and su pport ef fort s a i m ed at pe aceful re s o luti on of the con f l i ct. Mi s s i on s by the UN Sec ret a ry - G en era l s Repre s en t a tive on I D Ps in August and the Un der- Sec ret a ry Gen eral for Hu m a n i t a rian Af f a i rs in Novem ber had con s i dera bl e su ccess in raising the profile of the for go t ten em er gency in the nort h, and re su l ted in dec i s i ons to stren g t h en hu m a n i t a rian interven ti on s. The of f i ce su pported va rious con su l t a ti ons at n a ti onal and field level, i n cluding on hu m a n i t a ri a n access to affected pop u l a ti on s ; access for IDPs to t h eir farm s ; con ti nu ed don or su pport for incre a s ed hu m a n i t a rian assistance. It also en co u ra ged the govern m en t s financial su pport for hu m a n i t a ri a n a s s i s t a n ce and provi ded the govern m ent wi t h financial assistance tow a rds or ganising a nati on a l con feren ce in Ma rch 2003 on its draft IDP po l i c y. The of f i ce held work s h ops on the Con s o l i d a ted Appeals Process and coord i n a ted the prep a ra ti on of con s o l i d a ted hu m a n i t a rian stra tegi e s. OCHA also devel oped a con ti n gency plan for Uganda in May 2003, wh i ch was incorpora ted, at a meeting in Na i robi in Ju n e, i n to a regi onal con ti n gency plan for those areas affected by con f l i ct. Year in Review Du ring 2003, OCHA was able to con tri bute to the ef fective coord i n a ti on of activi ties amon g hu m a n i t a rian partn ers, e s pec i a lly NGOs and don ors. However, s ome ch a ll en ges rem a i n ed. Al t h o u gh the del ivery of food aid was en h a n ced and carri ed out in a coord i n a ted manner, t h e del ivery of basic servi ces in health, edu c a ti on, w a ter and sanitati on was inadequ a te. Fu rt h er deteri ora ti on of the sec u ri ty situ a ti on con s tra i n ed f ree and unimpeded access of hu m a n i t a rian actors to en su re the pro tecti on of, and assistance to, vu l n era ble pop u l a ti on s. In parti c u l a r, t h e govern m ent was unable to su f f i c i en t ly ad d ress the sec u ri ty issues for vu l n era ble pers ons in n ort h ern Uga n d a. OC H A s ef forts to coopera te with and build the c a p ac i ty of l ocal aut h ori ty co u n terp a rts were h a m pered by the del ay in the Ugandan govern m en t s adopti on and promu l ga ti on of its policy on IDPs. Si m i l a rly, the govern m en t s del ay in passing the Di s a s ter Ma n a gem ent Bi ll has hindered the capac i ti e s of its Di s tri ct Di s a s ter Ma n a gem ent Com m i t tee s (DDMCs) to play a leading role in disaster preven ti on and managem en t. Opera ti onal coord i n a ti on bet ween the aid com mu n i ty and the DDMCs was absent or i n su f f i c i en t, wh i ch was a major ob s t acle to the del ivery of a s s i s t a n ce to IDPs. OCHA needs to hel p s tren g t h en the capac i ty of DDMCs at su b - co u n ty l evel with ded i c a ted co u n terp a rt s. The need to advoc a te for free and unhindered hu m a n i t a ri a n access to all vu l n era ble pers ons is con ti nuous and incre a s i n g. Pa rticipants in a CAP work s h op in May ex pre s s ed s erious con cerns abo ut OC H A s pre s en ce in on ly one nort h ern loc a ti on (Gu lu) and high l i gh ted a def i c i ency in inform a ti on on hu m a n i t a rian issu e s and opera ti on s. OCHA has since ex p a n ded its pre s en ce in the nort h ; s i n ce Ja nu a ry 2004, it has e s t a bl i s h ed of f i ces in Ki t g u m, L i ra and Soro ti. The aim of re activa ting the Uga n d Aid web s i te was con s tra i n ed by lack of qu a l i f i ed and ex peri en ced s t a f f. The best means to provi de an ef fective and ef f i c i ent inform a ti on managem ent sys tem is u n der revi ew, and has been taken into account in con s i dering OCHA staffing levels in Uganda in Me a nwh i l e, n eeds assessment report s, s i tu a ti on report s, a gency directori e s, m on t h ly hu m a n i t a rian update s, a ppeals and con tri buti on s ( i n cluding financial tracking data) are reg u l a rly s h a red with hu m a n i t a rian partn ers. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 705,585 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 562,292 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 657,000 Consultant Fees and Travel 9,090 Travel 32,622 Operating Expenses 79,932 Contractual Services 8,012 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 31,360 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 14,600 Programme Support Costs 105,014 Total Expenditure US $ 937, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

119 Zimbabwe Context What initially appeared as a food crisis in Zimbabwe in 2002 has turned into a major humanitarian emergency due to the deteriorating economy; major policy constraints, including the land reform process; and the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. Zimbabwe has entered its fifth year of economic decline, with massive unemployment, hyperinflation, chronic foreign exchange shortages and insufficient expenditure for social services. Public health services are in a state of rapid decline, with a consequent increase in the incidence of malaria and cholera, morbidity and child mortality. Education and public utilities are similarly affected. Despite low levels of collaboration between the government and the international humanitarian community, cooperation increased during the second half of In August, the government issued its policy on NGO operations and agreement was reached on a mutually acceptable modus operandi. After a gap of several months, the joint government, UN and donors forum reconvened in September and again in December. Senior representatives of various ministries participated in the Common Country Assessment/ United Nations Development Assistance Framework process and a workshop reviewing the Consolidated Appeals Process. Objectives in 2003 Support the humanitarian community in ensuring food security for the most vulnerable; coordinate assistance to and protection of marginalised groups, such as farm workers and other mobile and vulnerable populations Help improve the preparedness and response capacity of the health sector, and support the UN Country Team in addressing the massive impact of HIV/AIDS Assess emerging trends of vulnerability, including access to health care, water, nutrition status, food availability and market prices Improve coordination of humanitarian interventions and recovery programming Intensify the dialogue between donors, the government and humanitarian actors to ensure that humanitarian principles are honoured and the most vulnerable protected Activities OCHA supported the UN Humanitarian Coordinator to enhance coordination and government engagement, improve humanitarian information flows, and secure humanitarian protection by deploying a senior humanitarian affairs officer who acted as head of the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU). During 2003, the RRU strengthened sector working groups as they became the focal points for information coordination and dissemination, as well as for recovery programming. The IDP network, chaired by the RRU, was expanded to the Humanitarian Protection Working Group and became an increasingly effective information and coordination forum for securing assistance to highly vulnerable groups, such as farm workers. The office also supported a UNDP/ IOM pilot programme for mobile and vulnerable populations, which provided the foundation for expanded assistance to IDPs and other vulnerable groups. The UN field offices were strengthened, and supported assessments in selected regions. OCHA undertook monitoring of humanitarian 112 OCHA Annual Report 2003

120 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD actions and provided support for local coordination and information management. In July, the RRU launched a website, ZimRelief.info, to facilitate information sharing and dissemination. In 2003, OCHA s expanded and improved Humanitarian Situation Report became a key information tool for the humanitarian community in Zimbabwe. The office also put systems in place to improve information management, including online contacts, project databases, Geographic Information System (GIS) capability, and humanitarian mapping functions. OCHA coordinated and prepared the 2003/2004 CAP, ensuring an inclusive approach that resulted in a 45 per cent increase in NGOs project contributions. The office also facilitated rural and urban vulnerability assessments, and provided guidance for the Zimbabwe Vulnerabilities Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC). In addition, OCHA started the development of an integrated national recovery framework and programme. It worked closely with UNDP on development of a Community Recovery and Rehabilitation programme for which government approval is pending. Year in Review Under the strong leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA supported the humanitarian community s to effectively address the needs of vulnerable populations, but political polarisation and low levels of dialogue between the government and donors have constrained coordination efforts. A key role of the RRU is to continue to support the HC in efforts to promote expanded humanitarian and recovery assistance. officers be withdrawn from provincial offices to Harare in July Their relocation has negatively affected the office s assessment, monitoring, and reporting capacity. Furthermore, focal points established for liaison on humanitarian issues with line ministries - notably Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare - did not function well, leaving field officers at a loss to find effective counterparts at the central level. Planning and monitoring of humanitarian assistance continues to be constrained by a lack of accurate and reliable information on priority concerns, such as household coping mechanisms, links between food security and HIV/AIDS, and living conditions in new resettlement areas. At the request of the Humanitarian Coordinator, a joint OCHA/UNDP mission was fielded in late November to review the functioning of the RRU and make recommendations on optimising its work. That review recommended streamlining the unit s functions and reducing its institutional profile, in line with in-country thinking on the need to adapt to a changing environment. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 270,861 Income from Voluntary Contributions 250,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 164,052 Consultant Fees and Travel 13,700 Travel 20,775 Operating Expenses 5,550 Contractual Services 3,500 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 33,448 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 19,000 Programme Support Costs 29,492 Total Expenditure US $ 289,517 A renewed focus on resource mobilisation is needed to ensure a more balanced response to humanitarian funding. While the donor response to the food aid portion of the CAP has been generous, contributions to the social sectors stood at just over 11 per cent in early Progress on increasing OCHA s field presence was reversed when the government requested that field OCHA Annual Report

121 Democratic People s Republic of Kore a Address problems of information exchange through the establishment of the Humanitarian Development Resource Centre (HDRC) Continue the NGO Funding Mechanism to help support international NGOs Assist the government in capacity building activities for disaster preparedness and response to natural disasters Context The humanitarian emergency in the Democratic People s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continued unabated in While some progress was noted, assistance continued to play a vital role in safeguarding and promoting the well-being of millions of people whose nutritional status and general health would otherwise have been seriously compromised. Humanitarian access to vulnerable groups remained restricted, with little substantive improvement during the year. The humanitarian situation in the DPRK was further complicated in 2003 by two key external events. Increased security tension on the Korean peninsula, following the re-emergence of concerns about nuclear weaponry since October 2002, has had a negative effect on the international humanitarian response and efforts by UN agencies and NGOs to build national capacity. The negative impact of the nuclear issue was further compounded by the SARS epidemic. While there was no SARS reported in the DPRK, its proximity to China and the present status of health services made the country vulnerable to SARS. Objectives in 2003 Ensure coordination of humanitarian assistance through building on successful mechanisms Activities The coordination arrangements for humanitarian organisations in DPRK were further developed during The UN Humanitarian Coordinator ensured that programme activities by UN agencies supported the Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP). The Humanitarian Development Working Group comprising the wider humanitarian community in the country - including NGOs, bilateral organisations, donors and members of the diplomatic community - met on a regular basis to review implementation of the CHAP. Coordination with the DPRK government was undertaken by each agency individually, with support from the Humanitarian Coordinator. OCHA convened the weekly inter-agency meeting and monthly sectoral sub-group meetings on agriculture, food-aid, health, water and sanitation. The office promoted the mainstreaming of gender through the application of the Inter- Agency Forum Policy Statement for Integration of a Gender Perspective in Humanitarian Development Assistance in DPRK. In late 2003, OCHA produced a booklet, Gender Policies of Humanitarian and Development Organisations in the DPRK, to provide a clearer overview of the policies and commitment of international organisations, donors and NGOs. OCHA managed the NGO Funding Mechanism, which provided bridging funds for resident NGOs. Using carry-over funds from 2002, it supported five NGOs in three sectors. The NGO Funding Mechanism allowed OCHA to support an emergency project for improvement of hygiene and infection control in hospitals as part of SARS preparedness activities, in cooperation with the IFRC, UNICEF and WHO. OCHA s support for 114 OCHA Annual Report 2003

122 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD Handicap International helped promote the rights of the disabled through the production and distribution of Korean language reading materials on disability. The office facilitated the preparation and monitoring of the UN Consolidated Appeal and implementation of the CHAP for This included quarterly strategic and operational monitoring, and narrative updates made available to the donor community. OCHA provided updated monthly information in its Situation Bulletin and drew the attention of the donor community and international press to sectorspecific issues. Efforts to generate DPRK government interest in engaging more fully in humanitarian coordination have met with some success; government counterparts did participate in CAP training, and UN agencies witnessed increased interaction between ministries and the humanitarian community. OCHA established a Humanitarian Development Resource Centre within its office. This included the establishment of a HDRC website and the production of two CD-Roms. Efforts to assist the government in capacity building activities for disaster preparedness and response to natural disasters have met with little success. In late 2003, however, the government expressed renewed interest in working more closely with OCHA in disaster response preparedness. Year in Review Substantial progress was made on involving the humanitarian community in the CAP. Through improved monitoring of the CHAP, OCHA was able to report that international agencies made considerable progress in achieving their humanitarian objectives in This validated the commitment of agencies and most donors to the CHAP. The main constraint to full implementation of the CHAP was a combination of insufficient resources and the timing of donor contributions. Partnerships between UN agencies and NGOs, and the development of agreed goals under the CHAP, continued to ensure a common approach to the government on humanitarian programming. Setting objectives and regularly reviewing progress added dynamism to the implementation of the humanitarian programme in Work on a sectoral monitoring matrix also increased the sense of common purpose among humanitarian organisations. The limited involvement of government in the CAP and the monitoring process detracted from its overall quality. However, continued engagement between the humanitarian community and the government on the development of operational programming partnerships was generally positive. Links created with some line ministries and departments and the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee (FDRC) clearly demonstrated the government s willingness to develop an understanding of the needs and requirements of humanitarian agencies. This process needs to be accelerated, as does the establishment of links with line ministries and departments. Given the external political environment, OCHA was unable to facilitate a sustainable solution to the emergency. While humanitarian assistance was still clearly needed, the absence of development assistance meant that the humanitarian response could not help the country overcome its severe economic difficulties. Undoubtedly, the DPRK requires aid in many sectors but development assistance is not forthcoming in the current political environment, leading to a protracted emergency. Until such time as development assistance is available, the humanitarian effort will need to continue. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 387,149 Income from Voluntary Contributions 69,004 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 142,136 Consultant Fees and Travel 63,961 Travel 38,897 Operating Expenses 5,743 Contractual Services - Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 59,525 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 10,741 Programme Support Costs 45,572 Total Expenditure US $ 366,575 OCHA Annual Report

123 Indonesia working for implementation of the humanitarian strategy outlined in the Consolidated Appeals Process Advocate for IDPs and populations affected by conflict and natural disasters Support the government and humanitarian partners with policy development, and with monitoring early-warning/ conflict prevention indicators Lead and support needs assessments, and advise on humanitarian action required Context Even though tension among conflict-prone communities persisted throughout 2003, the relative stability observed (except in Aceh) brings hope that the humanitarian situation throughout the country will continue to improve. Although sporadic security incidents continue to occur in Central Sulawesi and Maluku, conditions in these provinces are becoming conducive for return and resettlement. The number of IDPs has been declining and now stands at an estimated 535,000. Consequently, a scaling-down of OCHA s activities is scheduled to take place during However, conflict situations persist in several areas. In Aceh, a combined security and humanitarian operation is underway in order to quell the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Inter-communal violence in Sulawesi, Kalimantan and the Malukus, and conflict between government troops and separatist groups, have caused an ever-shifting mosaic of displacement, return and humanitarian needs. Objectives in 2003 Enhance coordination efforts - assessing emergency needs; identifying gaps; collecting, analysing and disseminating information; Activities In 2003, OCHA continued to have a head office in Jakarta; project coordination offices (renamed from resource centres) in the provinces of Aceh, Central Sulawesi and Maluku; and two local staff in Jayapura (Papua province) and Kupang (West Timor). OCHA organised regular coordination meetings for UN agencies, NGOs, donors and government authorities in Jakarta and in the field. It also conducted assessment missions with government authorities, UN agencies and NGOs in conflictaffected areas; and circulated a weekly Consolidated Situation Report. OCHA administered the Emergency Response Fund and the Humanitarian Response Fund, and disbursed US$988,465 to international and local NGOs to address emergency needs of disasterand conflict-affected communities. These funds enabled NGOs to respond to emergencies that otherwise remained unfunded. The office responded to a number of natural disasters, financing relief to hundreds of affected people through emergency cash grants, and helped government and humanitarian partners identify and respond to the needs of affected communities. The office also collaborated with UN agencies and NGOs to develop a contingency plan for Aceh prior to the declaration of the state of military emergency in the province. The process of developing the plan proved of greater value 116 OCHA Annual Report 2003

124 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD than the plan itself by strengthening interdepartmental cooperation at the provincial level. In cooperation with international organisations and NGOs, OCHA translated and disseminated the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the Manual on Field Practices in Internal Displacement, and issued a cartoon booklet called Mereka yang mengungsi ( Those who are Displaced ). The wide distribution of these texts has resulted in a high degree of awareness of their rights among displaced people. The office also developed a CD-Rom ( Hear Our Voices ) to catalogue humanitarian success stories and positive impacts in crisis situations. OCHA took a lead in advocating for access to the conflict-affected population, especially in Maluku, when it was under the state of emergency, and in Aceh after the imposition of a state of military emergency. The office co-organised with the government a Follow-up Workshop on the Management of IDPs in Indonesia, in Sukabumi in June OCHA also supported the newly created Inter- Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Country Team for Indonesia, and led the Consolidated Appeals Process and the drafting of a Common Humanitarian Action Plan for Year in Review Close collaboration with the government, in particular on joint assessment missions and a joint workshop on IDP issues, were useful in reaching agreement on the number of remaining IDPs, significantly increasing the number of recognised beneficiaries. The workshop resulted in a commitment by provincial governments to address IDP problems with full respect for the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Joint assessment missions conducted with government and humanitarian partners provided first-hand information on the continuing humanitarian needs, while the weekly situation report has consistently been used by donors and other partners as a key point of reference for information on the humanitarian situation in the country. OCHA coordination meetings at local level and in Jakarta were recognised as instrumental in ensuring that agency and NGO programmes were mutually supportive and in line with the Common Humanitarian Action Plan. Combined high level-low profile advocacy efforts by the Humanitarian Coordinator and some ambassadors resulted at the end of the year in ensuring access if limited access - to Banda Aceh for UN expatriate staff, whereas NGOs expatriate staff are still unable to return. Although an improved situation in Maluku, North Maluku and Central Sulawesi allowed for increased collaboration between the government and international organisations, restrictions imposed on humanitarian access to Aceh after the declaration of a military emergency caused the temporary exclusion from the province of all international staff. A major problem arose with regard to the draft Consolidated Appeal for In view of the military emergency in Aceh, the government requested that all references to Aceh (and Papua) be deleted from the document. OCHA and the international organisations involved in the appeal process maintained, however, that the appeal document must maintain the principle of impartiality, and that reference to Aceh must remain. Government agreement to the release of the appeal was finally granted in March Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,664,776 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 1,079,640 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 1,166,810 Consultant Fees and Travel 7,441 Travel 131,055 Operating Expenses 110,217 Contractual Services 16,133 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 47,250 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 29,959 Programme Support Costs 198,171 Total Expenditure US $ 1,707, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

125 Iraq before the war. While the direct humanitarian consequences of the conflict were thankfully more limited than had been anticipated, the extensive preparedness measures allowed UN agencies to respond rapidly and effectively to a broad range of urgent needs during and immediately after the conflict. Context The economic sanctions imposed on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990 had a dramatic impact on the humanitarian situation. This was further exacerbated by the high number of IDPs, mainly in the northern Kurdish governorates, and of refugees, mainly in Iran. While the Oil-for-Food Programme (OFFP), established by the UN Security Council in 1995, provided an important lifeline for the Iraqi population, millions remained vulnerable and dependent on food rations and statesubsidised goods. As the prospects of another war in 2003 became imminent, there was a fear of significant numbers of new refugees and IDPs, widespread food insecurity and a potential public health crisis. The potential disruption of the inflow of humanitarian goods under the OFFP and the consequent interruption of essential services (from food rations and drug distribution to education and telecommunications) were just some of the challenges faced in the contingency planning and preparedness process that OCHA led in the run-up to the war. Access to vulnerable populations, civil-military relations and the security of humanitarian personnel had also been identified as key concerns Security became the biggest operational challenge for UN in Iraq in the months following the conflict, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating attack on the UN Headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August, in which 22 people died including three HIC staff members and many more were injured. The UN drastically reduced its international staff in Iraq after the attack and withdrew the remaining international staff in early November. Some 1,000 national staff continued essential assistance activities, security conditions permitting. After the phase-out of the Oil-for- Food programme in late November, the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator (UNOHCI) was fully integrated into the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Deputy SRSG was designated the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator. OCHA provided extensive support to UNOHCI and UNAMI throughout 2003, and also performed key coordination and support functions at UN headquarters. Objectives in 2003 Coordinate the efforts of the UN agencies in the contingency planning and emergency preparedness phase; support and reinforce Resident Coordinators offices in the countries surrounding Iraq before and during the conflict Establish and manage the Regional Humanitarian Coordination Office in Larnaca, Cyprus, where international staff were relocated from Iraq at the onset of the conflict (closed in July 2003) Promote information management through the establishment of a Humanitarian Information Centre 118 OCHA Annual Report 2003

126 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD Set up and oversee the UN Briefing Centre in Amman, Jordan, to inform the media on humanitarian issues resulting from the Iraq war (closed in April 2003) Promote the use of the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) to report impartially on the humanitarian issues in Iraq Support UNOHCI, UNAMI and other humanitarian coordination activities at HQ and in the field Activities In the build-up to the conflict in Iraq, OCHA spearheaded inter-agency contingency planning for the potential humanitarian consequences of the conflict, building on extensive work done by the IASC Reference Group for contingency planning. Working within the existing UN Office for the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI), OCHA provided staff and resources to adapt the office to the new realities, by helping to set up and fund regional area offices; and by providing the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Operations, expert civil-military liaison officers, IDP advisers and other humanitarian affairs officers. OCHA deployed an emergency team within 48 hours of the 19 August bombing of the Canal Hotel, providing critical support to the staff on the ground and in Amman. Outside Iraq, OCHA worked within UNAMI to implement the UN Secretary-General s vision of a fully integrated approach, including integrated sectoral strategies and integrated implementation teams. A Humanitarian Information Centre was established, as planned, initially in Cyprus (with sub-offices in neighbouring countries) and later in Iraq when security permitted. This development facilitated strategic decision-making in humanitarian operations through the different stages of the Iraq crisis. The HIC is in the process of transitioning coordination functions to UNAMI in early OCHA also provided funds for the establishment of an NGO Coordination Committee, a new body that is helping both local and international humanitarian NGOs working in the country. Year in Review OCHA s foremost contribution in the Iraq crisis has been to provide stability and continuity in the humanitarian effort for the Iraqi people through a turbulent Having integrated itself in UNOHCI, which was essentially geared towards running the Oil-for-Food Programme, OCHA adapted the profile of the main UN coordinating body for Iraq to cope with the very different humanitarian, political and security environment that emerged in Iraq in OCHA s extensive support to UNOHCI and UNAMI in 2003 played an essential role in ensuring humanitarian coordination functions were carried out with consistency and continuity through the various transitions Iraq witnessed, and continues to witness. As UNAMI is built up, OCHA will gradually seek to redefine its commitments in Iraq in order to specialise in those areas where it retains a comparative advantage, within the context of the integrated missions. The absence of international programme staff in Iraq since early November severely limited the level of humanitarian assistance that could be delivered. As a result, OCHA still has leftover funds from the Humanitarian Appeal of July Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 9,885,901 Income from Voluntary Contributions 8,479,543 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 1,475,754 Consultant Fees and Travel 471,408 Travel 750,862 Operating Expenses 226,333 Contractual Services 600 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 202,389 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 40,250 Programme Support Costs 411,787 Total Expenditure US $ 3,579,383 OCHA Annual Report

127 Regional Disaster Adviser Asia Context Asia has experienced nearly half of the world s major natural disasters such as floods, typhoons and earthquakes, and accounted for more than 90 per cent of the total population affected during the last decade. There is a need to strengthen regional capacity to respond to disasters and emergencies more effectively. A more integrated disaster management approach has been sought among regional stakeholders. The office of the Regional Disaster Response Adviser (RDRA) is based in Kobe, Japan, and acts a remote outpost of the Response Coordination Branch in Geneva. The office facilitates disaster response, promotes the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system and strengthens UN response capacity. It also supports national disaster preparedness in Asian countries in cooperation with regional stakeholders, particularly the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC). Objectives in 2003 Provide timely and appropriate support to United Nations Regional Coordinators (UNRCs) and United Nations Disaster Management Teams (UNDMTs) in response to disasters and emergencies in the region Lead or participate in UNDAC missions upon request, and facilitate the UNDAC Induction training course in Kobe Enhance the preparedness and response capacity of UN Country Teams, including UNRCs and UNDMTs, through workshops and training programmes; and promote the UNDAC system and the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Promote a more integrated approach to disaster risk management among UN agencies, governments, regional/international organisations and NGOs through workshops and training programmes Act as the head of the OCHA Kobe office, represent OCHA with the host government and related agencies, and provide support to OCHA workshops and meetings in the region Activities In 2003, OCHA responded to 24 natural disasters (13 floods/landslides, seven typhoons/storms, two earthquakes and two extremes of temperature) in the region. The RDRA s office alerted regional stakeholders and supported OCHA Geneva in issuing situation reports, disbursing emergency grants in nine cases, and mobilising one UNDAC mission. As a member of the UNDAC team, the RDRA participated in a mission to Sri Lanka following its worst floods in the last 50 years. In addition, the RDRA conducted missions to assess the flood situations in Nepal and Pakistan. 120 OCHA Annual Report 2003

128 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD The RDRA's office helped strengthen the response capacity of UNDMTs in Cambodia, Viet Nam and Mongolia through training workshops and technical advice in cooperation with UNDP and, particularly, with its Regional Disaster Reduction Adviser. In addition, it collaborated with the ADRC on the second Asian UNDAC Induction Course in Kobe, in which more than 30 participants, mainly from governments in Asia, received training. The RDRA s office promoted more integrated disaster management, in cooperation with the ADRC, through a regional training programme on Total Disaster Risk Management (TDRM) and an international conference on TDRM in Kobe. Participants in the two events included representatives from governments, UN agencies, NGOs and international/regional organisations. Workshops related to the TDRM approach were also held in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Viet Nam. The RDRA/Head of OCHA Kobe also took an active part in a number of events in Japan, including a workshop on civil-military cooperation in peace operations, a UNHCR workshop on refugee emergencies, and various workshops, training courses and seminars on disaster response and management. Year in Review There were several major regional events on disaster response and management in Kobe in 2003, including the UNDAC training course, the workshop and conference on TDRM, and the INSARAG regional meeting. The office of the RDRA facilitated these events and benefited from establishing contact with many regional stakeholders and developing networks in the region. As a next step, the plans and actions discussed in Kobe should be implemented at national and local level. In this regard, it is important that the RDRA office supports further training programmes for national and local entities, including NGOs and local communities, in disaster-prone countries in Asia. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 749,143 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 291,980 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 270,894 Consultant Fees and Travel - Travel 46,417 Operating Expenses 17,097 Contractual Services 3,600 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 17,909 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 2,089 Programme Support Costs 48,125 Total Expenditure US $ 406, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. Disaster response tools were provided to UNRCs, UNDMTs and governments in a timely manner. In addition, the RDRA s office supported training programmes on disaster response preparedness at the request of UNDMTs. However, the office was not able to meet all the requests due to the excessive demand for missions and tasks as a result of crises in the region. In this regard, OCHA is planning the appointment of another RDRA to cover South Asia, though the location of that office remains to be agreed. OCHA Annual Report

129 Regional Disaster Adviser - Pacific Context Natural disasters are a major cause of severe economic distress for the Pacific Island Countries. Other causes include international economic shocks and periodic violent conflict, such as the independence struggle in Bougainville and the ethnic unrest in Solomon Islands. Of a total population of 6.5 million, 90 per cent live in the countries that generally have the lowest development indicators and experience most of the disasters and conflict in the region. The office of the Regional Disaster Response Adviser (RDRA) for the Pacific is based in Suva, Fiji, and acts as a remote outpost of the Response Coordination Branch in Geneva. The RDRA s purpose is to facilitate disaster response, promote the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system, strengthen UN response capacity, and support national disaster preparedness in the island countries. Objectives in 2003 Ensure readiness to respond to emergencies and fulfil OCHA s humanitarian advocacy, aid mobilisation and coordination roles in the region Mobilise and lead UNDAC missions in the region; improve the effectiveness of this important response tool in the region through training and procedural improvements Continue to promote Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and the activities of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) in the Pacific, and organise a USAR Category 1 training of trainers course Build UN agency and wider donor support for effective early warning and contingency planning processes in the Pacific, including supporting the efforts of the Disaster Management Training Programme (DMTP) to build UN Country Team capacity to respond to emergencies, in cooperation with the National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) of the Pacific Island Countries Assist the disaster management capacitybuilding activities of key regional partners, including the Federation of the Red Cross and the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) Activities OCHA addressed the effects of nine disasters in the Pacific during 2003, including a series of three cyclones in Solomon Islands, and others in Fiji, New Caledonia and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Heavy rain caused a series of landslides in Papua New Guinea and American Samoa was also affected by a fatal landslide. The office in Suva mobilised the Pacific UNDAC Team 122 OCHA Annual Report 2003

130 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD twice: to Solomon Islands following Cyclone Zoë in January and to FSM for Typhoon Lupit in November. The RDRA also spent a month directly supporting the Fiji NDMO after Cyclone Ami devastated Vanualevu and the Lau Group in January. OCHA Emergency Grants were provided to Solomon Islands, Fiji and FSM. The RDRA designed a three-day UNDAC Pacific Development Meeting, run jointly with the Field Coordination Support Section, to address longstanding concerns over the effectiveness of the team. In the INSARAG Asia/ Pacific Meeting, the RDRA promoted more regional cooperation to create basic domestic USAR capacity in earthquake-prone developing countries. The RDRA also presented a proposal for a course to train USAR trainers in the Pacific Island Countries, to be run in Samoa during 2004, and supported the Asian UNDAC Induction Course in Kobe. The RDRA s office continued to build partnerships with key regional organisations. In particular, it initiated the Pacific Emergency Management Training Advisory Group (PEMTAG) with the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), the Asia Foundation (TAF) and the regional delegation of the International Federation. Although DMTP did not conduct any activities in the Pacific during 2003, the RDRA s office was actively involved in capacity-building at regional and national level. In particular, the RDRA supported efforts to develop a common approach to damage assessment and needs analysis in the Pacific islands through workshops in Tonga and Fiji. The RDRA also participated in the Cyclone Zoë lessons-learned workshop and conducted a review of the disaster management system in Cook Islands. A major activity was the highly successful Pacific Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict (PacPOC) workshop, organised jointly with the OCHA Policy Development and Studies Branch. The end of the conflict in Solomon Islands provided an opportunity to design a comprehensive project to strengthen national disaster risk management capacity, together with SOPAC and AusAID. Year in Review The RDRA s office continued to build its own effectiveness during 2003 through activities and training, and became an essential part of the Pacific disaster management system. It added significant value to the UN response to major disasters in the region, informing UN agencies and the wider international community about immediate relief and longer-term recovery needs. The RDRA s office faced difficulties during simultaneous disasters in the region. For instance, during the RDRA s deployment to Solomon Islands for a tropical cyclone in early January, Fiji was being hit by another. This demonstrates the need to strengthen the capacity of the RDRA s office, especially during the cyclone season, and greater support from headquarters in particular crisis situations. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 251,867 Income from Voluntary Contributions 115,680 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 118,298 Consultant Fees and Travel - Travel 46,872 Operating Expenses 12,545 Contractual Services (7,790) Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 5,200 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions (975) Programme Support Costs 25,407 Total Expenditure US $ 199,557 OCHA Annual Report

131 Tajikistan Develop a regional monitoring system focusing on the Ferghana Valley (straddling Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan) and on the impact of the Afghan crisis on Tajikistan Enhance emergency preparedness and early response coordination based on the experience of the Rapid Emergency Assessment and Coordination Team (REACT), which involves key international and local humanitarian actors as well as the Tajik government Develop and strengthen dialogue and cooperation between OCHA and development actors to ensure synergy in bridging the gap between relief and recovery Context In the aftermath of the five-year civil war in Tajikistan, the humanitarian situation remains volatile. Regional issues, including the ongoing instability in Afghanistan, border regime issues with Uzbekistan, drug trafficking and organised crime, remain major challenges for the poorest of the former Soviet Republics. The humanitarian situation is compounded by devastating earthquakes, landslides, mud flows, floods and avalanches. The drought left many vulnerable households with limited coping mechanisms. Over 83 per cent of the population lives below the national poverty line. Labour migration, particularly to Russia, has become a growing phenomenon; one in four households now has a family member working overseas. Gradual progress towards stability and development is apparent, but acute humanitarian needs and lack of local capacity (especially in relation to nutrition, food security, health, drinking water and disaster management) mean that Tajikistan remains heavily reliant on international assistance. Objectives in 2003 Improve coordination through enhanced multisectoral cooperation, and effective advocacy and lobbying on humanitarian needs Activities A Consolidated Appeal for Transition was prepared by OCHA, with the broad and active participation of humanitarian and development partners. Interagency projects in disaster management, HIV/AIDS and coordination were also included. The Tajik government released its first report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). OCHA provided support to many of the sectoral working groups, ensuring that humanitarian issues were incorporated. It also supported the preparation of the first Moving Mountains document, the UN assessment of development challenges in Tajikistan. In an effort to scale down OCHA involvement in Tajikistan, plans were formalised for the creation of a joint coordination unit supporting both the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator roles. A number of national and international development initiatives and frameworks, such as the Common Country Assessment and the UN Development Assistance Framework, were supported, with major inputs from OCHA. In addition, a joint UNDP and OCHA headquarters mission to Tajikistan provided the groundwork for the creation of a new UN Coordination Unit (OCHA/UNDP/DGO) from In November 2003, after extensive consultations with international partners over design and features, OCHA launched the UN Coordination Unit website. 124 OCHA Annual Report 2003

132 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD Given the nature of the expanding international assistance community in Tajikistan, OCHA developed a number of new information management /sharing tools. OCHA supported agency focal points to strengthen government involvement in coordination within and across sectors. New information products were developed, including regular one-page updates covering humanitarian and development issues, and circulated to a targeted distribution list of more than 3,000 recipients globally. OCHA was also a driving force behind the introduction of Geographical Information Systems in Tajikistan, as the use of GIS as a planning and management tool in humanitarian response in now increasing. A coordination group was established, together with local and international partners, to develop and promote standards. Resource sharing has been encouraged through the UN Coordination Unit website. OCHA is continuing to work with the Tajik government on mapping issues. REACT was mobilised and successfully responded to major flooding, landslide and avalanche incidents across the country. The scope of the team, established to coordinate disaster preparedness and response activities, was later expanded to include national capacity building and mitigation efforts. Membership now includes the Ministry of Emergency Situations, most major donors, many UN agencies, international organisations, NGOs and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. Timely needs identification and resource mobilisation helped avoid outbreaks of water-borne diseases and ensured longerterm assistance. OCHA worked with the Ministry of Health and WHO to coordinate the international community s response to a typhoid outbreak that struck the capital, Dushanbe, in November In the Ferghana Valley, OCHA staff participated in a NATO-led regional exercise in disaster management, and supported the establishment of a disaster management team in Uzbekistan. The office supported UN operations in Northern Afghanistan, facilitating cross-border assistance. OCHA also participated in a number of international initiatives on the Ferghana Valley involving regional cooperation in disaster m a n a gem en t, a l ong with regi onal mon i toring efforts. OCHA assisted the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator with high-level donor coordination efforts. Year in Review The gradual shift from humanitarian assistance to longer-term development in Tajikistan was boosted by inter-agency efforts in preparing the Transitional Consolidated Appeal for 2004, coordinated by OCHA. However, challenges remained in mobilising donor resources for humanitarian activities other than food assistance. The involvement of OCHA in the preparation of the Tajik government s first report on progress towards the MDGs, and the CCA and UNDAF, ensured that humanitarian issues were incorporated in these longer-term initiatives. The launch of the UN Coordination Unit website, which received over 7,000 hits in its first two months, enhanced information sharing among international and national partners across the relief-development spectrum. OCHA-led REACT mechanisms allowed for an increase in collaborative efforts between agencies in responding to numerous natural disasters through New partnerships with UNDP and the UN Development Group Office allowed for the creation of a new joint UN Coordination Unit, which will broaden and build on the coordination work of OCHA through Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 433,932 Income from Voluntary Contributions 334,331 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 252,254 Consultant Fees and Travel (1,647) Travel 16,094 Operating Expenses 47,954 Contractual Services (648) Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 27,519 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 7,208 Programme Support Costs 50,728 Total Expenditure US $ 399,462 OCHA Annual Report

133 Georgia Objectives in 2003 Ensure coordinated and effective humanitarian advocacy and information Ensure a smooth hand-over of remaining OCHA functions to UNDP, and continued humanitarian action and coordination Strengthen the Georgian Disaster Management Team (DMT), and facilitate the development of national response capacity Support the development of the government s IDP policy and advocacy, while handing over IDP New Approach coordination activities to UNDP Continue efforts to reduce the humanitarian impact of violent conflict Context The country has suffered a series of calamities in the last decade, including: civil war, major natural disasters, ethnic conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions, the internal displacement of some 300,000 people, an influx of refugees from Chechnya in the Pankisi Valley, and near-total socio-economic collapse. The consequences are still being felt today was a challenging year in Georgia, with political and economic uncertainties surrounding the November elections. The possibility of widespread violence added to the rising tensions. Fortunately, the peaceful outcome of the elections - later depicted as the Rose Revolution - revived some hope for the country s recovery and progress. The situation in Georgia remains volatile, with a combination of political, socio-economic and humanitarian challenges. These include: unresolved conflicts and the absence of a durable solution for hundreds of thousands of IDPs; instability in the Pankisi Valley and Chechnya; economic problems, poverty and unemployment, compounded by criminality and corruption. Many Georgians continue to need external support. Activities OCHA provided ad hoc briefings and presentations and published a variety of reports on the humanitarian situation and adequacy of responses. It continued its advocacy and coord i n a ti on activi ties by hosting regular meetings. In February, OCHA convened the first Humanitarian Situation and Strategy 2003 conference. It followed with a similar conference in November, focusing on 2004 activities. International and local actors praised these efforts, and the strategic documents developed became the key reference documents for the humanitarian community. In 2003, the Georgia office embarked on a gradual downsizing. OCHA also worked closely with the Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP on the transfer of most residual humanitarian coordination functions to UNDP by the end of In spring 2003, OCHA reduced the number of expatriate staff to one; by the end of 2003, the number of national staff was also halved. OCHA continued to work on issues related to the maintenance of the local DMT, including the consolidation of relevant activities, materials and strategies. By the end of 2003 the DMT was 126 OCHA Annual Report 2003

134 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD functional, with contingency plans for natural disaster and civil unrest scenarios, an operations coordination centre, a DMT assets inventory and contacts database, and a VHF radio network. OCHA was actively involved with UNDP in a joint IDP unit, which worked on national IDP policy development and studies on IDP rights and socioeconomic conditions. By the end of 2003, the IDP function was transferred to UNDP. OCHA continued its efforts towards reducing the impact of two conflicts by working closely with NGOs, international and regional organisations, donors, government bodies and the two respective de facto authorities to coordinate assistance, advocate for ongoing humanitarian needs, and facilitate analysis and information exchange. Year in Review The Rose Revolution affected almost every aspect of life in Georgia, including the international community s programme planning and implementation. The new government, although it immediately gained vital western approval and pledges of increased financial support, has not been fully functioning. Tensions escalated before the parliamentary elections and the international community experienced difficulty identifying relevant actors in various ministries and government agencies. For instance, OCHA was not able to get a Letter of Agreement signed on mutual cooperation in the DMT, because it could not identify the national counterpart. Despite the challenges, OCHA Georgia managed to fulfill all its objectives in The impact of the Humanitarian Strategy Document was positively perceived and the hand-over of humanitarian coordination and advocacy functions to UNDP was smooth. In anticipation of a possible outbreak of violence, OCHA and the Humanitarian Coordinator started a contingency planning process for the UN Country Team that was later finalised by the DMT. This innovative process to devise an Inter-agency Contingency Plan for a civil unrest scenario was a challenge for OCHA. Despite the limited time and human resources available, the plan was successfully developed. A persistently volatile and unpredictable situation after the November elections prompted the decision to keep the expatriate OCHA head of office for an additional three months. OCHA s hand-over of remaining functions to UNDP progressed in 2003, but is not without its difficulties. There are grey areas in the transition process including on humanitarian strategy, information, advocacy, NGO support and facilitation that will present greater problems towards the final stages of the hand-over. The preparation for the first Humanitarian Situation and Strategy Conference, for 2003, was complicated by the absence of a Consolidated Appeal process for several years before it. The second effort, for 2004, was better organised and had greater impact for having established mechanisms in place. Some of the major trends highlighted during both conferences - such as donor fatigue, threats of a massive reduction in assistance or even suspension of some support, with all the humanitarian repercussions this would have had no longer apply. After the unexpectedly smooth political transition, the key donors actually pledged more substantial support to Georgia, and this is likely to materialise in Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 397,466 Income from Voluntary Contributions 100,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 226,346 Consultant Fees and Travel (11,898) Travel (30,478) Operating Expenses 11,110 Contractual Services (14,683) Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 8,079 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 1,187 Programme Support Costs 27,260 Total Expenditure US $ 216,923 OCHA Annual Report

135 Russian Federation Chechnya and the North Caucasus, including coordination of advocacy and policy development Enhance natural disaster capacity and monitoring; report to relevant donors, UN agencies and NGOs on response needs, and mobilise resources Strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Emergencies in the Russian Federation (EMERCOM) Context More than four years after the resumption of hostilities in Chechnya, the Russian government proceeded with plans to normalise the situation in the republic, holding a referendum on a constitution and presidential elections in IDPs in neighbouring Ingushetia returned to Chechnya in increasing numbers despite persistent insecurity and a dire economic situation. However, ensuring the rights of IDPs to voluntary return and alternative shelter continued to be a challenge. Many aid organisations shifted the focus of their operations inside Chechnya to meet the needs of populations there, including those of returnees. There is an urgent need to provide safe and unhindered access to people in need and a secure environment for aid workers. Objectives in 2003 Advocate the protection of IDPs Negotiate secure conditions for operations within Chechnya Promote a coherent international and local humanitarian response to the crisis in Activities In 2003, OCHA undertook enhanced negotiations with the government of the Russian Federation on behalf of the humanitarian community to establish secure conditions for operations in Chechnya, including permission to use VHF communications equipment and increased access to civilians in need. OCHA and UNHCR, in liaison with donor countries, also led efforts to increase understanding of and respect for the rights of IDPs, including the right to safe haven, voluntary return and alternative shelter. The office also used its contacts to advocate the release of Arjan Erkel, the MSF Head of Mission abducted in August OCHA facilitated the Consolidated Appeals Process, which, for the first time, included NGOs as fully participating and appealing organisations. In doing so, it liaised extensively with UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, international organisations, NGOs and donors. It also convened general and sectoral meetings to ensure enhanced coordination and better information-sharing. The office was responsible for supporting response to natural disasters and strengthening relations with EMERCOM. OCHA monitored the occurrence and consequences of natural disasters in the Russian Federation, and maintained working level contacts with the ministry while facilitating high-level discussions on OCHA- EMERCOM cooperation in Russia and abroad. 128 OCHA Annual Report 2003

136 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD During 2003, the office was successful in implementing a participatory approach to key humanitarian issues at field level. The Consolidated Appeal document for Chechnya and neighbouring republics was more inclusive than ever, including projects by UN agencies and NGOs, and an annex from the ICRC outlining its activities and financial requirements for the following year. Regular coordination meetings were held in Ingushetia and Moscow. Donor meetings, missions and liaison ensured that donor embassies were well informed about the humanitarian situation in the North Caucasus. As a result of OCHA-led negotiations with the Russian Federation, access to Chechnya was significantly improved in However, the operating environment continued to be extremely difficult. Permission to use VHF communications did not materialise, though, after four years of deadlock, the possibility of obtaining an agreement with the government on this issue may now be within reach. Advocacy efforts by OCHA and other UN agencies, in addition to statements and démarches from donor embassies, led to increased understanding of and respect for voluntary returns among government officials, and increased options for Chechen IDPs to remain in Ingushetia. Local bans on the construction and use of alternative shelter in Ingushetia were subsequently lifted (in February 2004), through regular contact with government officials. However, in order to ensure effective monitoring of humanitarian programmes, will explore the possibility of opening an OCHA office in Grozny as soon as the security situation permits. Other problems remain, such as the Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on humanitarian goods OCHA continues its efforts to strengthen relations with the government at all levels, and to increase information sharing and promote a common understanding of humanitarian issues and concerns. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 1,431,530 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1,090,114 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 825,131 Consultant Fees and Travel 42,548 Travel 206,336 Operating Expenses 186,053 Contractual Services 79,480 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 63,709 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 41,701 Programme Support Costs 197,597 Total Expenditure US $ 1,642,555 Year in Review OCHA remained engaged with the Russian authorities at all levels to advocate for the protection of IDPs and other vulnerable populations in the region. There continued to be a discrepancy between policy statements at the federal level and the reality on the ground with respect to the rights of IDPs and the operating environment. OCHA Annual Report

137 Southeastern Europe uncertainty and tension in the months and years ahead. In this context, OCHA maintained small offices in Belgrade, Pristina, Sarajevo and Skopje in progressively handing over remaining humanitarian coordination functions and providing continuity as more developmentoriented planning processes and coordination structures were introduced. OCHA s four offices in Southeastern Europe closed on 31 December Context As peace processes took hold and regional stability improved throughout Southeastern Europe in 2003, OCHA continued to adapt its coordination, advocacy and information activities to support the transitional challenge of matching humanitarian concerns with development priorities. As a sign of this progress, 2003 was the first year in a decade in which the UN did not issue a Consolidated Appeal. Key improvements during the year included: greater security in Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; large-scale minority returns in Bosnia and Herzegovina; increased returns in Kosovo; and strengthened ties within the region, as well as with the European institutions. Despite improvement, governments and humanitarian agencies still face the prospect of finding durable solutions for nearly one million displaced people. The political and development situation also remains complex, with several possible fault-lines. High levels of human suffering persist as a result of socioeconomic problems and weak rule of law. Small arms throughout the region and the presence of landmines, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, continue to present significant risks. Ongoing political divides, especially with regard to final status questions of Kosovo as well the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, will continue to create Objectives in 2003 Work with Resident Coordinators and the UNDP to facilitate a rationale phase-out of OCHA support, and transfer of residual humanitarian monitoring and necessary functions to development-focused partners Promote IDP Guiding Principles through continued liaison with governments, NGOs, UN agencies and other organisations Improve emergency preparedness for natural and man-made disasters, working with UN Disaster Management Teams, governments and regional bodies Activities At the beginning of 2003, OCHA s offices in Belgrade, Pristina, Sarajevo and Skopje were incorporated into the Offices of the Resident Coordinators, to facilitate the hand-over of residual humanitarian coordination and information functions. OCHA supported Resident Coordinators by facilitating, chairing and participating in humanitarian focus meetings, and progressively incorporating residual concerns into development fora. It undertook missions to areas plagued by high levels of ethnic tensions (Sandjak, southern Serbia, former conflict areas in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), to inform planning processes and to advocate that urgent needs be addressed. OCHA also coordinated the compilation of Humanitarian Situation and Strategies reports to review progress, obstacles and continued challenges in the humanitarian sphere. 130 OCHA Annual Report 2003

138 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD It further provided support for development planning processes, including the Common Country Assessment/ UN Development Assistance Framework and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, particularly focusing on the inclusion of vulnerable groups such as refugees, IDPs and the Roma people. Other activities included: facilitation workshops in Kosovo and Montenegro on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement; participation in the Belgrade IDP Working Group; leading an analysis of legislative gaps in providing for the rights of IDPs, and drafting elements for an IDP Policy in collaboration with UNHCR, OHCHR, ICRC and others; support to the development of a Who s Who database of contacts and activities related to IDPs; and the production of a tri-lingual (Serbian, Albanian, English), crossboundary IDP Bulletin, in close collaboration with the UNHCR Belgrade IDP Unit. In an effort to improve natural disaster preparedness, OCHA co-organised and facilitated a number of Disaster Management Training Programme workshops in Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, it provided support for the formation, planning and secretariat functions of the Disaster Management Team in Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. OCHA also assisted contingency planning and other activities related to disaster legislation, preparedness and response. Year in Review Small offices, staffed principally by national officers provided continuity during the complex period of transition in the Balkans. OCHA staff served as humanitarian focal points. In addition to supporting monitoring, reporting and advocacy on the humanitarian situation, they provided a transitional bridge from humanitarian to development actors and processes. OCHA organised a regional meeting, which included OCHA, Resident Coordinators, the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and the UN Development Group, in agreeing the final handover modalities and drawing lessons from the transition praxis in the Balkans. An important conclusion of that meeting was the need for the UN system to work to institutionalise hand-over arrangements as early as possible, and to ensure adequate resources for Resident Coordinators to absorb residual humanitarian monitoring, reporting and coordination functions. In Belgrade, a dedicated IDP adviser during the first half of 2003, advanced work on awarenessraising and policy issues, pushing forward a rightsbased approach to displacement and helping to depoliticise a highly sensitive issue. Momentum on this work slowed after the departure of the adviser and as OCHA continued to down-scale. OCHA s progressive hand-over of IDP information, coordination and advocacy to UN and NGO partners ensured continued attention to priority areas. Extra attention and support for increasing cross boundary understanding with governments as well as with the UN and civil society is still needed to find durable solutions for IDPs. The formation of Disaster Management Teams helped support preparedness and contingency planning for the possibility of renewed conflict as well as natural disasters. Additional strengthening of emergency response preparedness is required to alleviate the need for international intervention for natural, technological or manmade crises in the future. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 563,116 Income from Voluntary Contributions 10,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 475,209 Consultant Fees and Travel 9,797 Travel 31,656 Operating Expenses 79,428 Contractual Services 9,787 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 4,937 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 10,902 Programme Support Costs 87,334 Total Expenditure US $ 709,050 OCHA Annual Report

139 Colombia their communities. In the absence of alternative income sources, the ongoing fumigation of drug crops has contributed to increased vulnerability, especially among the indigenous population. Generally, the UN in Colombia does not provide direct emergency relief; rather, it enhances the institutional capacities of government, NGO and IDP groups responding to the crisis. OCHA s role is to provide technical support to UNHCR s coordination with government bodies and other humanitarian actors, within the mandate of the UN Thematic Group on IDPs. Context The humanitarian situation in Colombia is grave, especially but not exclusively among people internally displaced by the country s complex and long-running armed conflict. The internecine fighting involves two main guerrilla groups of the far left, various paramilitary groups of the far right, and the government s armed forces. Many of the armed groups are also involved in the illicit drug trade. During 2003, a section of the paramilitary forces reached an agreement with the government and started to demobilise, but there have been strong objections to a process in which people suspected of major crimes have received pardons or other judicial concessions. At the same time, hostile engagements between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and the government increased in number and intensity. Violence, massacres, political assassinations and kidnappings continued unabated. Colombia, with over two million IDPs, continues to have one of the biggest displaced populations in the world. While the rate of displacement decreased in 2003, the vulnerable population increased overall. This has been attributed to a change in tactics by armed groups, who have resorted to sieges and blockades to stop large numbers of civilians fleeing Objectives in 2003 Finalise and implement the Humanitarian Action Plan and help set up local UN Thematic Groups Strengthen the information management centre to meet the growing demand for coordinated information; promote awareness of Colombia s IDP crisis Coordinate the UN Rapid Response System Facilitate efforts to set up and implement a Fund for Rapid Response, aimed at enabling UN agencies to meet the critical needs of vulnerable populations Activities OCHA coordinated the Humanitarian Action Plan, which draws on the inputs of all sectors of civil society, government and the UN system. The Humanitarian Action Plan was finalised, presented to the international community in Geneva early in the year and subsequently implemented. OCHA also coordinated the formulation of the Humanitarian Action Plan for the Chocó area, on the Pacific Coast, the poorest region in the country; and a first draft of the Plan for the Magdalena Medio Region. The Chocó plan was 80 per cent implemented by the end of In August 2003, together with UNHCR and under the general supervision of the Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA began to review the Humanitarian Action Plan and work on phase two. 132 OCHA Annual Report 2003

140 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD That started with a workshop on the methodology of the Consolidated Appeals Process, directed mainly at government officials. There were also extensive consultations in December to prepare for regional workshops in Under the direct supervision of OCHA, the Humanitarian Situation Room (HSR) was established as the main clearing-house for humanitarian information. This inter-agency initiative expanded the circulation of its products tenfold, and substantially improved the quality and quantity of information available to the humanitarian community. The HSR now distributes reports in 10 countries in the Americas and Europe. Its reports are also posted on ReliefWeb. Among the HSR products is a new humanitarian database of organisations and projects. While it is still being developed, it is already the largest in Colombia. By the end of 2003, it had received major contributions from the government, ICRC, the UN system and NGOs. The HSR also offers free mapping services and technical fact sheets. Another initiative, the Humanitarian Alliance, launched in July 2003, aims to raise awareness of and find common solutions to the IDP crisis in Colombia. It encompasses all civilian sectors in the country, including the government, UN agencies, NGOs, private enterprise, labour unions, academics, media and IDP organisations. In an effort to ensure an effective UN response in the event of natural disaster, an earthquake drill was organised in Bogotá in October, with the collaboration of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team and the United States Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. The drill revealed the need for better coordination on the part of the Colombian authorities. The office also supported a workshop on contingency planning, organised by the OCHA Regional Disaster Adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean. A UN technical team was created (reporting directly to the Disaster Management Team) and immediately began to draft a UN Natural Disasters Contingency Plan for Colombia. This is scheduled for completion in OCHA facilitated the establishment of a Rapid Response Fund, and administered it. Decisions on the allocation of funds are taken by the inter-agency Thematic Group on Displacement. Thirteen projects were funded up to December 2003, helping UN agencies meet the critical needs of vulnerable populations. Year in Review Implementing phase two of the Humanitarian Action Plan will demand enhanced coordination and cooperation among UN agencies, and fluid dialogue and collaboration with state bodies, the ICRC, Colombia Red Cross, the Catholic Church, and international and national NGOs on the ground. The coordination partnership of OCHA and UNHCR has become broadly recognised for its lead role in humanitarian coordination and information in Colombia, but reinforcement of the coordination structure (in terms of equipment and human resources) should be considered. Affected populations require an expanded presence in the field from both the UN system and national civil institutions monitoring the government s response to needs. Whether permanent or in the shape of mobile teams, such a presence will be central to response operations. OCHA s experience should prove invaluable in this regard. OCHA s experience in information management has been essential in extracting maximum efficiency within existing constraints. The HSR is providing excellent products with scarce resources, but its range of products and their circulation should be expanded. Humanitarian access and the safety of humanitarian staff continue to be major concerns. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 549,815 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 341,642 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 402,273 Consultant Fees and Travel 12,252 Travel 44,234 Operating Expenses 26,662 Contractual Services 528 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 5,748 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 20,266 Programme Support Costs 70,934 Total Expenditure US $ 582, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

141 Regional Disaster Adviser Latin America and the Caribbean Damage and Needs Assessments (EDAN) workshops, and simulation exercises Strengthen relations and contacts with regional actors to institutionalise effective information exchange Maintain a high level of preparedness to activate OCHA s response tools, in order to rapidly respond to a major emergency or natural disaster in the region. Context The OCHA office of the Regional Disaster Response Adviser (RDRA) for Latin America and the Caribbean was established in September 1999 in Quito, Ecuador. In July 2003, the office was relocated to Panama to give close access to regional counterparts and partners, and because of geographic advantages, in order to improve the quality of its services to the UN system and humanitarian partners in 33 countries. The RDRA promotes the strengthening of the emergency preparedness and response capacity of the UN Country Teams and their coordination with national and regional counterparts; the presence of UNDP, WFP, UNICEF and IFRC emergency advisers and regional offices in Panama offered better opportunity for regional coordination. Objectives in 2003 Strengthen the preparedness and response capacities of UN Country Teams and humanitarian partners in the region for natural disasters, especially through interagency contingency planning workshops, Activities In an effort to improve the preparedness and response capacities of UN Country Teams, the office of the RDRA organised Inter-agency Contingency Plan workshops in Colombia and Peru, and follow-ups of prior workshops in Haiti and Nicaragua, to evaluate the plans for those countries. It worked with the UN Country Teams in Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras to plan for contingency planning workshops in In conjunction with the US Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, the RDRA s office also organised Damage and Needs Assessment workshops in Ecuador and Nicaragua. After the office of the RDRA relocated to Panama City in July 2003, it initiated the first meeting on natural disasters mitigation with UNDP, UNICEF, WFP and IFRC, and proposed the establishment of the regional interagency disaster management group. It also strengthened its working relationship with the Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC). In order to maintain OCHA s emergency response mechanisms, the RDRA s office helped organise the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Induction Course in Ecuador, and participated in UNDAC national capacity evaluation missions in Colombia and Guatemala. After these missions, the RDRA further developed the methodology for the UNDAC response capacity evaluation. 134 OCHA Annual Report 2003

142 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD The RDRA also participated in the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) regional group meeting in Costa Rica, which allowed it improve its contacts and promote OCHA s mandate in relation to regional disaster response. Year in Review The RDRA s initial objectives for 2003 were successfully achieved, but challenges remained in harnessing full inter-agency cooperation for emergency preparedness and response while also allowing individual agencies focus on their core operations. In addition to these external factors, the office itself needs to overcome some difficulties in order to improve the quality of services provided. Among these requirements are: continued promotion of the Interagency Contingency Plans to other UN agencies and UN Country Teams; and, better intra-agency coordination with OCHA New York and OCHA Geneva in order to provide better service to the UN Country Teams in the region. A clearly defined tactical positioning and strategic direction of the RDRA s office, in line with OCHA s global mid-to-long range strategic plans, would also be an advantage not only to improve day-to-day operations but also its relations with external humanitarian partners in the region. A standardised UN Country Team training module would also be useful, to help fully integrate the effective use of technologies such as the internet and CD-Roms, as would development of an inter-agency contingency mechanism for humanitarian crises (both natural disaster- and conflict-related), especially, but not exclusively, for countries like Colombia, Haiti and Bolivia. Requirements, Income and Expenditure Breakdown 2003 Requirements 348,735 Income from Voluntary Contributions 1 289,000 EXPENDITURE Staff Costs 94,749 Consultant Fees and Travel - Travel 16,200 Operating Expenses 18,400 Contractual Services 3,600 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 9,400 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 800 Programme Support Costs 18,609 Total Expenditure US $ 161, Includes allocations from Field Coordination Reserve Fund. OCHA Annual Report

143 Afghanistan and the AETF Kunduz, Gardez, Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif were absorbed by UNAMA from 1 July Management of the aircraft operation had already been transferred to WFP in January MAPA was handed over to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in June It was agreed that all mine action funds in the AETF would be transferred to UNMAS. The budgeted cost for the salaries of six international and 27 local mine action staff on UNOCHA s payroll was also transferred to UNMAS. The Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund (AETF) was created by the Secretary-General in 1988 to provide humanitarian and economic assistance to the people of Afghanistan. For almost 14 years the fund was managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan. UNOCHA had coordination offices in different regions of Afghanistan, as well as in Islamabad (Pakistan) and Termez (Uzbekistan). It also managed an aircraft operation to link its various offices, and to provide services to other UN agencies, NGOs and journalists travelling to Afghanistan; and had a communications network providing a 24-hour link between UNOCHA offices. UNOCHA also managed the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA), implemented by several local and international NGO contractors; and funded small, quick-impact emergency projects through NGOs. With the creation of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) in March 2002, United Nations activities in Afghanistan were integrated under the leadership of the Special Representative for Afghanistan. This led to the gradual absorption of UNOCHA s functions and capacities. A total of 115 UNOCHA staff members and eight field offices in Bamyan, Faizabad/ UNOCHA officially closed on 31 December 2002 (though the UNOCHA office in Termez continued to be supported by OCHA during 2003 and was taken over by UNDP Afghanistan as of 2004). From 1 January 2003, a small liquidation team operated out of Afghanistan to handle residual matters such as the disposal of UNOCHA s inventory, the payment of separation packages to eligible staff members and the settlement of outstanding payables and receivables. UNAMA, OCHA Geneva and OCHA New York supported the team in accomplishing this challenging task. The liquidation team set about preparing a comprehensive database of all inventory that was either purchased by UNOCHA or received as an in-kind donation since the beginning. Historical records were gathered from UNOCHA s files and physical checks of all UNOCHA offices in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, as well as NGOs that worked in collaboration with UNOCHA, were carried out by the team to make this database as accurate as possible. The result was a database of 13,034 assets valued at US$40,853,478. Of these: 5,859 assets valued at US$22,736,105 were transferred to other UN missions or agencies; 200 assets valued at US$387,947 were donated to the Interim Afghan Authority; and, 6,975 assets valued at US$17,729,426 were written-off with the approval of the United Nations Local Property Survey Board, due to 136 OCHA Annual Report 2003

144 APPENDIX / AFGHANISTAN AND THE AETF wear and tear or loss through looting, theft or destruction. A total of US$778,646 was paid in separation packages (termination indemnities), with the approval of the Department of Management, to 16 locally recruited and four internationally recruited staff members of UNOCHA who could not be absorbed by UNAMA or some other UN organisation. The team ensured settlement of all outstanding obligations of UNOCHA and communication of its closure to vendors and service providers. Keen efforts were made to make collections on the outstanding receivables and advances of UNOCHA; only 13 cases to a total value of US$13, were deemed irrecoverable. These were written-off with the Controller s approval. The liquidation team concluded its mission on 31 December OCHA Administration of the AETF and the OCHA/UNAMA MOU During the period of transition from UNOCHA to UNAMA (from March to December 2002), administration of the AETF gradually became the responsibility of OCHA s Administrative Office in Geneva. OCHA SUPPORT TO UNAMA Sector Distribution Capacity Building in Humanitarian and Recovery Coordination 8,400,000 Information Management, Monitoring and Analysis 2,000,000 Disaster Preparedness and Response 4,000,000 Mine Action 3,000,000 AETF management in Afghanistan 2,600,000 TOTAL US $ 20,000,000 In September 2002, the Netherlands signed an agreement with OCHA to provide 7.8 million euro to support NGO relief and rehabilitation activities in Afghanistan. The implementation period of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU1) is from 1 August 2002 to 30 June As of 31 December 2003, a total of US$7,625, had been allocated by UNAMA to 38 projects. By the end of 2002, it was estimated that US$24 million would remain unused after all the obligations of UNOCHA had been liquidated. Keeping foremost the intent of the donors and the needs of the people of Afghanistan, OCHA and UNAMA decided to develop proposals for the most desirable use of these resources. All proposals were based on the original mandate of the AETF, which is to provide humanitarian and economic assistance for the people of Afghanistan. In September 2003, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU2) was signed by OCHA and UNAMA for the application of US$20 million to five different areas. This MOU became effective from 1 September The completion of project activities is envisaged by 31 August Financial Analysis of the AETF for the biennium With the creation of UNAMA, and the transfer of the aircraft operation and MAPA, income in the AETF has been used to fund other OCHA-Afghanistan related activities. Of the total contributions of US$28,253,588 during , only US$6,785,989 was received in 2003 (income related to the Netherlands MOU1). Donor contributions to the AETF will not be sought in the future. STATEMENT OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE SUMMARY OF THE AFGHANISTAN TRUST FUNDS Summary Opening balance 30,121,648 2 Adjustments 3 Income from Contributions 28,253,588 4 Other funds available 4,729,679 5 Total funds available 63,104,915 6 Expenditure 23,952,016 7 Transfers, refunds, savings (3,614,896) 8 Closing balance 35,538,003 The terms used in these tables are as explained in the notes below: 1. Opening Balance: the situation of each Trust fund as of 1 January Adjustments: adjustments to prior period income and expenditure 3. Income from Contributions: all contributions received from donors in the biennium Other funds available: interest and miscellaneous income and currency exchange adjustments for the biennium Total funds available: opening balance plus income (sum of ) 6. Expenditure: disbursements and unliquidated obligations as of 31 December Transfers: transfers between Trust Funds, refunds to donors and savings on prior period obligations. 8. Closing balance: operating cash reserves and fund balances as of 31 December OCHA Annual Report

145 Income and Expenditure Breakdown TOTAL Income from Voluntary Contributions 21,467,599 6,785,989 28,253,588 EXPENDITURES Staff Costs 7,192,151 2,528,257 9,720,408 Consultant Fees and Travel Travel 1,683, ,220 2,149,427 Operating Expenses 2,097, ,978 2,651,395 Contractual Services 1,785,714 2,343,119 4,128,833 Supplies, Material, Furniture and Equipment 3,302, ,275 3,588,573 Fellowships, Grants and Contributions 94,246 21, ,982 Programme Support Costs 1,292, ,780 1,597,398 Total Expenditure US $ 17,447,651 US $ 6,504,365 US $ 23,952,016 As all UNOCHA-implemented programme activities ended in 2002, expenditures in 2003 were well down on the previous year: US$17,447,651 and US$6,504,365 were recorded as expenditure in 2002 and 2003, respectively. After the funds reserved for MOU1 and MOU2 with UNAMA, OCHA has some US$5.3 million for future programming. This has been set aside as a contingency fund for natural disasters or other emergency use in Afghanistan. The fund balance at the end of the period is US$35,538,003. The commitments and obligations existing against the fund as at 31 December 2003 are detailed below: Reserves and Fund Balances as at 31 December ,538,003 Impact of Administrative and Financial Activities during The transition from UNOCHA to UNAMA in the field and UNOCHA to OCHA at headquarters level was completed, and a 15-year presence in the field liquidated. Two important agreements between OCHA and UNAMA were finalised, in line with the mandate of the AETF, to provide economic and humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan. IRIN s Afghanistan operation was also supported financially. As trustee of the fund, OCHA retains responsibility for reporting on the AETF. Remaining Commitment against MOU1 with UNAMA 6,828,706 Commitment against MOU2 with UNAMA 20,000,000 Outstanding advances with Mine Action NGOs 1,640,880 Unallocated Mine Action Funds to be Transferred to UNMAS 1,349,118 Other outstanding advances 354,764 30,173,468 Balance of funds for other activities in 2004 US $ 5,364, OCHA Annual Report 2003

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