Helping Others : UN & Humanitarian Aid Coordinating...

Helping Others : UN & Humanitarian Aid

Coordinating Humanitarian Relief Operations 

The United Nations is relied upon by the international community to coordinate humanitarian relief operations due to natural and man-made disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of national authorities alone. 

·         What We Do : Deliver Humanitarian Aid

·         Key Issues : Humanitarian Assistance

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of the UN Secretariat is responsible for coordinating responses to emergencies. 

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is one of the fastest and most effective ways to support rapid humanitarian response for people affected by natural disasters and armed conflict. CERF receives voluntary contributions year-round to provide immediate funding for life-saving humanitarian action anywhere in the world. 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the agency responsible for operational activities for natural disaster mitigation, prevention and preparedness. 

Other UN entities have primary roles in the delivery of relief assistance. 

·         United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

·         United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

·         World Food Programme (WFP)

World Humanitarian Summit

The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, (WHS) set to take place in Istanbul on 23-24 May 2016, is a global call to action by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

·         Report of the Secretary-General for the World Humanitarian Summit

Background information on what led to WHS and related documents can by found on the Library’s FAQ: What is the World Humanitarian Summit?

Photo Credits : In Madaya, Syria, local community members help offload and distribute humanitarian aid supplies.( Photo: WFP/Hussam Al Saleh)/After Nepal earthquake Akriti Tamang, 8, searches for her books amid the rubble and ruins of her destroyed home.(Photo: UNICEF/Chandra Shekhar Karki)/Flooded streets of Obando, Bulacan during the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009.(Photo: Eliot Avena/UNDP Philippines)