OCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Published purpose

March 2020 – In response to the COVID19 global pandemic, the United Nations launched the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) on 25 March 2020. The GHRP seeks to respond to the direct public health and immediate humanitarian consequences of the pandemic. It has three strategic priorities: 1) containing the spread of the pandemic; 2) decreasing the deterioration of human assets and rights, social cohesion and livelihoods; and 3) protecting, assisting and advocating for refugees, internally displaced people, migrants and host communities particularly vulnerable to the pandemic. The GHRP is a joint and collective effort among all stakeholders, facilitated at the global level by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). As leader of the Inter-agency Steering Committee, OCHA works to oversee the global level coordination, and liaise with other stakeholders, such as the UN Crisis Management Team, as needed. OCHA’s primary mandate is to oversee the coordination of international humanitarian responses, in partnership with national and international actors, in order to achieve more coherent and effective humanitarian action. This grant represents Canada’s support to OCHA in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Ukraine and Pakistan.. With the support of Canada and other donors, OCHA fulfills its mandate by: (1) strengthening humanitarian leadership; (2) establishing and overseeing coordination systems; (3) monitoring and reporting on humanitarian situations; (4) advocating on behalf of affected people; (5) supporting the assessment and prioritization of humanitarian needs and strategic planning; (6) promoting emergency preparedness; and (7) mobilizing funding for humanitarian assistance.