OCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Published purpose

The Field Offices of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have the responsibility for inter-agency coordination in humanitarian emergencies as well as the coordination of emergency relief. OCHA Field Offices are located in 43 countries, maintaining nearly 50 field offices, six regional offices and 15 Regional Disaster Response Advisors (RDRA). Field Offices are a key component of OCHA's humanitarian response by providing crucial humanitarian assistance and coordination in the acute emergency phase of a crisis. Support to OCHA's 50 Field Offices ensures that immediate coordination, dissemination of information related to current humanitarian crises and humanitarian action with governments, UN Agencies, non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is maintained. Fully operational and effective clusters are expected to be implemented in response to current humanitarian emergencies and the facilitation of timely applications for the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) are to be sustained. Coordination of critical humanitarian assistance is to be undertaken in 14 countries throughout Africa experiencing humanitarian emergencies, with specific focus on large-scale humanitarian emergencies in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as rapidly escalating needs in the Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia. In addition, support to the scaling up of operations in Iraq, coordinated through the Iraq Field Office in Amman, address the deteriorating conditions and obstruction of access to basic services.