United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Org type	Secretariat office
Status	Active
Headquarters	New York, United States Geneva, Switzerland

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a special part of the United Nations (UN). It was created in December 1991. Its main job is to help coordinate how the world responds to big emergencies. This includes complex situations and natural disasters like earthquakes or floods. OCHA took over from an older group called the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO).

A group called the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) was also set up around that time. In 1998, it joined with OCHA. This made OCHA the main place for the UN to focus on major disasters. OCHA's role grew to include coordinating help, developing plans, and speaking up for people in need. They also help manage money for aid, share important information, and get quick-response teams ready for emergencies.

OCHA is led by a person called the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC). This leader is chosen for five years. Since October 2024, Thomas Fletcher from the United Kingdom has held this important role.

OCHA helped organize the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. It also takes part in meetings with the United Nations Development Group.

Helping People Around the World
- Who Works at OCHA?
- Where Are OCHA's Offices?
What OCHA Does to Help
- Key Achievements in 2023
New Ideas in Humanitarian Work
International Calling Code
Related Topics
See also

Helping People Around the World

OCHA works to make sure help gets to people who need it most. They have staff and offices in many countries.

Who Works at OCHA?

OCHA is led by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Thomas Fletcher. OCHA has two main offices, one in New York and one in Geneva. They also have six regional offices and 34 country offices. Plus, there are 20 teams of humanitarian advisers.

As of June 2016, OCHA had about 2,300 staff members. These staff work in over 60 countries all around the world.

Where Are OCHA's Offices?

OCHA has major offices in many countries across all continents. Some of these include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Other offices are in Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Palestinian territories, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

Regional offices are located in places like Panama City, Dakar, Cairo, Johannesburg, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. OCHA also has staff in New York and Geneva who help with connections and support.

After the 2020 Beirut explosions, Najat Rochdi helped coordinate OCHA's efforts in Lebanon.

What OCHA Does to Help

OCHA offers many services to carry out its mission. Here are some of the main ones:

The New Humanitarian: This used to be called IRIN. It was a news service that shared information and analysis about humanitarian situations. Since 2015, it has been an independent news service.
INSARAG: This stands for the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group. They help coordinate search and rescue teams during disasters.
ReliefWeb: This is a very important website. It provides up-to-date information on global crises and disasters 24/7. You can find reports, maps, videos, and even job openings for people who want to help. ReliefWeb started in 1996.
Central Emergency Response Fund: This is a special fund created by the UN in 2006. It helps get money quickly to emergencies. This fund helps save lives, respond to urgent needs, and support areas that don't get enough funding.
Humanitarian Reform: This is about making humanitarian help better. It aims for more predictable aid, clearer responsibility, and stronger partnerships.
Who Does What Where (3W) Database: When a disaster happens, it's important to know who is doing what and where. This database helps manage information efficiently. It shows which organizations are doing which activities in which locations. This helps make sure people get the right help at the right time.
Common and Fundamental Operational Datasets (CODs): These are important sets of information that help humanitarian workers. They are like standard maps or facts that everyone can use. You can find many of these on the Humanitarian Data Exchange website.
Civil Military Coordination (UN-CMCoord) Course: Since 2004, OCHA has worked with the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance. They offer training courses to help civilian aid groups and military forces work together during emergencies. This training helps about 30 experts learn how to coordinate effectively in the field.
OCHA in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt): OCHA opened an office here in 2002. It supports international efforts to help with the difficult humanitarian situation in the oPt.
Global Humanitarian Overview: Since 2015, OCHA has produced annual reports called the Global Humanitarian Overview. These reports give a big picture of humanitarian needs around the world.
Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks: Since 2015, OCHA has acted as the main organizer for these important meetings.

Key Achievements in 2023

In 2023, OCHA successfully coordinated many important humanitarian efforts. For example, in Ukraine, they helped get almost $3.7 billion in support. The Central Emergency Response Fund gave out $735 million. This money helped 33 million people in 42 countries. It included quick help for Ukraine and for people facing food shortages worldwide. Record donations to Country-Based Pooled Funds also helped over 47 million people globally.

New Ideas in Humanitarian Work

OCHA encourages new ideas and ways of working in humanitarian organizations. This is called humanitarian innovation. It helps groups find and solve problems. It also helps them change how they work to use new opportunities.

In one of OCHA's papers, they listed reasons why organizations are trying new things:

Changing needs: There are more and more emergencies. The old ways of helping don't always work for today's problems.
More help from private companies: Private businesses want to show they are responsible. They connect their help to their brand.
Working together: Partnerships between organizations lead to new ideas and solutions.
New technologies: Technology helps people respond to emergencies much faster.

However, there are also challenges with these changes:

Different market needs: It's sometimes thought that private groups don't have a reason to join humanitarian innovation.
Fairness issues: There are no clear rules for what is right or wrong in innovation. If new ideas are used badly, they could harm communities or people.
Money and political risks: If humanitarian efforts fail, there can be financial and political problems. This can make organizations slow to act. They might look to past solutions instead of planning for the future.

International Calling Code

OCHA was once given its own international calling code, +888. This code was meant for agencies providing humanitarian relief. However, the use of the +888 code has since been stopped.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs facts for kids

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