The United Nations Humanitarian Cluster Coordination System is a system of cooperation and coordination of various humanitarian organizations working in areas affected by crisis situations such as natural disasters, wars and conflicts to ensure effective and targeted assistance to people in need. The Cluster Coordination System was launched by the United Nations in 2005 after it was found that the coordination of humanitarian efforts was insufficient in many countries in need.
The cluster coordination system consists of several clusters, each responsible for a specific humanitarian area. For example, the nutrition cluster is responsible for ensuring that hungry people have the food they need, and the water cluster is responsible for providing water to the population, especially in countries where there is a shortage of this resource.
Other clusters include the Health Cluster, which provides essential health care, the Shelter and Asylum Cluster, which provides safe housing and shelter for internally displaced persons, and the Human Rights Cluster, which protects human rights and works to identify and prevent human rights violations in crisis areas.
Each cluster has its own coordinator, who is responsible for organizing and coordinating the work of the respective cluster. Coordinators cooperate with each other, as well as with other humanitarian organizations, to ensure effective and coordinated assistance.
In addition, the cluster coordination system includes mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating humanitarian activities to help ensure the effectiveness and quality of assistance provided. The clusters also work with local governments to ensure interaction and cooperation in humanitarian activities.
Ukraine is one of the countries where the UN humanitarian cluster system operates. The clusters operating in Ukraine are the Health Cluster, the Shelter and Asylum Cluster, the Nutrition Cluster, the Water and Sanitation Cluster, the Education Cluster, the Human Rights Cluster, including the Gender-based Violence sub-cluster, and the Logistics and Transport Cluster.
More information about the work of all clusters, sub-clusters and the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator can be found on the portal – https://www.humanitarianresponse.info
Conclusion
The UN Cluster System for the Coordination of Humanitarian Activities is an important system of cooperation and coordination of humanitarian organizations working in crisis areas. This system allows for effective and coordinated assistance to people in need and ensures interaction between various humanitarian organizations and local government agencies.
In Ukraine, the cluster coordination system helped to ensure effective and coordinated assistance during the conflict in the East of the country, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system is now actively helping to ensure coordination in all regions of Ukraine.
The health cluster provided medicines and medical equipment, the shelter and asylum cluster provided temporary shelters for internally displaced persons, the nutrition cluster provided food packages for victims of the conflict and pandemic, and from the water and sanitation cluster – hygiene products and access to drinking water, and from the gender-based violence sub-cluster – coordination and mapping of services at the community and regional levels, strengthening the work of local and regional coordination councils.
The UN Humanitarian Cluster Coordination System is an important tool for ensuring the coordination and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. It allows humanitarian organizations to work together and provide assistance to those who need it most, and helps to strengthen partnerships between humanitarian organizations and local government structures.
