UNHCR Handbook for Emergencies - UNHCR eCentre

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i. Resident Coordinator
The Resident Coordinator is the leader of
the United Nations country team and is
normally the head of UNDP in a particular
country. In a complex emergency, the Resident
Coordinator may also be designated
as the Humanitarian Coordinator.
ii. Lead Agency
One of the UN agencies may be selected
to coordinate and this is often the agency
which provides the majority of the assistance;
iii. Humanitarian Coordinator
If the emergency is of considerable size a
Humanitarian Coordinator may be appointed
distinct from the office of the Resident
Coordinator and lead agency. The Humanitarian
Coordinator normally phases out
once the emergency reaches recovery
phase and any residual tasks are returned
to the Resident Coordinator;
iv. Regional Humanitarian Coordinator
If the emergency affects more than one
country a Humanitarian Coordinator having
regional responsibilities may be appointed.
Role of UNHCR and Other UN Agencies
in a Complex Emergency
24. In complex emergencies involving refugees,
UNHCR will be responsible for protection
and assistance activities on behalf of the
refugees. UNHCR may also be appointed lead
agency, and therefore be responsible for the
coordination of the UN response.
25. Whether or not UNHCR is lead agency,
the UNHCR Representative remains directly responsible
to the High Commissioner on all issues
related to the UNHCR country programme
as well as policy matters and issues
related to UNHCR’s mandate.
The protection of refugees must remain the
sole prerogative of the High Commissioner.
Organization at the Site Level
Introduction
26. The framework for the organization and
coordinating mechanisms at the site level are
likely to reflect broadly those established centrally.
However, there is one fundamental difference
between the site and central levels: at
the site level the refugees themselves should
play a major role.
The organization of the refugee community
must support and enhance their own abilities
to provide for themselves.
27. A clear understanding of the aims and
objectives of the emergency operation and
proper coordination are even more important
at the site level than centrally, for it is here
that failures and misunderstandings will directly
affect the refugees.
Of particular importance will be the adoption
of common standards when a number
of organizations are providing similar assistance.
Regular meetings of those concerned are essential.
There should be an overall coordinating
mechanism chaired by the government
authority, UNHCR Field Officer, and/or an
operational partner, and this mechanism may
be complemented by sectoral committees.
28. Certain activities are interdependent or
have a common component and will need
particularly close coordination at site level. For
example, environmental sanitation measures
must be closely coordinated with health services,
and the home visiting component of
health care with feeding programmes and
community services.
29. A rapid changeover of outside personnel
can create major problems for site level coordination,
though some specialists may obviously
be required for short periods. The importance
of continuity is proportional to the closeness
of contact with the refugees. Operational
partners at the site should have a standard
orientation and briefing procedure to ensure
continuity of action and policy despite
changes in personnel.
Community Organization
30. The importance of preserving and promoting
a sense of community is stressed in
chapters 10 and 12 on community services and
site planning. The approach to thinking about
and understanding site and community organization
should be from the smallest unit – the
family – upwards, rather than imposed from
the largest unit downwards, which would be
unlikely to reflect natural or existing community
structures and concerns.
31. The basic planning unit for site organization
and management is likely therefore to be
the family, subject to traditional social patterns,
and distinctive features of the popula-