Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation of the Humanitarian ... - OCHANet

IA RTE of the humanitarian response to Pakistan’s 2010 Floods crisis
120. National level coordination has primarily been focused on policy issues, standard setting
and appeal‐process coordination. There is still, however, a visible lack of leadership and agenda‐
setting from the inter‐cluster coordination level, meaning that there is an absence of an
effective communication channel between the humanitarian system as a whole and the NDMA,
preventing the first to adapt timely and effectively to government priorities. High staff turn‐over
has also negatively affected cluster coordination efforts and continuity, especially among cluster
leads..
121. Added to this are the multiple agendas, driven by agencies’ autonomy and core interests.
Critical stakeholders see UN coordination becoming an end in itself and not the means to
effectively improve the response. Only a few clusters (i.e. logistics, nutrition and other agencies
working specifically around the “survival strategy”) managed to overcome the divide between
policy level decisions at Islamabad level and operational issues and priorities at district levels.
These achievements were mainly carried through by clear and adapted standards and
guidelines, coordinated with relevant national authorities and humanitarian partners within the
clusters. Where coordination was more effective, the cluster was lead by experienced staff. The
lack of leadership, also affected the ability to address different needs of women and men as well
as those of girls and boys.
122. Added to the coordination challenge comes the fact that many INGOs primarily viewed
the clusters as funding opportunities; once real opportunities (and cluster purpose) became
clear, many stopped attending meetings. Furthermore, some INGOs were reluctant to share
information with the clusters and they did not always inform local authorities about their
activities – or even ask for permission to carry out activities at district level. These factors made
coordination efforts a challenging act. Other INGOs that had engaged in close coordination with
provincial authorities early on have been commended on their successful participation in the
response (i.e. CRS).
Clusters
123. Coordination activities within the clusters have generally been considered instrumental in
avoiding duplication and enhancing sharing of information. With a few exceptions, the cluster
meetings have not been the expected fora for strategic planning and prioritisation 36 , nor have
36The responsibility of cluster leads at country level as set out in the Guidance Note on the Cluster
Approach (IASC, 2006b) and the generic terms of reference for cluster leads (IASC, 2009).1.Inclusion of key
humanitarian partners 2.Establishment and maintenance of appropriate humanitarian coordination
mechanisms 3.Coordination with national/local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other
relevant actors 4.Participatory and community‐based approaches 5.Attention to priority cross‐cutting
issues (e.g. age, diversity, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS and human rights) 6.Needs assessment and
analysis 7.Emergency preparedness 8.Planning and strategy development 9.Application of standards
Riccardo Polastro, Aatika Nagrah, Nicolai Steen and Farwa Zafar
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