Humanitarian organization

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

OCHA is the United Nations Secretariat office that brings humanitarian organizations together during emergencies. Its work connects coordination, shared information, advocacy and financing so that agencies responding across sectors can plan around the needs of crisis-affected people.

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Organization profile

Organization type: Humanitarian organization
Headquarters / base: New York, United States; Geneva, Switzerland
Geographic scope: Global

Medical focus

Humanitarian healthEmergency preparednessHumanitarian coordinationHealth governance

Activities

Humanitarian coordinationInformation managementHumanitarian financingPolicy analysisAdvocacy

Population served

Crisis-affected communitiesHumanitarian organizationsGovernments

A shared framework for emergency response

OCHA works with national authorities, UN entities and nongovernmental organizations to bring separate response efforts into a common framework. Its remit includes mobilizing assistance, advocating for people affected by crises and supporting preparedness. It is part of the UN Secretariat, with headquarters functions in New York and Geneva and a field presence shaped by humanitarian needs.

At country level, OCHA supports the Humanitarian Coordinator and convenes coordination across sectors. The cluster approach creates spaces where organizations working in areas such as health, nutrition, shelter or water and sanitation can identify gaps, agree priorities and avoid duplication. Coordination between those sectors is important when the needs of one population cut across several services.

Sources: [1], [2], [4], [6].

How its work connects with health

OCHA’s contribution to health emergencies concerns the wider humanitarian response: understanding needs, connecting responding organizations and helping to align resources. The World Health Organization is the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s lead agency for the Health Cluster and provides its secretariat. This places sector-specific health coordination within the broader system that OCHA helps support.

Health services can depend on action elsewhere in that system, including safe water, transport, protection and the availability of supplies. Inter-cluster work gives organizations a way to raise such dependencies and consider them within an overall response plan. The roles of the coordinating office and the organizations delivering care remain distinct.

Sources: [2], [4], [5].

Information, priorities and resources

OCHA’s information-management guidance describes gathering, organizing, analysing and sharing information as central to its role. Common assessments and response information help humanitarian teams understand where needs are greatest and what assistance other organizations are providing. The intended users include coordinators, response agencies, national partners and people making resource decisions.

Humanitarian financing and advocacy connect those needs with support for the response. A UN evaluation published in May 2023 examined OCHA’s needs overviews, response plans and country-based pooled funds as tools for planning and coordination. These mechanisms provide a way to discuss priorities across organizations and direct resources toward gaps identified in a crisis.

Sources: [3], [6], [7].

Further health reading

Cholera

Cholera illustrates why emergency responses need coordinated health, water and sanitation work. This guide gives public-health background for the cross-sector humanitarian coordination associated with OCHA.

Major depressive disorder

Emergencies can increase mental-health needs and disrupt access to support. This overview provides background on depression within the wider humanitarian setting coordinated by OCHA.