Today’s announcement of $500,000 is supporting the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) efforts to increase the humanitarian system’s response capacity to meet emergency needs in Asia.
With this contribution from Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, OCHA is:
- accelerating roll-out of humanitarian reforms, including the implementation of specific action plans in selected countries;
- increasing the ability to swiftly mobilize experts during major crises;
- improving decision-making capacity of humanitarian leadership, including the use of standardized needs assessments in all emergency settings;
- improving in-country monitoring systems, with country operations being better able to publish comprehensive, real-time monitoring information on results; and,
- enhancing preparedness of the humanitarian community for the 2014 typhoon season.
OCHA’s mandate is to mobilize and coordinate effective humanitarian action in partnership with national and international partners in order: to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and, facilitate sustainable solutions.
OCHA is a key humanitarian partner for Canada. It provides significant added value given its unique mandate for bringing together humanitarian organizations and governments to ensure a more rapid and coherent response to crises around the world. In this critical leadership role, OCHA helps to ensure that the international response system is greater than the sum of its parts.
Canada helps save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain the dignity of people affected by conflict, natural disasters, and situations of food insecurity requiring a humanitarian response in developing countries by providing funding to support the appropriate, timely, and effective response of United Nations humanitarian agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-governmental organizations.
For more information on Canada’s response to humanitarian crises around the world, please visit our web site.
