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Humanitarian coordination: the cluster system, OCHA and IASC

  • Page updated onJuly 7, 2026
A doctor in a mobile clinic attends to a refugee mother and her child at the port of Piraeus in Athens
Text and photo: Bruno Abarca

In the humanitarian system, a wide variety of organizations operate across multiple humanitarian contexts of high complexity. These actors need to have a predefined way of working in a coordinated manner, which everyone knows and respects from the onset of an emergency. Moreover, to be truly effective, humanitarian coordination mechanisms must ensure that all types of humanitarian actors feel included and represented within them, and that they are able to communicate in order to combine efforts toward a common objective. Otherwise, the risk of duplication of efforts and inefficiency is extremely high.

The humanitarian architecture has evolved over decades, reforming its coordination systems as practice has progressively revealed their limitations. In this regard, the most recent changes in humanitarian coordination have taken place in 2026, as part of the Humanitarian Reset, driven to address the humanitarian system crisis of 2025.

The global framework for the coordination of humanitarian action, updated in 2026

OCHA, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee

The current framework for coordinating humanitarian assistance was established in 1991. That year, United Nations resolution 46/182 determined that each state had the responsibility to care for the victims of emergencies and disasters within its territory, including the initiation, organisation, coordination and delivery of humanitarian assistance. However, it also determined that, when assistance needs exceed the capacity of states, they may request and should facilitate external international cooperation, which acts with the consent of the national authorities. International assistance should be delivered under the coordination, cooperation and leadership of the United Nations (UN General Assembly, 1991).

There is a key figure within the United Nations, appointed by the Secretary-General themselves. This is the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) (UN General Assembly, 1991). They report to the General Assembly. Their role is to handle requests for humanitarian assistance, maintain an overview of all emergencies, facilitate humanitarian access for organisations, administer an emergency fund, lead the coordination and mobilisation of humanitarian assistance, and promote the transition to post-emergency recovery. At their service is the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

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The Emergency Relief Coordinator also chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). This is the United Nations' main global platform for humanitarian coordination (UN General Assembly, 1991). It brings together all the operational agencies of the United Nations (FAO, IOM, OHCHR, OCHA, UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR, UN-HABITAT, UNFPA, UN Women, WFP and WHO). In addition, there is a standing invitation to the IFRC, the ICRC, the World Bank and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons. NGOs are also represented in the IASC through three consortia: InterAction, ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies) and SCHR (Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response).

The humanitarian cluster system

Throughout the 1990s and the early twenty-first century, a series of humanitarian crises demonstrated the need for an even more structured system for humanitarian operations. When humanitarian crises were large, the humanitarian system proved inefficient, with some efforts duplicated and simultaneous gaps in the response. In 2005 Jan Egeland, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, commissioned an independent evaluation (Adinolfi et al., 2005). One of the main conclusions of this evaluation was to propose the current cluster approach (IASC, 2006).

A cluster is a group of humanitarian agencies and organisations specialising in a specific sector of the humanitarian response. Each cluster has a lead agency. However, these humanitarian clusters, at the global level, do not carry out direct implementation of activities. Instead, their role is one of coordination and leadership, in order to increase the technical capacity for preparedness and response to humanitarian emergencies in their technical area. They also provide operational support to national clusters (IASC, 2026b).

New humanitarian clusters in 2026

Until 2025 there were eleven clusters (IASC, 2012). Six of them covered classic technical areas: water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, nutrition, health, food security and education. Two others covered areas related to service provision: logistics and emergency telecommunications. A further three covered cross-cutting issues: coordination and management of camps for displaced people, early recovery and protection.

In 2026, in line with the Humanitarian Reset, the IASC has simplified the system to 8 clusters. These are: nutrition; protection; shelter, land and site coordination (SLCS); water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); education; food security; health; and logistics and telecommunications (IASC, 2026a).

Diagram of the eight IASC humanitarian clusters established in the 2026 reform
IASC, 2026.

The Protection cluster now integrates the areas of responsibility for gender-based violence, child protection and mine action. Global leadership of this cluster remains with UNHCR, but UNFPA, UNICEF and UNMAS retain technical responsibilities and act as providers of last resort in their specific areas. The new Shelter, Land and Site Coordination (SLSC) cluster merges two of the previous clusters into one, led by the IFRC and IOM. Logistics and telecommunications have also been merged into a single cluster. Finally, the early recovery cluster is expected to be dissolved by the end of 2026, in a transition towards development actors. The remaining clusters from the previous model stay in place (IASC, 2026c).

National humanitarian aid coordination: humanitarian country team, clusters, area-based coordination (ABC) and local co-coordination

The architecture of global humanitarian coordination is reflected in national and regional humanitarian crises.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, and the Humanitarian Country Team

Similarly to the global model, when a humanitarian emergency in a country requires it, the ERC appoints a Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). On occasion, or until an HC is appointed, this role is taken on by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in that country. The Humanitarian Coordinator is supported by the Emergency Relief Coordinator and OCHA, and is responsible for leading and coordinating the action of humanitarian organisations in the country, so that it is grounded in humanitarian principles, arrives on time, is effective and efficient, and contributes to long-term recovery (IASC, 2024).

At the start of a humanitarian crisis, and similarly to the global role of the IASC, a Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is established in the affected country or region (IASC, 2017). This team is chaired by the Humanitarian Coordinator and is responsible for determining the remaining humanitarian coordination structures. The Humanitarian Country Team includes representation from the national authorities (government) and from NGOs, as well as the cluster leads for each sector (where one exists). The HCT is also usually supported by other mechanisms, such as inter-cluster or inter-sector coordination groups and information management working groups. Together, all these actors coordinate and lead the activation of the response and the country's humanitarian programme cycle (IASC, 2024).

Humanitarian clusters are also established (or activated) at the national level

When necessary, and according to the Humanitarian Country Team's analysis of humanitarian needs and national coordination capacity, humanitarian clusters are activated at the national level (IASC, 2026b). Not all clusters are always activated automatically. First, the scale of the crisis is assessed, along with the limitations of existing coordination mechanisms, the need for a multisectoral approach, and the complexity of the response in terms of the number and diversity of humanitarian actors. This must be done within the first 72 hours of the onset of the emergency.

The usual arrangement is for the same agency that leads the cluster at the global level to also lead it nationally, but this is not always possible or appropriate. In a given country there may be organisations that are better positioned to take on this role. On occasion, co-leadership by the local authority or an NGO is also considered. Each cluster is supported by its global counterpart cluster. Mechanisms and working groups for inter-cluster coordination may also exist, beyond the Humanitarian Country Team.

Once activated, clusters act as formal forums for humanitarian coordination by sector at the national level. In this way, the cluster takes on coordination responsibilities among all the actors working in its sector. These responsibilities include supporting service provision (avoiding unnecessary duplication) and guiding operations, strengthening local authorities, and informing the Humanitarian Country Team's operational and advocacy decision-making in relation to its sector. Their role is key to developing sectoral strategies in a coordinated way, supporting the different actors and facilitating their collaboration. Clusters can also set up working groups on specific issues within their sector. All humanitarian actors working in a country in, for example, the health sector are invited to take part in its health cluster, which meets regularly.

In 2026, a new local architecture is introduced: Area-Based Coordination (ABC)

One of the main innovations of the 2026 humanitarian reform is the Area-Based Coordination model. This is a light operational coordination model designed for a specific subnational geographic area. There, this coordination model facilitates the response and service provision (IASC, 2026d).

The ABC does not replace the clusters; rather, the two systems complement each other (IASC, 2026d). Although much remains to be defined regarding the practical implementation of this complementarity, the two coordination models are expected to coexist, adapting to the operational needs of each humanitarian context.

In 2026, the leadership and accountability of local NGOs in humanitarian coordination is further strengthened

National and international NGOs have never been mere project implementers. They have also played an active role in ensuring that humanitarian action is coordinated and effective (IASC, 2021). Their participation has traditionally been promoted and facilitated by recommending, for example, that clusters be co-led by an NGO, in order to facilitate the coordination and contextualisation of the response.

In 2026, however, the humanitarian system has evolved from recommending participation to establishing the co-leadership and co-coordination of local and national actors as the default standard in clusters and area-based coordination (ABC) mechanisms (IASC, 2026a). It is important to note, however, that the co-coordination partner (CCP) role allows local organisations to lead operational decision-making without obliging them to take on the responsibility of being providers of last resort (IASC, 2026b). Ultimate responsibility for covering critical humanitarian assistance gaps still lies with the cluster lead agency. This responsibility may be shared with another co-lead agency where a specific agreement exceptionally establishes it.

In addition to the above, national and international NGOs often establish forums and networks among themselves, which sometimes play an additional key role in humanitarian coordination. These forums are often supported by the international NGO networks, such as InterAction, ICVA or SCHR. NGO forums have been reaffirmed as key elements in facilitating coherence between the formal systems of global humanitarian coordination and national mechanisms, and in providing technical support to lead NGOs (IASC, 2021).

Humanitarian aid coordination in special situations

Aid coordination in refugee camps

In refugee contexts where humanitarian aid is required, the organisation with the mandate to protect these people and coordinate the response among actors is UNHCR (United Nations, 2018). Displaced people have specific protection needs that must be met and, for this reason, UNHCR cannot transfer this mandate to another organisation such as OCHA. UNHCR also monitors and ensures that states adhere to the standards for the protection of refugees.

In large refugee crises, instead of a Humanitarian Response Plan, a national or regional (when the crisis spreads across several countries) Refugee Response Plan is put in place. The overall framework for these plans is the Global Compact on Refugees (United Nations, 2018). Clusters are not established in the coordination model for these contexts.

In addition, there are mixed situations, in which there is a humanitarian response for which a Humanitarian Coordinator has been appointed and also an ongoing UNHCR operation. In such cases, an agreement signed between OCHA and UNHCR in 2014 sets out the roles of each organisation and the mechanism for collaboration between them (UNHCR & OCHA, 2014).

Aid coordination in health emergencies

Experience from humanitarian responses to crises involving major epidemics (such as Ebola or COVID-19) has shown that the coordination model requires some changes. The IASC has developed specific procedures for these cases, thereby linking the role of the usual humanitarian coordination mechanisms with the responsibilities that the World Health Organization holds under the International Health Regulations (IASC, 2019).

In these cases, the Emergency Relief Coordinator works in collaboration with the Director-General of the WHO. The WHO thus provides an assessment of the situation, of the public health risks, and of the need to activate a large-scale humanitarian response. The coordination model can be adapted taking into account the coordination resources and platforms already in place (IASC, 2019).

🧠 Let's pause and reflect

When a State has primary responsibility for the victims of an emergency on its territory but lacks the capacity to respond, under what conditions should it cede leadership of coordination to international actors, and who should make that decision?

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Humanitarian aid coordination often has much room for improvement

Much has been said about humanitarian coordination. Indeed, successive reforms have changed and updated the model. On the whole, these changes have been welcomed and have improved how the different actors work together (Humphries, 2013). However, not everything depends on rules and procedures. After all, most coordination mechanisms also depend on the willingness to collaborate among humanitarian actors who, at the same time, compete for the scarce resources available and must manage their own priorities in highly complex contexts. Moreover, coordinating these actors effectively is not easy, all the more so when teams change frequently and do not always have sufficient experience in similar tasks.

Some studies have shown that, at times, the meetings of Humanitarian Country Teams lack open, participatory and action-oriented discussions (ICVA, 2024). Sometimes there is not an adequate climate of participation and trust in these mechanisms, in which there is considerable asymmetry between the power and voice of United Nations agencies, international NGOs and national NGOs. Furthermore, they do not all approach important humanitarian principles such as independence in the same way. As a result, organisations may tend to ignore the meetings, to not take an active part in them, to withhold information that could compromise them, or to avoid addressing particularly sensitive issues. It is not uncommon for participants, at the end of some of these meetings, to feel that everything has amounted to sharing the same information that could have circulated in an email (ICVA, 2024).

Time will tell whether the new humanitarian coordination reforms introduced in 2026 will help to overcome these problems.

References

Humanitarian system

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How to cite this page

Abarca, B. (July 7, 2026). Humanitarian coordination: the cluster system, OCHA and IASC. Salud Everywhere. https://saludeverywhere.com/en/humanitarian-aid-and-international-development/humanitarian-coordination/

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