IASC Inter-Cluster Support Missions to Nepal
Inter-Cluster Support Mission to Nepal 20 – 26 July 2010
Dr Daniel Lopez-Acuna, Director Strategy, Policy and Resource Management, Health Action in Crisis, WHO, headed the Inter-Cluster Support Mission to Nepal 20th – 26th July 2010.
At the request of the Nepalese Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) an Inter- Cluster Support Mission was carried out from 20-26 July 2010. The Mission was lead by Dr Daniel Lopez-Acuna, Director Strategy, Policy and Resource Management, Health Action in Crisis, WHO, and aimed to provide the HCT support from the global level, to move forward with the HCT’s plan of action and priorities for 2010.
Although the humanitarian operation in Nepal is, to some extent, gradually phasing down following the end of the conflict and the ongoing peace process, humanitarian needs, not least a rising food insecurity crisis, remain prevalent. Chronic vulnerabilities are endemic, and new emergencies or a confluence of external factors could result in increasingly urgent humanitarian needs arising across all sectors. In addition to these vulnerabilities, Nepal faces risks from devastating floods and landslides on an almost annual basis, and is at significant risk of a high magnitude earthquake.
The mission aimed to:
- strengthen understanding among Cluster Lead Agencies, Cluster Coordinators, and GoN partners regarding their roles and responsibilities to coordinate effective humanitarian action
- identify constraints, challenges, and gaps in this response capacity, and explore possible support options from the regional/global levels
- engage in a strategic dialogue with the RC/HC and HCT as to the current and future role and functions of cluster coordination mechanisms in the ‘transition’ context in Nepal, and the potential capacity of the GoN to possibly play an expanded role in such mechanisms.