About OCHA Sudan (January 2022) [EN/AR]

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent, principled and timely response to emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA works with Governments and with Inter-Agency Standing Committee members, which include key operational actors from the United Nations, non-governmental organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, among others.
OCHA (previously known as the Department for Humanitarian Affairs, until 1998) was established following UN General Assembly Resolution 46/182, adopted in December 1991.

Mission

• Mobilise and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies;

• Advocate for the rights of people in need;

• Promote preparedness and prevention;

• Facilitate sustainable solutions.

Global Presence

OCHA is headquartered in New York and Geneva. The New York office focuses on policy and advocacy and interfaces with the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other UN organs. The Geneva office provides general support to the field and other key services. OCHA operates from 30 country offices which, as per the UN mandate, support UN Humanitarian Coordinators and Humanitarian Country Teams. It maintains regional offices in Bangkok, Cairo, Dakar, Nairobi and Panama and 19 Humanitarian Advisory Teams.

About OCHA Sudan

In Sudan, OCHA delivers its mandate through:

Coordination

OCHA works with the Government of Sudan, including the Humanitarian Aid Commission and other key players to assess humanitarian needs and provide life-saving relief. OCHA provides support to the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and the Humanitarian Country Team in Sudan. OCHA facilitates the deployment of rapid response teams, and works with partners to assess needs, take action, produce reports and facilitate civil-military coordination.

Advocacy

Together with the HC, OCHA tells the humanitarian story, speaking on behalf of people affected by conflict and disaster.
OCHA raises awareness through media interviews, speeches, press briefings, web stories and social media campaigns.
OCHA also works behind the scenes, engaging in diplomacy on humanitarian issues with the Government of Sudan and other partners to bring about change, advocate for the protection of civilians and aid workers, secure humanitarian access and build support.

Humanitarian Financing

OCHA mobilises, organises and monitors humanitarian funding, based on key framework documents: the Humanitarian Needs Overview and the Humanitarian Response Plan. OCHA supports the HC in the management of OCHA pooled funds: the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which provide funding to international and national NGOs and UN Agencies, Funds and Programs. In 2020, OCHA Sudan processed US$180 million through both pooled funds ($74 million from SHF and $106 million from CERF). These funds helped humanitarian partners in Sudan respond to humanitarian needs in the country. By leveraging their comparative advantages – such as CERF’s disbursement speed and SHF’s direct funding for NGOs – the humanitarian community rapidly scaled up humanitarian action and was able to deliver an effective collective response.

Policy

OCHA provides Sudan-specific guidance on humanitarian policy. OCHA identifies and analyses trends and drives the development of common policy for the humanitarian community, policy which is based on international law and humanitarian principles (for example the Minimum Operating Standards).

Information Management

OCHA gathers, analyses and shares reliable data on where crisis-affected people are, what they urgently need and who is best placed to assist them. Information products, such as maps, infographics, aid response matrices and information bulletins, support effective and principled humanitarian response.