OCHA Annual Report 2014

Foreword

2014 was a challenging year for humanitarian organizations around the world. OCHA was required to coordinate on a massive scale in countries such as the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan and Syria. We worked with partners to strengthen coordination, and we contributed our coordination expertise to the response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in the areas of health services, food security, sanitation and protection. We set up new offices in Ukraine and Nigeria, and we maintained large-scale ongoing programmes in countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, and Yemen.

Given the scale and complexity of the crises and the need for immediate injections of staff in some emergency situations, we doubled the number of staff going on short-term assignment to the field. Strengthening our field presence for effective coordination structures is a key element of OCHA’s Strategic Plan. We know that we need good leaders, information managers and humanitarian officers to manage crises on the ground.

OCHA also has a key role in advocacy, fundraising and policy development within the global humanitarian system. As needs have risen, so has the urgency of the need to raise additional resources to help our partner organizations to continue their life-saving work. As political solutions to complex crises remain elusive, our engagement with Member States will be more important than ever. We count on your continued commitment and support.

Valerie Amos
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
May 2015