GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

ECHO Partners' Conference 2009 Workshop B: "NGOs and the

Cluster Roll-out, Strengths and Suggestions for the Future"

The Global Health Cluster's Perspective  Linda Doull, Merlin

Nevio Zagaria, WHO 

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Countries with designated  Humanitarian * (blue) or  Resident (green) Coordinator that adopted  the 

cluster approach (November 2009)

Countries with Humanitarian Coordinators: Afghanistan, Burundi, CAR, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Niger, oPt, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Yemen.

Onset emergencies in countries with Resident Coordinators:Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, El

Salvador, Georgia, Honduras, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mozambique, Philippines, Samoa, Tajikistan.

*: Eritrea (in red) is the only country with Humanitarian Coordinators not using the cluster approach.

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Current Status (1)On 31 active Health Clusters:

12 countries have dedicated full time trainedHealth Cluster Coordinators (HCC) (3 from NGOs)

16 countries have double hatted HCC/Emergency Health Officer, 6 of which are untrained

3 countries have vacant HCC positions (Burundi, Haiti,  and Samoa)

90 HCC have been trained and are on the roster (too few from NGOs, too many not available)

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Current Status

(2)

• Health Cluster Guide published and tools  finalized and disseminated

• Building staff and partners' capacity to assess  and monitor using GHC tools at regional and 

country levels

• Regional and Country training /capacity  building workshops for I/ NGO representatives 

on Humanitarian Reform, Cluster approach  and health cluster strategic framework

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

The Health Cluster Guide

http://www.who.int/hac/ne twork/global_health_clust er/guide/en/index.html

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Core Health Indicators  (total # suggested:  26)

1. Health Resources Availability (A 1‐8)

2. Health Services Coverage (C 1‐6)

3. Risk Factors (R 1‐7)

4. Health Outcome (O  1‐5)

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Merlin - Health Cluster Engagement• Global

– Policy & Strategy Team– Working Group for Country Support– Joint presentations, trainings, developing tools & guidance etc.– Mainstreaming  cluster guidance & tools into Merlin policy & 

guidance. 

– Nominate candidate as Health Cluster Coordinator.

• National– Active member – Co‐steward  (DRC, Somalia, Myanmar, CAR)– Joint Country Mission (Afghanistan)

• Sub‐national– Active member– Co‐steward  (DRC, Somalia).

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Co-stewardshipBenefits

• Promotes joint working• Complement agency skills • Clearer understanding of

humanitarian context• More transparent resource

allocation• Stronger representation of

NGO issues (+ local)• Improved links with MoH• ‘De-politicised’ agency

remits.

Challenges• Vague or no ToRs• Qualified staff for role

– Staff turnover– Training?

• Time commitment – up to 20%

• Opportunity costs to NGO programme delivery/quality

• Costs – travel, gap fill, admin support.

• National or sub-national role?

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Enhancing NGO participation

• Critical for success and effective action!• ECHO funded project: ‘Effective NGO

Participation in Humanitarian Coordination Mechanisms: Mainstreaming Good Practice for Cluster Partners.

• 12 countries – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, CAR, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, DRC, Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe & OPT. – NGO mapping (who is/isn’t & why)?– Awareness raising & Lesson Learning exchange.

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

The future……..what needs to be done?

• Increased pro-active engagement by NGOs at all levels, especially country.

• Rapidly scale-up the dissemination & use of GHC tools & standards

• Agree defined ToR for co-steward & clarify level of engagement.

• Clarify costs of NGO engagement in key activities.

• Capture good practice

GlobalHealth Cluster

IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee

Challenges for the Health Cluster at  country / field levels

• From coordination to partnership

• From information sharing to analysis of critical  information and collective strategic direction 

of health sector response

• Mainstreaming cross cutting issues in health  sector response, and catalyze multisectoral 

response when needed (GBV, HIV, MHPSS, … )  through ICCG