- IASC
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)[1] is an inter-agency forum of UN and non-UN humanitarian partners founded in 1992, to strengthen humanitarian assistance. The overall objective of the IASC is to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations, by ensuring coherence of preparedness and response efforts, formulate policy, and agree on priorities for strengthened humanitarian action. The Committee was established following a UN General Assembly Resolution, and a second resolution confirmed that it should be the primary method for inter-agency coordination.[2]
The IASC is chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC).
Full members of the IASC are: FAO, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO.
Standing invitees of the IASC are: ICRC, ICVA, IFRC, InterAction, IOM, OHCHR, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, SCHR, World Bank.
The cluster approach has been established in 2005 as a humanitarian coordination mechanism of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, as a way of addressing gaps and strengthening the effectiveness of humanitarian response through building partnerships.
The IASC coordinates the following clusters:
- CCCM (Camp Coordination and Camp Management)
- GCER (Early Recovery)
- GEC (Education)
- ETC (Emergency Telecommunications)
- gFSC (Food Security)
- GHC (Health)
- GLC (Logistics)
- GNC (Nutrition)
- GPC (Protection)
- GSC (Shelter)
- GWC (WASH)