Evaluation of OCHA’s Role and Activities in Preparedness

Humanitarian preparedness involves a range of actions and expectations, which are currently shifting in response to the changing capacities and priorities of governments as well as the projected humanitarian needs in future. When disaster strikes, survival and recovery depend not only on the capacity to react and respond, but also on the extent to which both the affected country and any external responders have prepared themselves for this eventuality. There can be no dispute that preparedness is a vital function of humanitarian action. It also has come to be seen as a critical component of resilience, a concept that, newly resurgent, has begun to reshape the international aid dialogue. Recognising these shifts, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) commissioned an external evaluation in 2012 to assess how OCHA defines, and how well it executes, its role in preparedness at the global, regional, and national levels.

Suggested Citation

Stoddard, A. & Harmer, A. (2013). Evaluation of OCHA's Role and Activities in Preparedness, Humanitarian Outcomes