Improving Humanitarian Coordination: Themes and recommendations

Whilst the current model of coordination is fairly effective at enhancing cooperation and supporting good practice on the ground, it's less good at addressing ‘strategic’, response-wide issues. Earlier this year ALNAP brought together experts in coordination from inside and outside the humanitarian sector to ask how this could be improved.

The paper outlines the current situation with regard to the IASC Cluster-based humanitarian coordination system, concentrating on the four areas of concern:

• decision-making and the overall design of humanitarian coordination
• the role of national government, and of national civil society
• information management
• inter-Cluster and subnational levels of coordination

It identifies constraints to change and presents the recommendations made by participants at the meeting.