GLOBAL SHELTER CLUSTER - ONLINE MEETING 2021
Thematic Session 5: Coordination at country level - ready for the future?
Country Level Cluster Coordination has become more complex over the years, from strategy development and response coordination to a more sophisticated and bureaucratic Humanitarian Prgramme Cycle (HPC) process sometimes further complicated by remote coordination architectures. The HPC has become process heavy, however there are opportunities to make the process more strategic and fit for purpose for cluster coordination teams. Remote cluster coordination is becoming more frequent and lessons should be learnt from this approach. While challenges exist, there are still opportunities to improve humanitarian coordination at inter-agency and inter-cluster level as well as with cluster partners. The recording is available below, while the presentation from the session is here.
The session involved three presentations, each for 10 minutes, from panelists representing different perspectives.
- OCHA inter-agency perspective and upcoming changes in humanitarian coordination: as Chair of the GCCG, Marina Skuric-Prodanovic provided the participants with an overview of the challenges and evolving factors driving changes in the humanitarian coordination system. She briefed on the conclusions of the recent virtual workshop on HPC and Coordination for senior inter cluster coordinators, and in particular of the session on the ICCG, as well as shared general reflections on the changing humanitarian landscape and how this drives humanitarian coordination and clusters in particular to adapt in order to remain relevant and fit for purpose.
- The challenges and opportunities for Country Level Cluster Coordination Teams and remote cluster coordination: as shelter cluster coordinator with many years of experience from a wide diversity of contexts, Tom Bamforth shared his reflections on how cluster coordination has evolved over the years, key challenges in country-level cluster coordination and opportunities to adapt to the evolving contexts within which clusters operate. He discussed lessons learnt in remote coordination.
- The perspective and recommendations from NGOs as a partner of country level clusters: as a shelter practitioner participating in shelter coordination mechanisms in several humanitarian crises across his career, Gareth Lewis reflected on the benefits shelter cluster coordination brings to partners at the country level, but also the challenges partners face when engaging and participating in clusters. He outlined from a partner perspective the most useful services shelter clusters provide, what clusters could do differently to better meet the needs of partners, but also what partners can do better to improve coordination of the cluster response. Given his experience at the sub-national level, Gareth shared opportunities and challenges in local level coordination.
The presenations were followed by a plenary Q&A, where participants will be able to share their observations, issues, connections, questions, ideas and suggestions, establishing a dialogue with the panelists on key country level cluster coordination issues.
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PANELISTS’ BIOs |
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Marina Skuric Prodanovic, Chief of System-wide Approaches and Practices Section, OCHA |
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Ms. Marina Skuric Prodanovic is the Chief of the System-wide Approaches and Practices Section in OCHA. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in various representative and management positions in foundations, NGOs and UN organizations at headquarters as well as in numerous field locations, including in the Middle East (Iraq, occupied Palestinian Territory), Southern/ Eastern Europe (Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia) as well as West and Central Africa (Liberia, Guinea). In the last ten years she has focused on different aspects of public private partnerships, governance, humanitarian financing and coordination. Marina holds an MS degree in Management from New York University. |
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Thomas Bamforth, Senior Shelter Cluster Coordinator XB-Syria, UNHCR |
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Tom Bamforth is Senior Cluster Coordinator with UNHCR. He has worked in humanitarian response and international development since 2005. Before joining UNHCR, Tom spent twelve years with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, including previous experience as Focal Point for Coordination with the Global Shelter Cluster. |
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Gareth Lewis, Shelter & WASH Specialist, Syria Response Office, NRC |
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Gareth Lewis is a Shelter/WASH Specialist with Norwegian Refugee Council and has been working with their Syria Response Office based in Jordan for the past 3 years, where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has worked in the humanitarian sector for 9 years prior to which he spent 4 years in the private sector as a structural engineer. He has worked on the Haiti earthquake response, the refugee response in Greece, and now the IDP response in Syria and for each has been an active member of the relevant hub/sub-country level cluster coordination bodies. His professional interests include good design and planning; supporting his team; and the use of new technology to improve humanitarian responses. |
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Sahdia Khan, Global Coordinator, Dignified Homes and Communities Platform, CRS (@iSahdiaKhan) LinkedIn https://ksahdia.wixsite.com/outofoffice |
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Ms. Sahdia Khan is the Global Coordinator for CRS’ Safe, Dignified Homes and Communities Platform. She has 15 years of professional experience in provision of humanitarian shelter, housing and basic services. She has specialized in implementation and coordination of housing and shelter programmes in various locations in Africa (Central African Republic, Chad, DRCongo, Uganda), in the Middle East (Lebanon, Yemen), in Asia (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, The Philippines) and the Caribbean (The Bahamas, Haiti). In these contexts, she has advised Governments on recovery strategies, developed and implemented shelter/ housing strategies with UN agencies, NGOs and the private sector, and worked as Senior Shelter and Camp Coordination & Camp Management Cluster Coordinator.
Currently she is leading efforts to expand the shelter programming to include the various dimensions of the Adequate Housing Framework in responding to displacement and disasters. She is also facilitating discussions and advising on how the humanitarian sector will evolve in the face of emerging humanitarian trends. This involves instigating a shift in mindset, developing new staff skills and organizational changes at various levels.
Sahdia holds degrees in Civil Engineering, Architecture and Human Settlements. |
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Amelia Rule, Senior Shelter Adviser, CARE International UK |
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Amelia Rule is currently working with CARE as the Senior Shelter Adviser with over 10 years of experience in urban post-disaster recovery. Amelia trained as an architect in London before moving into the emergency shelter sector in 2009. Initially working for DFID, then the British Red Cross in Haiti, she is passionate about community participation and gender considerations in shelter humanitarian programming. She provides global technical support as well as project managing shelter responses and supporting cluster coordination. Her work in recent years has focused geographically on the MENA region, predominantly supporting the neighborhood approach in Turkey and Lebanon and rehabilitation in North-West Syria.
Amelia holds a BSc degree and Professional diploma in Architecture and a master’s in urban development planning. |
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All times are Geneva summer time (CEST). 14h00 CEST is 22h00 Melbourne, 13h00 London, 08h00 Washington All sessions will use the same Teams link, they will be recorded and made publicly available (except Networking sessions). Register to receive the link.