Who’s who in humanitarian response?
Many people are involved in financing, coordinating, delivering and reporting on the response to humanitarian crises, inside and outside the official system of UN agencies and international government donors. Navigating the system can be quite bewildering! We’re putting together a rough guide, based on our own mapping work – starting with a few bits of information about the main players on this illustrative ‘tube map’. A few words of explanation appear when you hover your mouse over the ‘stations’ or ‘stops’.
We’re eventually hoping to map out how these players interconnect and how the information, financing and other resources flow through both the formal and informal system.
If you can’t find yourself in one or more place on this guide, have something to contribute, or can help us ‘map’ … please shout!
You can download the content of the infographic in PDF format and re-use the infographic, which was designed in collaboration with Hype & Slippers. We’d be grateful for a mention should you re-use this information (Source: Development Initiatives).
International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement NGOs, faith-based and civil society organisations 
International National Local International National Local International Committee of the Red Cross International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies National societies Local branches Philanthropic organisations Corporate donors Individuals Peacekeeping National International Diaspora Local community WFP UNHCR UNICEF UNRWA WHO FAO OCHA Aid Recipient:
In 2010, US$18.8 billion in humanitarian aid was provided to 139 developing countries. 53 of these countries had higher than average shares of their respective populations living on less than US$1.25 a day. 39 of the countries had been affected by conflict for five or more years over the previous decade (collectively receiving US$10.7 billion that year). Just over US$8 billion was spent in 46 countries that had an above average share of their respective populations affected by natural disasters over the previous decade. Aid recipients have little opportunity to give international actors direct information about what they require or have received.
International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement:
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement comprises the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), established in 1863, and 187 national societies that are members of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
International Committee of the Red Cross:
The ICRC, established in 1863, has a special mandate and role in humanitarian assistance, derived from the Geneva Conventions, with an obligation placed on it to assist populations affected by war and internal conflict. It places great emphasis on adherence to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, independence and humanity. http://www.icrc.org/
International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies:
The IFRC was founded in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I. It is the world’s largest humanitarian network, comprising 187 national societies, and works to meet needs before, during and after disasters and health emergencies. http://www.ifrc.org/
National societies:
There are 187 national societies within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, covering almost every country, making the Movement arguably the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. National societies operate a range of initiatives to generate income domestically.
Local branches:
Local branches are IFRC’s representatives closest to the ground. They call upon the services of millions of volunteers with many different types of skills and mobilise local communities to respond to their own needs.
NGOs:
NGOs, faith-based and civil society organisations (FBOs and CSOs) operate at the international, national and local levels. They are extremely diverse in mandate but are often all involved in the provision of social services and assistance, advocacy and accountability.
International:
The number of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) involved in the provision of humanitarian assistance has grown hugely since the early 1990s. They collectively mobilise considerable resources from the general public and deliver the majority of international humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
National:
NGOs operating and providing assistance within their national borders are a critical and often under-represented element of humanitarian response capacity. National NGOs may operate at a variety of scales and may span several locations or they may serve the needs of a particular community. National NGOs often struggle to access international financing directly and may receive funding via international NGOs and UN agencies.
Local:
Local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and faith-based organisations (FBOs) often have the closest point of contact with communities and individuals affected by humanitarian crises. They often work in partnership with national and international organisations.
Military:
Many governments deploy their national military assets in both domestic and international contexts to assist in the response to disasters. Military actors may have superior logistical capabilities and resources as well as the ability to respond very quickly at scale, which can be extremely valuable during major disasters where infrastructure is damaged. In the last decade, military functions in conflict situations have expanded to incorporate a range of tasks related to humanitarian goals, including support for humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts and the protection of civilians.
International:
There is a lengthy history of countries deploying their militaries to assist with the response to disasters internationally. Such assets represent a substantial addition to the resources and assets deployed by humanitarian organisations, which could never possess such capacities, logistical or otherwise. International military actors have also become direct implementers and donors of humanitarian assistance in the last decade in situations where they are party to a conflict, in particular in Iraq and Afghanistan, through Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and through the US government’s Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP).
National:
Many countries deploy their national military assets in a domestic context to assist fellow citizens in the response to natural disasters and other civil crises. Military and domestic security actors often form a core element of a government’s national disaster management response capacity and have clearly stated roles and responsibilities within national disaster management plans.
Peacekeeping:
Peacekeeping is an activity aimed at creating the conditions for lasting peace, including monitoring and observing peace processes. Most peacekeeping operations are convened and led by multilateral organisations including the UN, European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the African Union (AU) and other regional bodies. Troops and military assets are contributed by member governments. Many, but not all, multilateral peacekeeping operations are mandated by the UN Security Council. Multilateral peacekeeping operations are financed by a range of mechanisms including, in the case of the UN, mandatory assessed contributions, and in-kind contributions of assets and personnel.
UN:
The UN’s humanitarian architecture is headed by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs or Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC). The current ERC, Baroness Amos, chairs two bodies that coordinate humanitarian activities - the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA). The IASC is the inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making. It comprises all major humanitarian actors, including the International Red Cross Movement, and three NGO consortia.
The ERC also heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a key actor within the international system, responsible for mobilising and coordinating effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. It coordinates the UN consolidated appeals process (CAP) - a mechanism for fundraising and coordination - and manages the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and pooled funding mechanisms.
OCHA:
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) does not deliver humanitarian aid but is a key actor, being the UN organisation established to coordinate international humanitarian aid efforts. http://www.unocha.org/
FAO:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was founded in October 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of rural populations. It also has the objective of contributing to the growth of the world economy. Overall, the FAO aims to achieve food security for all, i.e. to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. http://www.fao.org/index_en.htm
WHO:
The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters within the United Nations system. It helps to shape the health research agenda and monitors and assesses health trends. The WHO provides humanitarian aid. http://www.who.int/en/
UNRWA:
United Nations General Assembly resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949 established the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. It began operations on 1 May 1950 and provides assistance, protection and advocacy for around 4.8 million registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian Territory (Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem). In the absence of a solution to the Palestine refugee problem, the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA's mandate, most recently extending it until 30 June 2014. Of the UN agencies, it provides the largest amounts of humanitarian aid, along with UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP. http://www.unrwa.org/
UNICEF:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), set up in December 1946 to provide food, clothing and healthcare to children in Europe suffering from the effects of World War II, became a permanent part of the UN in 1953. In 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which UNICEF upholds. It has a network of National Committees in 36 countries, each established as an independent local non-governmental organisation. Of the UN agencies, it provides the largest amounts of humanitarian aid, along with UNRWA, UNHCR and WFP. http://www.unicef.org/
UNHCR:
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on 14 December 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of refugees. Of the UN agencies, it provides the largest amounts of humanitarian aid, along with UNRWA, UNICEF and WFP. Its activities fall into the categories of protection, assistance and durable solutions. http://www.unhcr.org/
WFP:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), established in 1961, is primarily a humanitarian agency – the largest of its kind. WFP focuses specifically on providing food and addressing hunger. Of the UN agencies, it provides the largest amounts of humanitarian aid, along with UNRWA, UNICEF and UNHCR. http://www.wfp.org/
Community:
Domestic actors (communities, government agencies, civil society and the local private sector) are often amongst the first to respond to crises. Their contributions are largely invisible in assessments of global response to crises – while some are reported to the UN OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS), this is sure to represent only a tiny fraction of the real investments.
Diaspora:
Many migrants and refugees have fled crises and lack of economic and educational opportunities but often retain close links with their country and community of origin. Diaspora communities often respond, in cash and in-kind, in support of crisis-affected communities when disasters strike.
Local and host communities:
When disaster strikes the affected community is naturally the first to respond. This might include: immediate life-saving through search and rescue; reducing risk through evacuation; and housing, feeding and providing physical protection to displaced people. Local businesses sometimes contribute funds, material relief goods or logistical capacity, often waiving or reducing fees for services in times of disaster.
Private donors:
Private funding plays an important role in financing the collective response to meet global humanitarian needs. Our preliminary estimates (GHA Report 2012, p25) put contributions from major charitable trusts and foundations, businesses and corporations, and individuals at US$4.6 billion in 2011. They represented about 31% (US$5.8 billion) of the total humanitarian funding (US$18.8 billion) in 2010. The private funding captured in our data is channelled through UN agencies, international NGOs, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, but untracked volumes of private funding also flow through faith-based organisations, local NGOs and directly to affected communities and individuals.
Philanthropic organisations:
At least US$1.2 billion in humanitarian funding was donated by private foundations and philanthropic organisations in the years from 2006 through to 2010.
Corporate donors:
Corporate giving accounted for at least US$1.4 billion in humanitarian aid between 2006 and 2010.
Individuals:
By far the largest amount of private voluntary contributions between 2006 and 2010 came from individual giving: at least US$13.3 billion was raised from individuals.
Governments:
Government donors play a very large part in shaping the international humanitarian response. The overwhelming majority of humanitarian funding from governments comes from members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC). http://www.oecd.org/dac/
However, in the last few years, the participation of a number of governments outside the DAC has become increasingly visible. Governments might provide their humanitarian funding through the UN, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, international NGOs, public-private partnerships, or the governments of affected countries.
International:
International governments have spent US$90 billion on humanitarian response over the past ten years.
National:
National governments are responsible for, and have the primary role in the initiation, organisation, coordination, and implementation of humanitarian assistance within their own territories. Such contributions are often overlooked in the assessment of global response to crises. We do not have a figure for the humanitarian response of national governments but, by way of example, the Indian government has spent more than US$6.2 billion on emergencies in its own country over the past five years, far outweighing the amount it has received from international donors for humanitarian crises.
Local:
Local government agents can play critical roles in crisis response. These are largely invisible in assessments of global response to crises.
Aid recipient:
US$18.8 billion was provided in the form of humanitarian aid to 139 developing countries in 2010. Aid recipients are often subject to multiple risks and causes of vulnerability: 53 of these 139 countries had higher than average shares of their respective populations living on less than US$1.25 a day. 39 of the countries had been affected by conflict for five or more years over the previous decade (collectively receiving US$10.7 billion that year). Just over US$8 billion was spent in 46 countries that had an above average share of their respective populations affected by natural disasters over the previous decade. Aid recipients have little opportunity to give international actors direct information about what they require or have received.
Finance:
Humanitarian financing is provided by different people, in different ways, through different (and sometimes multiple) financing mechanisms and agencies.You can check these out on the Data & Guides Financing page!
Coordination:
The world of humanitarian financing is complex. Whatever part you play in the system, this guide will help you to navigate how money can flow from the donor to the recipient.
Implementation:
The world of humanitarian financing is complex. Whatever part you play in the system, this guide will help you to navigate how money can flow from the donor to the recipient.
Information:
While many donors and agencies put reporting standards and accounting practices into place, the information they publish isn’t necessarily timely or comparable –and certainly not yet brought together and made available in one place. Outside the system, information can be difficult to get hold of. This makes tracking money and resources right the way through the system – and getting information back from people on the ground – difficult. In spite of advances in technology and communication tools! See our Data & Guides Information page!
