What is it about?
The final objective of the coordination is to improve response, and to do so the decision maker must have a clear understanding of the gaps during each emergency phase. Once results of capacity mapping, needs assessment or response monitoring are compiled, gap analysis process can start, to look more in detail the exact locations and root causes of gaps. Data compilation, cleaning and analysis is often the responsibility of IMO. Results of the gap analysis process must then be communicated to partners and other response actors using relevant format and tools.
From the initial stages of the emergency, the coordination platform is required to report on the emergency response. Reporting can have many specific objectives: report on gap analysis to partners, to donors, report on HRP strategic indicators, reporting to feed OCHA and UNICEF M&E system. Reporting is a responsibility shared by all coordination team member, although WCC will be more involved in the reports’ design and finalization, while IMO will work more on content and visualization. Much of the reporting can be anticipated, and a calendar of reporting requirements can be developed in consultation with OCHA and UNICEF (as CLA) and included in the WASH coordination / IM Workplan in the early stages of the response.
One of the core functions of the WASH coordination platform as set up by the IASC is “To support robust advocacy”. The WASH Cluster coordinator is often expected to be the spokesperson of the WASH sector, centralizing and prioritizing concerns from partners, and report them at a higher level, mostly to the Humanitarian Coordinator and Humanitarian Country team through the inter-cluster group and UNICEF. Some technical issues can also be reported directly and addressed at global level through the Global WASH Cluster.
What are the objectives?
- To provide humanitarian actors with the evidence they need to take operational and strategic decisions and adapt short and long-term strategies
- Consolidates and reports concerns preventing a timely and quality implementation of the WASH Cluster/sector response and ensure issues are addressed by relevant actors