UNICEF’s GCCS Newsletter - Issue 14 - Q4 2024

Quarterly Newsletter #14 | February 2025

Global Cluster Coordination Section

UNICEF Office of Emergency Programmes

Dear colleagues,

As we step into 2025, we are excited to share exciting updates and resources to support our collective efforts in humanitarian coordination. In this issue you can find interesting facts to answer key questions on humanitarian coordination as well as exploring the latest Guidance on Cluster Transition and Deactivation recently endorsed by the IASC.

We are also delighted to welcome Ines Lezama as the new Chief of the Global Cluster Coordination Section! In her introductory article, she shares her vision and priorities for the role — do not miss it!

Enjoy the reading!

The GCCS Team 

Global Cluster Coordination: priorities and vision for 2025

I am excited to take on this new role as Chief Global Cluster Coordination Section (GCCS) in EMOPS, enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead and looking forward to working with all of you.

My extensive experience in the field has given me a deep understanding of the challenges we face in achieving results for children and affected population effectively in humanitarian settings, the catalytic power of coordination as well as an appreciation of the huge opportunities we bring to the organization and the wider humanitarian community.

At GCCS, we lead/colead and support clusters and AoRs in child protection, education, nutrition and WASH. Together with IASC, other clusters, and OCHA, we envision delivering effective, timely and accountable humanitarian responses while fostering strong partnerships, driving innovation —including climate resilience and sustainability—, learning from field experiences, streamlining processes, and upholding core humanitarian principles and the core commitment to children. We will deepen our field engagement and prioritize innovation and operational effectiveness. We will continue to adapt to the evolving humanitarian landscape, enhancing our flexibility, impact, and efficiency.

For 2025, we will focus on integrating climate resilience into our humanitarian action, ensuring that our responses are sustainable and adaptable to changing environmental conditions; We will enhance CLA capacity as provider of last resort ensuring that no one is left behind in critical contexts. we will continuously promote informed decision-making and enhanced partnerships for an inclusive, people-centred and efficient response.

Our philosophy emphasizes local actions, solutions, capacities, and decisions.

We are happy to remind everyone of the latest guidance and policies, including guidance on CLA accountabilities (UNICEF) and on transition and deactivation, (IASC) and the support that the GCCS team can provide to Country Offices, Regional Offices and partners in fulfilling coordination commitments. Together we can lead the way improving coordination and embracing new approaches. Let’s envision the future with all key stakeholders.

Stay connected with the GNC, GWC, GEC and CPAoR teams and websites for the latest updates and support from UNICEF Cluster/AoR (co-)leads!!

Thank you for your warm welcome and I look forward to a productive and impactful year ahead.

Inés Lezama

CLUSTER FACT!

UNICEF’s Support for Cluster Leadership: Highlights from the CO Guide on CLA Accountabilities and Humanitarian Coordination

Did you know? UNICEF staff managing cluster leadership responsibilities at the field level can expect multifaceted support rooted in organizational and inter-agency commitments:

• Technical Guidance and Tools: UNICEF provides technical guidance through its global and regional cluster teams. Staff can access tools, templates, and frameworks, such as the Cluster Coordination Competency Framework, to strengthen leadership, communication, and cross-cultural skills (Chapter 2, 8, 14).

• Training and Knowledge Resources: tailored workshops, e-learning in AGORA, operational guides, decision trees for sub-national coordination, and sample ToRs (Chapter 7, 8).

• Supervisory and Strategic Support: clarity of roles, strategic advice and inter-sectoral support from supervisors, including Cluster/AoR Coordinator Supervisors and Regional Offices (Chapter 2, 14).

• Information Management and Communication Tools: Dedicated Information Management Officers or systems for data sharing, performance monitoring, and decision-making at field levels (Chapter 8, 12).

• Peer and Inter-Agency Collaboration: Regular interaction with national cluster leads, field staff, and inter-agency platforms, such as the ICCG, for collaboration and alignment with broader humanitarian goals (Chapter 8, 9). Additionally, the GCCS and the Regional Emergency Teams, organized a series of Clinics on the CO Guide on CLA Accountabilities and Humanitarian Coordination, providing direct support to country offices. So far, around 220 participants across regions have taken part in these clinics, discussing real-time coordination challenges and sharing their experiences.

The GCCS and Clusters will keep supporting country offices through coordination clinics, technical guidance, and upcoming learning events. Stay connected for more opportunities!

Discover more on Humanitarian Coordination from the CO Guide!

NEW! Guidance on Cluster Transition and Deactivation

The IASC has officially endorsed the Guidance on Cluster Transition and Deactivation, a key step in strengthening humanitarian coordination. This initiative reflects UNICEF’s commitment to ensuring efficient, cost-effective, and context-specific cluster transitions that support national capacity-building.

Clusters are temporary coordination mechanisms, activated when national capacities are overwhelmed. However, their transition back to national or alternative systems is critical, particularly in protracted emergencies. The new guidance provides clear, standardized steps for transition planning, ensuring predictability and minimizing gaps in coordination. It emphasizes context-specific approaches, stakeholder consultation, and the Cluster Lead Agency's (CLA) role in ensuring smooth transitions.

Jennifer Vettel, WASH Cluster Coordinator in Ethiopia, reflects on past challenges that highlight the importance of this guidance:

“When I was WASH Cluster Coordinator in Iraq, in mid-2022 a decision was made by the HC/HCT to deactivate the cluster system by the end of the year, transitioning coordination responsibility to the government. At that time, there were no existing global guidance documents for transition, and the lack of a clear transition roadmap with agreed milestones within a reasonable timeline led to many frustrations across all levels, including cluster coordinators, cluster lead agencies, government counterparts, and OCHA. There was confusion about what the roles and responsibilities were for stakeholders at different levels for cluster deactivation, which led to fragmentation, with different clusters following different processes, rather than a single interagency approach.

By having the IASC Guidance on Cluster Transition and Deactivation in place, future cluster deactivations will be able to occur in a more streamlined and standardized manner, so that the responsibilities of humanitarian coordination are well understood and continue following transition, as needed. By having clear steps in place to develop a cluster transition plan for all clusters to follow, all stakeholders will be able to contribute to and understand the transition process, ensuring that there is a clear, transparent cluster transition process and that any cluster coordination functions that will be transitioned to another entity are taken up within the agreed timeframe, ensuring that partners continue to be supported and that the vulnerable populations targeted by humanitarian interventions are not forgotten.”

With IASC’s endorsement, this guidance promotes structured and transparent cluster transitions, strengthening national ownership while maintaining support for vulnerable populations.

Aligning CVA with Community Needs: Are we accounting for the needs and preferences of those we serve?

The Global Cluster Coordination Section (GCCS) cash specialist has been collaborating with the UNICEF cash inter-divisional team, Global Clusters, and AOR leads to improve the alignment on using cash across the different sectors, leading to a more holistic approach to integrating the modality into global appeals: such as the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plans (HNRP). In 2024, she successfully supported the national clusters and AOR in CAR, Ukraine, and Somalia to include Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) in their 2025 response plans. National clusters and AOR coordinators are encouraged to connect with GCCS to explore the promising potential of incorporating ‘cash’ alongside other response modalities. Their outreach is not only welcome but can lead to innovative solutions in our efforts to assist people in need.

New evidence has revealed that the collaboration between system-level commitments and policies of individual agencies has been pivotal in fostering the growth of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). Despite remarkable progress, significant obstacles remain between policy aspirations and the realities on the ground. In 2022, CVA reached an impressive $7.9 billion—an exhilarating 41% increase from the previous year—yet it still represents only 21% of international humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, substantial funding cuts in 2023 and 2024 made it difficult to evaluate the number of people reached with CVA.

The CVA Policy Dialogue paper, published by the Calp and Learning Partnership in 2024, highlights two pressing challenges: the urgent need to reinforce our commitment to people-centered assistance and locally led cash assistance and the crucial role of a two-way dialogue with communities to amplify their voices and perspectives in the design and implementation of emergency assistance. Recent findings show that local actors remain underutilized in cash coordination processes.

Furthermore, an example from the Central African Republic shows that 71% of families consulted in a multisectoral survey in 2024 expressed a strong wish for CVA; alarmingly, the HNRP only reflects a meagre percentage of ‘cash’. While there might be valid reasons “why” cash is not always feasible, the challenge is failing to communicate with affected populations. As we look toward 2025, we must ask ourselves: are our programs centered around the needs of the people we serve, and do their voices matter?

Learning data 2024: Empowering coordination through knowledge

In 2024, the GCCS learning platform continued to strengthen humanitarian response efforts by providing targeted training and resources to practitioners worldwide. With 701 courses available, participants from 189 countries accessed critical knowledge to enhance their capacities in information management, coordination, and humanitarian action. Courses were available in English, French, and Spanish, ensuring accessibility for diverse audiences.

The most popular courses reflect the increasing need for robust data management and planning in humanitarian operations. Leading the list are:

1. Handling, storing, and managing data for information management.

2. Data Analysis.

3. Advocacy in Child Protection Coordination Groups.

4. Disability inclusion in humanitarian coordination.

5. Planning for data collection, processing and analysis.

Courses covered a range of thematic areas, including data and information management, humanitarian coordination, advocacy and inclusion, and sector-specific knowledge in nutrition, WASH, and education.

By equipping humanitarian actors with practical skills and knowledge, the GCCS learning platform is fostering better coordinated responses and improving outcomes for communities in need. Here's to another year of learning and impact!