Humanitarian country team

The humanitarian country team (HCT) is the national-level decision-making forum. It is led by the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), who reports to the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC, i.e. the Under-Secretary-General for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) at Headquarters. The HCT consists of representatives from the United Nations operational organizations present in the country, international NGOs and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.

In a structurally-integrated mission context, one of the deputy heads of mission may simultaneously serve as Resident Coordinator and HC.

Humanitarian coordination mechanisms
The current humanitarian coordination architecture was established by the General Assembly in its resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991. This resolution established global and national-level coordination mechanisms, including the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the humanitarian cluster system.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee
The IASC is an inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving key UN and non-UN partners. It is chaired by the ERC and consists of the heads of the UN operational organziations (UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, FAO, WHO, UN-HABITAT, OCHA and IOM). In addition, standing invitations have been extended to the ICRC, IFRC, OHCHR, UNFPA, the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs and the World Bank. The NGO consortia ICVA, InterAction and SCHR are also invited on a permanent basis to attend the IASC.

Humanitarian cluster system
The cluster system is a coordination mechanism introduced by the IASC to enhance predictability and partnership amongst humanitarian actors. It designates, at a global level, the lead actors responsible for coordinating delivery in the major sectors of humanitarian services. The cluster leads usually perform these tasks at the national level for the HCT.