The humanitarian assistance of the United Nations is a complex interaction of UN programmes and agencies, non-governmental organizations, the governments concerned and the affected population. The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) serves as the coordinating body of international humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies and natural disasters.

OCHA is headed by an Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator who is holding the chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).The Committee is an inter-agency forum with representatives of key UN agencies and other appropriate actors developing humanitarian policies and allocating division of responsibility.

OCHA monitors humanitarian developments throughout the world and has developed an effective early warning system on emergencies.

More on UN and OCHA

• OCHA. Background information and news and documents and reports.
• OCHA administers the database ReliefWeb, the leading gateway to information on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. It is updated around the clock from three different time zones. ReliefWeb offers information about:
  • Headlines
  • Crises and disasters. Situation reports, analysis, maps and info-graphic on crises and natural disasters.
  • Countries. Critical humanitarian information presented by country.

• The New Humanitarian Independent journalism reporting on humanitarian crisis, conflicts and disasters. (Formerly IRIN - Integrated Regional Information Network and partof the United Nations until the end of 2014.)