Provider of last resort

The “provider of last resort” concept is critical to the cluster leadership approach. Without it, the elements of predictability and accountability for an effective humanitarian response are lost. It represents the commitment of cluster leads to do their utmost to ensure an adequate and appropriate response in their respective areas of responsibility. It is necessarily circumscribed by some basic preconditions that affect any framework for humanitarian action, namely unimpeded access, security and availability of funding.

The cluster lead ensures that joint assessment of the needs and capacity of different actors within the cluster is undertaken in developing a strategy and response plan. If there are critical gaps in the response plan, the cluster lead will do its utmost to ensure that these are addressed, calling on relevant humanitarian partners. If this fails, then depending on the urgency and priority that the cluster gives to addressing this gap, the cluster lead, as provider of “last resort” may need to commit to filling the gap

This commitment means ensuring adequate needs assessment, project design, budgeting, fundraising and implementation. The HC should fully support the cluster lead in these efforts. If funds are not forthcoming for these activities, the cluster lead cannot be expected to implement these activities and should continue to work with the HC and donors to mobilize the necessary resources. Humanitarian action under any framework or approach can be limited by access and security constraints. If the efforts of the cluster lead, the IASC country team and the HC as the leader of that team are not successful in gaining access to a particular location, or if security constraints limit the action of all participants in the cluster, the provider of last resort will still be expected to continue advocacy efforts and explain the constraints to stakeholders.

To assume their role of provider of last resort, OCHA, WFP and UNICEF have been developing the capacity, through increased internal resources and partnerships, to ensure the provision of clearly defined, timely, predictable and effective inter-agency telecommunications services for humanitarian agencies involved in three large emergencies per year, two of which would be concurrent.

Inter-Agency Emergency Telecommunications (IAET)

IAET is the service provided by the ETC at the local level. IAET supports the coordination of humanitarian assistance for the initial period of a declared emergency through the provision of common basic IT and telecommunications infrastructure and services. IAET aims at enhancing personnel security and information exchange. It includes both security telecommunications and data connectivity services.

Note: the IAET existed prior to the establishment of the ETC. However, for consistency with existing official documentation, the term is used to refer to ETC services or common Inter-Agency emergency telecommunications services provided at the country level.

Telecommunications Coordinating Agency (TCA)

While OCHA, WFP and UNICEF have responsibilities at a global level and are the providers of last resort under the cluster scope at that level, TCA is the agency selected to assume the local ETC lead and provide IAET services at local level. The selection of the TCA is based on its current local capacity and agency mandate and may be different from global mandates. The TCA may avail itself of the support of other cluster members and stand-by partners.

Note: the term TCA was coined by the IAET Common Service and later adopted by the ETC to provide consistency with existing official documentation. The term ‘TCA’ is the equivalent of ‘local ETC lead’.

ETC global lead

When the ETC was designed, it was felt that the magnitude of the Inter-Agency Emergency Telecommunications (IAET) activities was too large for any one organization to take on until proper capacity was built. This led to sharing the global lead responsibility among three UN agencies.

OCHA – the “process owner”

OCHA performs the overall preparedness, coordination and activation of the response. It manages the initial emergency response pending the assignment of the TCA.

UNICEF and WFP – the “service providers”

UNICEF and WFP supply common emergency telecommunications services in the initial stage of the emergency if existing organizational capacity on the ground is insufficient. UNICEF is the service provider for common data services, WFP is the service provider for common security telecommunications services.

In order to carry out their mandate, OCHA, UNICEF and WFP, the three co-leaders of the ETC, can avail themselves of several partners including: United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DCPEP), Danish Rescue Council (DRC), United Nations Institute for Training and Research/Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNITAR/UNOSAT), RedR Australia, Télécoms Sans Frontières, Ericsson Response, NetHope (consortium of 18 international NGOs) and Global VSAT Forum.