UNDAC Advisory Board Meeting 2024 (1 May 2024) - Background ...

This paper presents an overview of the UNDAC Advisory Board for 2024 and reviews the significant activities carried out by the UNDAC system in both 2023 and 2024. It encompasses UNDAC deployments for emergency responses and preparedness missions, along with trainings conducted for our close partners worldwide. Additionally, it provides insights into the primary UNDAC partnerships that the OCHA Emergency Response Section (ERS) has bolstered over the past year, highlighting key humanitarian organizations.

PROGRAMME

The UNDAC Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 9 May, at the CICG in Geneva, coinciding with the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW). Preceding the Advisory Board, a series of events will occur, including the UNDAC 101 online public event on Wednesday, 1 May. This event will be conducted three times to accommodate different time zones and will be available in three languages:

English, French, and Spanish. The target audience for UNDAC 101 includes the general public interested in learning more about the UNDAC system, including new Focal Points and interested Member States.

On Thursday, 2 May OCHA ERS will host an online UNDAC Governance meeting for self-funding members of the UNDAC Advisory Board. This session aims to provide updates on topics related to UNDAC roster management, administrative, and financial issues that may require support or endorsement.

During HNPW on Monday, 6 May the UNDAC Core Committee group will convene face-to-face in Geneva to discuss follow-up actions and address outstanding issues, such as the co-chair, its work plan, overall purpose, and utility.

Starting from Monday, 6 May participants of HNPW arriving in Geneva will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition titled "Presenting UNDAC and Introducing the new UNDAC Handbook and Website." Active UNDAC members, support partners, and OCHA ERS staff will be on hand to showcase the work of UNDAC and share their experiences as emergency responders. The exhibition will feature the newly revised UNDAC handbook, along with the launch of the new website. Visitors will also have the chance to view videos and gain insights into the activities of the UNDAC system.

On Thursday, 9 May members of the UNDAC Advisory Board will convene both online and in person at the CICG for their annual gathering, which is open to all UNDAC member countries, organizations, and operational support partners. During these sessions, keynote speakers and panel members will discuss developments and challenges within the broader humanitarian system and emergency response, including those impacting OCHA and the UNDAC system.

Following the opening, a panel will present an overview of activities from the past year, along with lessons learned from key emergencies such as the Libya floods and the Yemen pollution spill. Drawing from experiences in these emergencies, UNDAC's approach to operating in non-permissive environments will be shared during the meeting, with a draft concept note available for reference here:

This session will be followed by an update on the collaboration between OCHA/UNDAC and the WHO Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Initiative.