What We Do
The cluster was established in 2005 as part of the humanitarian reform process with the aim of strengthening system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies. The Global Protection Cluster (GPC) is a network of UN agencies, NGOs and international organisations working on protection for internally displaced persons and other populations affected by conflict and natural disaster. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the Lead Agency in the Protection Cluster.
The GPC coordinates the development of policy, standards and operational tools relating to protection in humanitarian action, including practical guidance on how to establish and manage protection coordination mechanisms.
The GPC’s work is guided by its 2016-2019 Strategic Framework which is structured around two key objectives:
1. Protection is central to humanitarian action; and
2. Protection response is timely, of high quality and relevant.
The GPC Coordinator, Simon Russell, regularly provides video messages to inform about the clusters’ work and to explain what protection means in operational terms.
Support to field protection mechanisms is directly provided or channelled through the GPC Operations Cell. It provides the Global Cluster Coordinator with the capacity to follow critical inter-agency processes, contributes to policy and standard setting on protection issues and the prioritization of global support activities to field operations. The Operations Cell is also critical to the implementation and monitoring of the GPC Work-Plan, influencing planning as well as spearheading catalytic activities such as the GPC’s Community of Practice. It also engages with donors and mobilizes resources.
The GPC is committed to continuously improving the protection response. Delivery of protection-related trainings and learning programmes is thus an essential work-stream.
For sound operational planning and programming in humanitarian operations, effective information and data management at the global and field levels is essential. A dedicated Information Management Officer at global level therefore ensures effective communication, reporting, engagement and coordination between the GPC Coordinator, the AoR Coordinators and partners.
The Global Protection Cluster also makes strategic use of deployments of experienced professionals to establish field protection clusters in new emergencies or to support already existing clusters improve their response capacity. A Senior Roving ProCap, deployed by the Protection Stand-by Capacity project, provides direct and strategic support for protection preparedness, protection in crises and protection in transition, including establishment, leadership and co-ordination of protection clusters.
NORCAP has deployed a CashCap to the GPC Operations Cell under its capacity building scheme for cash-based Interventions experts. The CashCap supports the roll-out of cash and protection tools developed under the 2014-2015 ECHO-funded Enhanced Response Capacity (ERC) grant managed by UNHCR, gathers best practices and lessons learned on protection and cash and helps field protection clusters in selected countries to increase the use of existing guidance and tools throughout the humanitarian program cycle.
For more information on the GPC’s work please contact us or visit our website.