Major sudden-onset humanitarian crises caused by natural disasters or conflict sometimes require a system-wide humanitarian response. In exceptional circumstances the gravity of the situation justifies mobilization beyond levels normally expected, in order to ensure a more effective response to the humanitarian needs of affected populations. A Humanitarian System-Wide Emergency Activation – or Level 3 (L3) activation – triggers tools and mechanisms to ensure that the system delivers effectively and can monitor its performance; adequate capacity and tools for enhanced leadership and coordination of the humanitarian system are set up; and Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) member organizations are engaged to make sure that they can put in place the right systems and mobilize resources to contribute to the response according to their mandate areas.

L3 emergencies are designated by the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), in consultation with the IASC Principals, on the basis of analysis of the following 5 criteria: scale, complexity, urgency, capacity and reputational risk.

In the following weeks, the Global CCCM Cluster will be focusing on the work of the CCCM Cluster in response to the L3 emergencies declared in Central African Republic (CAR), South Sudan and the Philippines.

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) has recently been the centre of inter-communal violence of massive proportion following a long period of political instability. The crisis, which broke out in December 2013, has led to the displacement of over a million Central Africans, representing one quarter of the total population. On 11 December, the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic was declared a Level 3 emergency and a system-wide response was activated.

As of 19 August 2014, an estimated 87,000 people were displaced in sites in the capital, Bangui, and a further estimated 90,000 had sought refuge in 65 registered communal settlements in other parts of the country.

At the time of writing, IDPs in Bangui are currently living in 38 displacement sites, within which the 7 most populated sites accommodate about 70 percent of the IDP community. Most of these displacement sites are set up on religious premises (churches and mosques), with religious leaders carrying out de facto site management activities. 6 sites are managed by appointed site management agencies, namely Première Urgence-Aide Médicale Internationale (PU-AMI), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). National authorities are becoming increasingly involved in site administration. The recently restored police and gendarmerie are in charge of securing Bangui and patrolling within and next to the main IDP sites. They are also working with the international community to help identify alternative sites to transfer those IDPs living in the most at-risk sites.

Activated in January 2014, the CCCM Cluster continues to ensure a coordinated and effective humanitarian response in the sites in Bangui, including liaising with other clusters as well as national authorities. The Cluster also plays a key role in the durable solution task force that is at the time of writing elaborating a return strategy which aims at creating favorable conditions for return into the neighborhoods. The CCCM Cluster gathers site authorities for periodic meetings to discuss the main issues they or the IDPs face in the sites and update them on the return strategy.

To mitigate the absence of appointed site management agencies, authorities from 19 of the largest sites in Bangui were trained in camp management in March 2014. This activity was part of a capacity building programme begun by the CCCM Cluster in January 2014. At the time of writing, through this programme that started in Bangui and was further extended to the rest of the country with the deployment of a CCCM capacity building officer in June 2014. 235 site managers, 66 site coordinators and data collectors, 225 service providers and CCCM partners, 109 members of the Red Cross and national authorities, as well as 135 IDP representatives from Bangui, Bossangoa, Bouca, Bambari, Kaga Bandoro and Boda have been trained in CCCM. 

The capacity building programme, which has trained 770 people in total, has proven very helpful to reinforce actors and structures in areas with no dedicated site management agency as well as train CCCM practitioners and partners to better achieve the CCCM Cluster’s objectives.

Outside Bangui, the CCCM cluster has extended its coverage through the establishment of 2 sub-clusters led by UNHCR in Bossangoa and Kaga-Bandoro, and a further two in Kabo and Boda, led by IOM which coordinates about 15 sites in those 2 areas. At the time of writing, 2 site management agencies have been appointed in the rest of the country: CRS in Bossangoa manages 1 site and DRC manages 25 sites in the Ouham prefecture with a mobile team. In Bambari, Kaga Bandoro and Bouca, local CCCM actors have been trained to carry out CCCM activities.

To monitor assistance and protection, as well as to provide regular population data in sites without a camp management agency, IOM has established an information management system based on roving teams of site facilitators. The facilitators go to the sites on a daily basis to verify how the IDPs’ assistance and protection needs are being covered, to alert the relevant clusters of any gaps, and to collect demographic data on IDPs. They also collect return intentions on a monthly basis.

For more on the definition and procedures of L3 emergencies visit www.humanitarianinfo.org