Attachments
A. THE PURPOSE OF THE ERF
The Emergency Response Framework (ERF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) aims to provide overall guidance and architecture for the Secretariat’s emergency response operations. As per the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the IFRC function is “to assist the National Societies (NS) in their disaster relief preparedness, in the organization of their relief actions and in the relief operations themselves” and “to organize, coordinate and direct international relief actions in accordance with the Principles and Rules adopted by the IFRC General Assembly and endorsed by the International Conference.
The IFRC is guided by its Strategy 2030, which emphasizes the central importance of National Societies and the need for a strong, well-functioning Secretariat to support them in delivering assistance to vulnerable communities. Inspired by the principles of Strategy 2030, the ERF aims to provide a comprehensive framework that aligns with these strategic priorities while remaining relevant for future challenges. The Secretariat’s Agenda for Renewal (AfR2 ) sets out the strategic priorities and enablers to support the IFRC in achieving its Strategy 2030 targets and delivering effective and efficient services, programs and operations through its National Societies to people affected by disasters or situations of vulnerability. The ERF, therefore, incorporates all these priorities, providing guidance for high-level, complex disasters and crises and ensuring it remains adaptable and forwardlooking.
This revised ERF builds on the previous version issued in 2017 and has been updated to focus on the priorities of the Agenda for Renewal (AfR), including a focus on greater agility and flexibility, and the provision of more guidance for high-level, complex disasters and crises (Red level and some Orange level emergencies). The AfR also prioritizes situations that demand new approaches, such as multi-country or multi-region crises and health emergencies.
The ERF provides an overarching framework to align the IFRC Secretariat’s systems and tools for emergency response (figure 1 shows how the ERF interacts with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the IFRC membership in disasters and crises). It also outlines the overall processes, mechanisms, roles and responsibilities across the Secretariat’s disaster and crisis response functions and aims to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of the Secretariat’s support and coordination for National Societies, to enable them to deliver high quality operations with greater impact for people and communities in situations of crisis and vulnerability.
A priority of the ERF is to ensure accountability for decisions and outcomes in any emergency response across all levels of the organization. The IFRC is a decentralized organization committed to locally led action, with a decentralized architecture, however, it must still ensure accountability and consistency in its support to its members. To this end, it has adopted a “One Secretariat” approach, to emergency response, which is focused on a united and agile Secretariat that ensures the alignment of key accountability measures across all levels. These are in line with current quality and accountability initiatives in the wider humanitarian and development sectors, including the Core Humanitarian Standards on Quality and Accountability, the work of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and the SPHERE Standards.