United Nations Disaster and Coordination Assessment Team (UNDAC) - Terms of reference

When on mission, the UNDAC team:

➢ Works under the authority of the United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in-country – and if there is no United Nations (UN) presence, in direct support of the Government – as one of the components of OCHA’s integrated first response to an emergency and ensures linkage between the national, UN and wider international response.

➢ Supports and facilitates the work of the affected Government and/or the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team in-country, or other coordination bodies established in the initial response phase of an emergency, primarily in the areas of:
o On-site coordination
o Coordinated assessments and needs analysis
o Information management

➢ Supports and facilitates the coordination of the emergency response efforts between the Government, the United Nations and the wider international humanitarian community, and, when requested, may establish an On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) or support the establishment of an (inter-)cluster/sector coordination mechanism for the effective coordination of all international relief assets in support of the appropriate national emergency management authority.

➢ May establish, during earthquakes and other emergencies involving collapsed structures where international urban search and rescue teams are deployed, upon request and pursuant to UN General Assembly resolution 57/150 (2002) and in accordance with the Guidelines of the International Search & Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), a Reception Departure Centre (RDC) and a specialized Urban Search and Rescue Coordination Cell (UCC) as part of an OSOCC with the local emergency management authorities to enable them to meet the technical needs of coordination of the international urban search and rescue teams.

➢ Support the coordination of initial rapid assessments, with a view to identifying the strategic humanitarian priorities as well as priority interventions required and elaborating a concerted operational picture, including through the development of updated situation analyses to inform a Flash Appeal / Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) request and the further coordinated assessment process. Detailed multi-sectoral assessments will normally be undertaken by the affected Government and cluster/sector leads in-country.

➢ Works to support and strengthen the information management process between national and international responders in the early phase of the response in view of facilitating sound decisionmaking. Information management improves the capacity of stakeholders for analysis and decisionmaking through strengthened collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of information and is the foundation on which decision-making for a coordinated and effective response is based.