The social and economic cost of natural disasters and other crises are often beyond the resources of the affected country, and this is particularly true for small island countries in the Pacific region. With international assistance interventions, the United Nations System is often called on to respond and to coordinate the support of agencies involved. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was established in 1991 to coordinate United Nations assistance to countries in humanitarian crises that go beyond the capacity and mandate of any one agency. When an emergency strikes, OCHA coordinates the international response. It consults with the relevant United Nations Country Team and undertakes inter-agency consultations at headquarter level to reach agreements on priorities for action. | | The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is located in Fiji and covers 14 Pacific Island Countries including Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau. | | | | OCHA's mission | | | The mission of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilise and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to: | | - Alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies
- Advocate for the rights of people in need
- Promote preparedness and prevention
- Facilitate sustainable solutions
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