Iasc cluster approach evaluation, 2nd phase april 2010

Executive Summary
Introduction
Method
Background
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Coordination can only 
address some problems 
Clusters reduce duplications
Evidence for increased 
thematic coverage
Overall effect on  
coverage limited

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•   
Many clusters do not have the explicit goal of organizing a response to priority 
gaps. A positive exception is the Food Security and Agricultural Livelihoods 
Cluster  in  Uganda,  which  has  created  a  “Plan  of  Action”  outlining  detailed 
response activities, prioritized by affected communities. 
 
•   
Cluster lead organizations rarely act as providers of last resort in the sense of 
mobilizing  their  own  resources  in  order  to  address  critical  gaps.  Thus,  only 
26% of survey respondents indicated that they had experienced situations in 
which a cluster lead agency had acted as provider of last resort. Instead, most 
lead organizations focus on appealing to donors to provide resources for filling 
those gaps (“advocates of last resort”), in accordance with recent guidance by 
the IASC.
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 The exception are lead agencies such as UNICEF that can draw 
on emergency budget lines, borrow from their regular programs or offer access 
to emergency stocks to act as genuine providers of last resort at least for some 
priority gaps. Furthermore, WFP has a special “immediate response account” 
which  can  be  used  by  Food,  Logistics  and  Emergency  Telecommunications 
Clusters for start-up funds during the initial stage of an emergency.