The Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Lemarquis, accompanied by the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, Suzanna Tkalec, and the OCHA Head of Office, Carla Martinez, visited the city of Sake, which has experienced large population movements from areas affected by conflict since 2023. They participated in community consultations to understand the needs, concerns and vulnerabilities of the affected community. OCHA/Francis Mweze
National-level Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs)
In 2023, all 28 surveyed operations had an active Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), chaired by a Humanitarian Coordinator responsible for strategic coordination and decision-making in international preparedness and response1. Average attendance of Humanitarian Coordinators at HCT meetings, however, decreased to 74 per cent, down from 80 per cent in 2022.
Membership
The average size of HCTs has continued to increase. In 2023, the average number of HCT members reached 35, up from 32 in 2022. The operations with the largest HCTs were Myanmar (68 members), Honduras (65 members) and Madagascar (56 members). The increase in HCT size globally in 2023 was driven by additional representation from UN entities (+28), cluster coordinators (+18), national NGO forums (+6), and donor representatives (+6).
HCT average size – 2021 to 2023
The composition of HCTs has remained relatively stable in recent years. The United Nations continues to hold the largest proportion of HCT seats (41 per cent), followed by international NGOs (24 per cent), donors (14 per cent) and national NGOs (10 per cent). Regular or rotational members comprised 73 per cent of HCT members, with 27 per cent serving as observers or special invitees. 2
HCT composition global average – 2021 to 2023
The representation of local or national actors within HCTs improved, with 93 per cent of HCTs in 2023 including at least one local or national actor, compared to 80 per cent in 2022. National NGOs and National NGO consortia accounted for the majority of local or national actors in HCTs, with presence in 89 per cent of HCTs in 2023, up from 77 per cent in 2022. Mozambique and Chad were the only operations without local or national actors in their HCTs in 2023. Local or national actors held 11 per cent of HCT seats in 2023, compared to 10 per cent in 2022 and 7 per cent in 2020.
HCTs with local or national actors – 2021 to 2023
The proportion of HCTs that included donor representatives grew, despite the IASC-endorsed HCT Terms of Reference stating that representatives of Member States and regional bodies, including donors, are not members of HCTs. Proportionally, donors were more represented in HCTs (14 per cent of members) than national NGOs (11 per cent of members). Donors were recorded in 86 per cent of HCTs in 2023, compared to 83 per cent in 2022, with donors newly joining the HCT in Sudan in 2023. The United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom filled 49 per cent of donor seats. For HCTs without direct donor participation, separate mechanisms were established to ensure regular engagement and consultation with donors. Notably, 29 per cent of HCTs had groups specifically dedicated to donor engagement.
The proportion of women within HCTs, however, saw a decline, dropping to 34 per cent in 2023, compared to 40 per cent in 2022. Countries with the highest representation of women on HCTs included Mozambique (77 per cent), Ethiopia (55 per cent), Lebanon (50 per cent), and Ukraine (50 per cent).
Presence in HCTs – 2021 to 2023
Meeting frequency
Some 43 per cent of HCTs held meetings every two weeks in 2023, up from 27 per cent in 2022, highlighting an increased preference for more frequent strategic-level coordination meetings. There was an associated reduction in the percentage of HCTs convening monthly from 63 per cent in 2022 to 54 per cent in 2023. However, there were no reported instances of weekly meetings in 2023. Notably, 4 per cent of HCTs followed other meeting schedules, which included ad hoc or irregular meeting frequencies.
Tools and policies
As of 2023, the vast majority of HCTs (93 per cent) had established terms of reference, marking a slight decline from 97 per cent in 2022 and 100 per cent in 2021. In 2023, 54 per cent of HCTs had formalized compacts3, a slight increase from 53 per cent in 2022, but still below the 60 per cent reported in 2021. While not an IASC requirement, 29 per cent of HCTs had workplans to support their outputs and guide their priorities during the year, a decrease from 33 per cent in the two previous years.
The proportion of HCTs conducting coordination architecture reviews hasdecreased, with 25 per cent completing reviews in 2023, down from 33 per cent in 2022 and 30 per cent in 2021. These reviews assess whether coordination structures remain fit-for-purpose and determine if they should continue, be adjusted, or transitioned based on the context and national coordination capacity.
HCT alignment with IASC tools and policies – 2021 to 2023
References
In the case of Honduras, the HCT was chaired by the Resident Coordinator, as there was no designated Humanitarian Coordinator in that country in 2023.
In accordance with IASC guidance, representatives of Member States and regional bodies, including donors, are not members of HCTs, however the HC/HCT should ensure regular, consistent engagement with these representatives.
Some HCT Compacts were initiated in previous years, carried over into 2023, and finalized that year.