Subnational HCTs and ICCGs

Subnational Level Coordination

Subnational coordination mechanisms remained diverse and context-specific, supporting localized humanitarian responses through structures such as subnational HCTs, ICCGs, clusters, as well as area-based and localized mechanisms. While the number of subnational HCT locations declined from 52 to 47 (largely due to Syria dropping from six locations to none), subnational ICCGs saw a significant rise, with 117 active groups across 21 operations, driven primarily by increased reporting from Colombia (38 reported in 2024, compared to 0 in 2023).

Although only 15 out of 29 operations reported using area-based coordination mechanisms, most of these countries expanded their use (established new Area Based Coordination (ABC) mechanisms in more locations), reflecting growing support for flexible, localized coordination models tailored to operational needs. The configuration of subnational coordination mechanisms remained highly context-dependent, shaped by factors such as geographic spread, access constraints, and the scale of humanitarian needs. These factors influenced not only the number and type of mechanisms in place but also their location and functionality. As humanitarian operations evolve, maintaining adaptable and well-integrated subnational coordination structures will be essential to ensuring timely, effective, and accountable responses.

Subnational Humanitarian Country Teams

In 2024, 13 out of 29 operations (45%) had subnational HCTs, with a total of 47 subnational locations. The slight reduction from 2023 (52 subnational HCT locations), was largely driven by a few operations, most notably Syria, where previously high numbers of subnational HCTs (6) fell to zero. Meanwhile, operations in Colombia (16), Afghanistan (6), and Myanmar (5) recorded the highest numbers of subnational HCTs from 2024, consistent with their figures from 2023 and a slight decrease in Afghanistan (7 to 6).

OCHA chaired the majority of subnational HCTs, leading 34 out of 47 (72%), with 20 solely chaired by OCHA. Deputy Humanitarian Coordinators (DHCs) chaired 6 per cent of subnational HCTs. Other UN actors, local NGOs, INGOs and NGO consortia also took on chairing roles in 21 per cent of subnational HCTs (down from 50% in 2023).

Donor participation was observed in 6 per cent of subnational HCTs, a 4 per cent decrease from 2023. This shift is largely due to the discontinuation of subnational HCTs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reduced donor representation in subnational HCTs in Mozambique and Sudan. Three countries – Philippines, Sudan and Colombia – reported donor participation in 2024.

Subnational Inter-Cluster Coordination Groups

There was a significant increase in total subnational ICCGs globally. Some 117 subnational ICCGs were active across 22 operations in 2024, compared to 77 across 21 operations in 2023. These subnational ICCGs were present in 75 per cent of all operations (similar to 2023) highlighting a sustained emphasis on operational coordination at the subnational level. Operations with high numbers of subnational ICCGs included Colombia (38), Sudan (8), Ethiopia (7), and Yemen (7), followed by Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, and South Sudan (6 each). Colombia illustrated the largest increase in subnational ICCGs in 2024, as well as the highest overall, having had no subnational ICCGs in 2023.

The absolute number of ICCGs under OCHA’s leadership remained unchanged at 75, with the percentage drop (97% to 66%) driven by the sharp increase in total ICCGs (from 77 in 2023 to 117 in 2024), largely due to Colombia reporting.

Lebanon, Pakistan and the Central African Republic had subnational ICCGs co-chaired by local/national authorities, bringing the total number of ICCGs co-chaired by local/national authorities to 8 (up from 6 in 2023). However, due to an overall increase in the number of subnational ICCGs, the proportion co-chaired by local/national authorities slightly declined by 1 per cent.

Government participation in subnational ICCGs increased from 23 per cent to 32 per cent, with the number of subnational ICCGs with government participation growing from 16 to 37. Some 11 countries had government participation compared to 7 in 2023, with Colombia showing the most significant change, reporting 12 ICCGs with government involvement after having none between 2021 and 2023.

Donor participation remained minimal, with Colombia being the only country to report donor engagement in subnational ICCGs.

Area-based and localized mechanisms

In 2024, area-based coordination at the subnational level was reported in 52 per cent of operations (15 out of 29), marking a notable decline from 71 per cent in 2023. These mechanisms were reported in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, DRC, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mozambique, Nigeria, oPt, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria-Gaziantep, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen .They were led/co-chaired by OCHA in 11 operations, and in seven operations, they were co-chaired by local/national authorities. Notably, all the area-based coordination mechanisms co-led with local/national authorities in 2024 (Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mozambique, Ukraine, and Yemen) were newly reported. Several operations, such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, did not report the use of area-based coordination, despite doing so in 2023.

While the overall number of operations reporting area-based coordination mechanisms fell, the number of locations covered by area-based coordination increased from 175 locations to 216 locations. In South Sudan, example, area-based coordination supported 45 locations, up from 21 in 2023 and in Ethiopia, 36 locations benefited from area-based coordination, compared to 6 locations in 2023. This suggests the continued utility of these mechanisms, where they are active, to strengthen localized coordination.