Global shelter cluster strategy 2018-2022

Global shelter cluster strategy 2018-2022

The Global Shelter Cluster is pleased to launch our next five-year strategy. This document sets out an inspiring agenda to strengthen global shelter and settlement interventions which remain central to effective humanitarian responses around the world, and describes how we will support partner organisations in meeting the needs of people affected by conflict and crisis.

The evolution of the Strategy has been a collaborative process that has engaged partners at all levels, driven by the Strategic Advisory Group and the Cluster lead agencies, to review past performance, articulate key priorities and evaluate the current humanitarian landscape and future trends. The strategy defines core Cluster priorities while articulating the inherent connectedness with other sectors required to achieve effective shelter and settlements responses with demonstrated sector-wide impact.

In little over a decade since the inception of the Cluster Approach, the GSC has gone from strength to strength, evolving into a robust collective of organisations, committed to coordinate approaches and resources, share best practice and unite for a common purpose – constantly adapting and improving its services to support partners to provide shelter and settlements assistance for the most vulnerable families and communities affected by conflict and disaster.

Over this period, the humanitarian context has changed remarkably; with conceptual, programmatic and technological developments driving change in how we work and helping us gauge our impact. Assisted populations have become the centre of our focus, with an emphasis on accountability to affected populations, and the development of robust monitoring and evaluation in support of evidence-based, inclusive and localised programming with a view to empowering people affected by crises.

The context of our work has also changed given the ever increasing impact of urbanisation and climate change, which has resulted in a fundamental shift in our operational reality. With the majority of the global population now living in cities and natural disasters becoming more frequent and severe, we are required to work differently and to constantly innovate to find new solutions. Working with complex urban systems subject to natural disasters and the effects of conflict means that we need to be versed in working with issues of chronic vulnerability as much as emergency response; where the best of development approaches need to be understood and synchronised with humanitarian efforts, to reduce risk and jointly work toward sustainable systems in favour of area-based results.

Original source and full report: Shelter Cluster
Published on 14 February 2018