UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OCHA's mission 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, and facilitate sustainable solutions. A department of the UN Secretariat, OCHA operates through a network of field offices which support UN Humanitarian Coordinators and country teams. It also maintains regional support offices and Regional Disaster Response Advisors in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.
On January 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, mostly destroying the capital, Port-au-Prince, including the UN Peacekeeping compound. OCHA is coordinating search-and-rescue teams for hospitals, schools, hotels and larger buildings.
For more updates and information related to the Haiti relief efforts, and how the UN Foundation is supporting OCHA and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), please visit www.unfoundation.org/haiti.
To learn more about UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, visit the website »
