The cluster approach to humanitarian response: lessons from the Pakistan earthquake

The responsibility of the United Nations Children’s Fund relative to water and sanitation in humanitarian responces worldwide began with an over all responsibility for non-food assistance. It was transformend to sector leadership in the 1990s and now has become cluster manager. This new cluster approach has much potential to improve the international communities ability to respond to an emergancy but many challenges remain. Effective global leadership by UNICEF is essentialto to the realization of this potential but ultimate success depends on the effective engagment of the broader Humanitarian community on the ground.