affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence.” National Societies differ in terms of staffing and resources, but can contribute critical insights and working relationships to the work of the Nutrition Cluster. Civil society It can be challenging to engage civil society in the Nutrition Cluster, Community-based since there is limited guidance in this area and in many cases limited actual mechanisms for engagement. However, civil society groups can organisations (CBOs), contribute to the emergency response by providing local knowledge organisations (FBOs), and expertise, human resources and equipment, by sharing advocacy groups, private information and through advocacy. sector, the media, professional associations A broad range of donors currently support nutrition in emergencies Donors with an expressed and capacity development around the Cluster Approach. There is also interest in nutrition in a need to build donor relationships with non-typical donors for emergencies emergencies, which will depend on the context. Coordination with military or peacekeeping forces may be necessary in a complex emergency situation and should, where possible, be undertaken through OCHA and the inter-cluster coordination mechanism. Any interaction must respect humanitarian law and must serve the primary purposes of relieving humanitarian suffering and assuring protection and assistance for all non-combatants affected by conflict or disaster. International military and It is important for all Nutrition Cluster partners to be aware of, and to peacekeeping forces guard against, the risks of forming too close an affiliation with the military, or even creating a perception that this is the case. Significant care is needed when considering the use of military assets to support humanitarian action, such as air and road transport, armed escorts or joint humanitarian/military operations in all response contexts. Such an approach should be taken only when there is no civilian alternative. While their engagement in the day-to-day Nutrition Cluster coordination mechanism is often limited, academic and research institutions can be valuable resources in terms of expertise, capacity Academic and research building (including training) and information, as well as in mobilising institutions equipment and personnel for assessments. They are also critical partners in terms of standard setting for training and certification in nutrition-related skills. Other clusters that have Engagement with the leadership of other clusters, either formally impacts on direct and through an inter-cluster coordination mechanism or through bilateral underlying causes of working relationships, is essential in order to ensure a well malnutrition – in particular coordinated response (section 2.4). Health, Food Security and WASH
affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence.” National Societies differ in terms of staffing and resources, but can contribute critical insights and working relationships to the work of the Nutrition Cluster. Civil society Community-based organisations (CBOs), organisations (FBOs), advocacy groups, private sector, the media, professional associations It can be challenging to engage civil society in the Nutrition Cluster, since there is limited guidance in this area and in many cases limited actual mechanisms for engagement. However, civil society groups can contribute to the emergency response by providing local knowledge and expertise, human resources and equipment, by sharing information and through advocacy. Donors with an expressed interest in nutrition in emergencies A broad range of donors currently support nutrition in emergencies and capacity development around the Cluster Approach. There is also a need to build donor relationships with non-typical donors for emergencies, which will depend on the context. International military and peacekeeping forces Coordination with military or peacekeeping forces may be necessary in a complex emergency situation and should, where possible, be undertaken through OCHA and the inter-cluster coordination mechanism. Any interaction must respect humanitarian law and must serve the primary purposes of relieving humanitarian suffering and assuring protection and assistance for all non-combatants affected by conflict or disaster. It is important for all Nutrition Cluster partners to be aware of, and to guard against, the risks of forming too close an affiliation with the military, or even creating a perception that this is the case. Significant care is needed when considering the use of military assets to support humanitarian action, such as air and road transport, armed escorts or joint humanitarian/military operations in all response contexts. Such an approach should be taken only when there is no civilian alternative. Academic and research institutions While their engagement in the day-to-day Nutrition Cluster coordination mechanism is often limited, academic and research institutions can be valuable resources in terms of expertise, capacity building (including training) and information, as well as in mobilising equipment and personnel for assessments. They are also critical partners in terms of standard setting for training and certification in nutrition-related skills. Other clusters that have impacts on direct and underlying causes of malnutrition – in particular Health, Food Security and WASH Engagement with the leadership of other clusters, either formally through an inter-cluster coordination mechanism or through bilateral working relationships, is essential in order to ensure a well coordinated response (section 2.4).
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