Introduction
The current humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe is very much in the realm of a complex emergency. Despite the serious impact of drought in 2002, government mismanagement of the economy and land reform and a brutalizing political environment are significant factors in the worsening vulnerability of the majority of Zimbabweans. These events have also virtually isolated the Zimbabwe government from any dialogue with the donors Because of this environment, the poor donor - government relations have placed the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator's office in a key role as facilitator to improve dialogue between the humanitarian agencies and government ministries and to strengthen co-ordination between the various humanitarian agencies.
The UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator also brought together donors, NGOs and the UNCT to review the mid-year CAP review as well as the provision of the 2003 humanitarian contingency plan.
Because of the myriad causes of the emergency in Zimbabwe, o-ordination of the humanitarian response and the critical issue of government co-operation has made it imperative that a wide range of co-ordination structures are required to improve humanitarian access and delivery. There are currently four main channels of co-ordination for the humanitarian agencies in Zimbabwe.
Those co-ordination structures established within the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator's office which provide a forum for the UN Country Team (UNCT), government, donors and NGOs to meet on matters of humanitarian work, policy reform, the political and economic dimensions of the crisis and humanitarian constraints and access. The Relief and Recovery Unit within the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator's office also provides an information management function as well as being the main conduit to government for NGOs and donors.
The RRU plays an important role in humanitarian co-ordination The unit will be responsible for developing a GIS mapping service and database which will provide information on 'who is doing what and where', as well as locating key parts of the country's infrastructure such as schools, clinics and water points. Through its field based Relief, Information and Verification Units, the RRU will also co-ordinate information at a district level in terms of humanitarian and recovery activities. The RRU currently produces a fortnightly humanitarian bulletin and takes the responsibility in co-ordinating the work of the UN Consolidated Appeal.
A series of working groups headed by UN technical agencies which bring together the UN, government and the NGOs (and sometimes donors) to discuss improved collaboration in sectoral work.
Some of the larger international donors have co-ordination meetings with their own partner NGOs. - EU, DFID and USAID.
The heads of NGOs involved in humanitarian work meet monthly to share information and work on common strategies and advocacy with both the government and the wider humanitarian community.
The role of the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator's office in co-ordination - national co-ordination structures.
Because of the unusual role which the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator plays as the main intermediary between the donors,NGOs and the government, the most critical co-ordination structure is:
The meeting between the UNCT, Government and the donors. It is also hoped that NGO representation will be added to the meeting. This meeting is the only forum for policy discussions between the donors and the government. The format has improved considerably in 2003, where
main issues are discussed at each meeting, which often require government commitment for action and which are followed up at the next meeting. The meeting is attended by 3 government ministers, ambassadors and their aid officials as well as the UNCT. Fundamentally, the meeting is about challenging the constraining policy environment in Zimbabwe and seeking productive solutions to improve humanitarian delivery and access. It also about improving the quality of a shared understanding between the government and the humanitarian agencies and donors of the nature and causes of the emergency. The ICRC has joined the meeting and it is likely that two NGO representatives will join the meeting on a permanent basis.
The UN HC also attends a monthly Cabinet Crisis Committee meeting with the government to improve government and the humanitarian community's response and understanding of the crisis.
Other key co-ordination groups include:
UN humanitarian co-ordinator's meeting with the NGOs (Monthly). This forum shares information on field issues and on NGO constraints and capacity, including issues which the UN HC needs to take up with the government.
The UNCT meeting on humanitarian issues (monthly). This meeting includes two NGO representatives along with the ICRC. The meeting looks at a wide range of issues to do with the humanitarian programme including assessments, food security and recovery matters, UN- NGO collaboration and government concerns.
The Friends of the UN HC meeting (fortnightly) which brings together a key group of donors (US,UK,Sweden.Norway,EU,Holland) to advise the UN HC on policy and government relations. The meeting often discusses approaches to be considered at the UN- government and donors meeting.
The OCHA senior humanitarian affairs officer co-ordinates a monthly meeting with local NGOs on issues to do with farm workers and IDPs.The meeting is attempting to improve the focus on humanitarian access to farm workers who are the most vulnerable group in Zimbabwe.
Sectoral working groups
The main areas of technical co-ordination occur through a series of technical working groups which the head by a UN agency These groups encompass all of the key participants (UN, donors, NGOs and government) in humanitarian delivery. Some groups are also examining recovery strategies.A major aspect of the working groups is to do with the monitoring of changes and trends in the country as well as examining the impact of the current sectoral relief programmes.
RRU Focal Points Sectoral Working Groups
Sector | Main Focal point | Alternate focal Point |
Food aid | Vincent Lelei | George Olesh |
Nutrition | Ruth Butao | Vincent Lelei |
Health | Ruth Butao | Vincent Lelei |
Urban SECTOR | Ruth Butao | Vincent Lelei |
Education | Vincent Lelei | Ruth Butao |
IDP/Protection | Andrew Timpson | Clifford Mbizi |
HIV/AIDS | Ruth Butao | Jean-Marie Korporaal |
Child Protection | Vincent Lelei | Clifford Mbizi |
Agriculture recovery | Michael Jenrich | George Olesh |
Water and sanitation | Donna Muwonge | Tinago Chikoto |
Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee
This is an important co-ordination group as it assesses vulnerability in Zimbabwe on a quarterly basis. Headed by the Government's Food and Nutrition Council, the committee brings together UN, NGO, SADC and government technical staff to manage assessments in Zimbabwe. At the moment, the emphasis of the VAC assessments is on access to food, but it has been agreed that health, nutrition and HIV information will be included to give a stronger multi-sectoral perspective to issues of vulnerability in Zimbabwe. The findings of the committee have a direct bearing on WFP food distributions.
NGO groups
The NGOs have meetings with their own donors (EU,DFID, USAID) on concerns around reporting, monitoring, logistical constraints, capacity and access.The NGO heads also meet on a monthly basis to discuss common concerns and operational and advocacy issues. Some of the most important concerns are brought to the NGO-UNCT forum.
District co-ordination structures
Most districts have drought co-ordination committees which are made up of government ministries such as agriculture, health along with NGOs. War Vets are often members of these committees and sometimes ZANU-PF party officials.The committees discuss targeting, distribution and vulnerability trends and are an important structure for improving the transparency of humanitarian decision making.
Coordination 
