Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT)

To improve the timeliness, effectiveness, and predictability of humanitarian response in the region, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Office of the Pacific Islands established the Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT) in 2008. The PHT is a network of humanitarian organizations working together to assist 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) which include Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Tokelau, to prepare for and respond to disaster.

It works with Pacific governments and partners to ensure that necessary arrangements and systems are in place to support nationally led disaster responses. The PHT was endorsed as a coordination body by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in February 2012.

During disasters the PHT provides support to the Pacific governments, non-government organizations and communities in delivering fast, effective and appropriate disaster response. 

Outside of disasters, the PHT works with Pacific governments and partners to ensure necessary arrangements are in place to enable effective international support to a national disaster response.

The PHT is guided by and committed to humanitarian principles and gender equality. The PHT promotes the participation of, and accountability towards affected communities to ensure the needs and rights of all disaster affected people are met, including the most marginalized and vulnerable.

PHT members include representatives of UN agencies, NGOs and the International Red Cross Movement (through the IFRC), and it functions through a cluster structure. These organizations form the core of the PHT. 

OCHA is the Secretariat for the PHT and coordinates the meetings and activities of the PHT regional coordinators from each of the ten cluster support teams. 

The PHT is structured in 3 layers.

• Leadership – PHT principals, these are the heads of the organizations from UN agencies, IFRC and NGO representatives.
• Cluster Coordinators – regional coordinators from each of the ten cluster support teams and NGO representatives
• Cluster Support Teams – the PHT has ten cluster support teams working in different sectors, each with a designated lead agency and a number of supporting agencies. Several Pacific countries have established their own national clusters or working groups that are responsible for coordinating disaster preparedness and response in their sector. 

The primary function of the regional cluster coordinators and cluster support teams is to support national clusters or sectoral working groups where they exist. Where they do not, the cluster support team are still able to provide coordination and technical support related to their sector, as needed under national leadership. 

During Disasters:

• Resource mobilization – as a recognized part of the global humanitarian system, the PHT can mobilize funding and other resources from emergency funding mechanisms and through joint international appeals.
• Emergency stocks – PHT members maintain emergency stocks of key humanitarian supplies for quick deployment during a disaster.
• Technical expertise – PHT members can deploy technical experts in a range of areas and sectors to support national governments and NGOs in assessing needs and planning, implementation and monitoring disaster response activities.
• Coordination support - cluster support teams and UNOCHA can support national coordination and information management, as well as specialized areas such as civil-military coordination. 
• Assessment support – PHT members with specific expertise can support nationally-led needs assessment, including coordination, planning, implementation and analysis of results.
• Information management support -  PHT members can deploy information management experts to support managing the large amounts of constantly changing information during a disaster.
• Communication and advocacy – PHT can support national governments, NGOs and communities with ensuring effective national and international communication and advocating to ensure people and organizations in need receive assistance. 

Outside of Disasters:

The PHT’s role is to work with national governments and partners to ensure necessary arrangements are in place to enable effective international support to a nationally-led disaster response. The PHT’s collective focus is on ensuring preparedness to respond based on current national capacity and systems.

The PHT has adopted a country-specific approach to its preparedness work. This recognizes that every country and every context is different and requires unique approach. In practice, this means the PHT will seek to work with national governments and partners to better understand existing national systems and agree in advance how the PHT could support that country during a disaster.