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Core Coordination Elements/Stakeholders

The coordination structure of an international USAR operation can involve many different stakeholders and can differ significantly at each disaster. However, the core structure, key actors and how they should interact should be the same.

Global Disaster Awareness and Coordination System (GDACS)​

The Global Disaster Awareness and Coordination System (GDACS) at www.gdacs.org, provides the international disaster response community with near real-time alerts about disasters around the world and tools to facilitate the coordination of response.

GDACS is activated in major disasters that overwhelm the affected country’s response capacity and require international assistance.

On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC)​

Depending on the situation and in discussion with the national authorities, an OSOCC may be established by the UNDAC team close to the LEMA, and support the national authorities in coordinating international responders. The OSOCC coordinates international responders and supports the initial inter-cluster coordination mechanisms such as health, water, sanitation, and shelter.

The OSOCC has two core objectives:

  • To rapidly provide a means to facilitate on-site cooperation, coordination and information management between international responders and the government of the affected country in the absence of an alternate coordination system
  • To establish a physical space to act as a single point of service for incoming response teams, notably in the case of a sudden-onset disaster where the coordination of many international response teams is critical to ensure optimal rescue efforts

Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (VOSOCC)​

The VOSOCC is a web-based information management tool at https://vosocc.unocha.org. It is a virtual version of the OSOCC. The VOSOCC is an information portal for information exchange between international responders and the affected country after disasters. Access to the VOSOCC is restricted (requires a password) to disaster managers from governments and disaster response organisations. The VOSOCC is managed by the Coordination Platforms Unit in RSB, Geneva.

Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre User Guide PDF.

Local Emergency Management Authority (LEMA)​

The LEMA is the ultimate responsible authority for the overall command, coordination and management of the response operation. All responding USAR teams (regional and international, classified or non-classified) are required to report to the RDC upon arrival in the affected country, so that LEMA can be notified. Teams should then be briefed and deployed to the disaster site(s) by the UCC.

Reception and Departure Centre (RDC)​

The first classified USAR team into the country is to establish an RDC in consultation with the host nation. The aim of an RDC is to be the initial international coordination entity established in the affected country. See Reception and Departure Centre for more information.

USAR Coordination Cell (UCC)​

The first arriving classified team should also expect to engage in initial USAR coordination to ensure operations are coordinated from the onset. The first arriving team should establish contact with the LEMA to obtain information about the disaster response and with the next arriving teams to ensure coordination. As this is done, the team should also establish the USAR Coordination Cell (UCC). See USAR Coordination Cell for more information.

Sector Coordination Cell (SCC)​

When a small number of teams responds to a mission, they are directly coordinated by the UCC. However,
as the complexity of a mission grows due to the arrival of more teams, increased areas of operation, and/or direction from LEMA, the UCC may decide to divide the operations within the affected area into geographical sectors to increase the effectiveness of the USAR coordination.

Based on the sectorisation plan and number of international USAR teams, UCC may appoint one classified team as sector coordinator to establish and manage the Sector Coordination Cell (SCC) in the required sector. In this case, the SCC becomes the representative for each of the teams to the UCC and engages in coordination activities for all teams within their sector. Communications between the UCC Manager and individual international USAR team leaders will be through the SCC.