Overview
The Cluster is a global humanitarian coordination mechanism led by UNHCR in conflict situations and by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in cases of natural disasters. Established to ensure the rights, dignity, and basic needs of displaced populations are respected, CCCM coordinates the delivery of essential services, such as shelter, water, sanitation, and safety, displacement sites. By engaging affected communities, CCCM empowers them to participate in decision-making processes that shape the management of their environments, promoting resilience and social cohesion.
CCCM operates across various settings—planned camps, self-settled sites, and collective centers—and emphasizes area-based site management to assist not only displaced people but also impacted host communities. The Cluster works to transition camp management to local authorities as quickly as possible, focusing on capacity-building for sustainable, locally driven solutions. CCCM’s approach prioritizes the safe, dignified, and accountable provision of services and supports long-term solutions that enable displaced people to pursue self-reliance and integration, where possible, with host communities.
Relevance for emergency operations
The Cluster works alongside communities, authorities and aid providers to ensure that people affected by displacement can access life-saving assistance and protection and identify paths to solutions guided by the Minimum Standards for Camp Management (MSCM).
The Cluster will always maintain a people-centered approach and support communities and local partners in leading the response. In collaboration with all other clusters, it will provide an agile response shaped by the needs and rights of displaced people and enable solutions. This will ensure that service providers have linkages to affected populations through information management and community engagement for more effective responses.
Main guidance
The Cluster operates in the following types of setting, which are of primary concern:
| Planned camps | Self-settled sites | Transit sites | Collective centres | Evacuation centres | Reception centres |
In some contexts, the Cluster adopts or includes area-based site management. This means that programs also support host communities and other affected communities in the geographical area of concern. This approach reduces the likelihood of displaced people being pulled towards planned camps to access services and enhances the opportunity for solutions.
The Cluster’s Approach to Camps
In certain circumstances, planned camps can be critical to a displacement response. As an immediate, short-term, life-saving measure, planned camps can provide protection and enable access to services in the aftermath of a displacement crisis.
However, it is widely recognized that, once established, planned camps frequently outlive their planned existence causing significant negative impact. Sustained reliance on planned camps can create dependency on aid and the need for extensive investment. Alienation can cause social cohesion issues that may impact integration as a possible solution. In certain circumstances, planned camps can pose protection and health risks, and perpetuate trauma for people who have already been impacted by difficult circumstances.
The establishment of planned camps is the prerogative of national authorities. The Cluster takes a comprehensive approach to displacement – always considers planned camps as a last resort, advocates to authorities for alternatives to planned camps and, if established, helps mitigate the negative effects. Whether in planned camps or self-settled sites, displaced communities living in collective settings demonstrate acute needs that the cluster has an imperative to respond to.
Over the last 15 years the internally displaced population in self-settled sites has grown to more than double the population in planned camps. Communities living in self-settled sites often face congested and hazardous living conditions, exclusion from decision-making and inadequate safety measures. The work of the Cluster continues to evolve to address these needs across a range of collective displacement settings. The Cluster will strive to ensure that responses adapt to the context and align with existing infrastructure and services.
The CCCM Cluster’s Area Based Site Management Approach
Implementation of area-based site management (targeting all populations within a geographical area) in both urban and rural contexts can also be applied in areas of return. From a CCCM perspective, this can include interventions through remote management (if challenges with access) or through mobile approaches in situations of numerous small sites/informal settlements.
Video: Area-Based Site Management
Cluster Activation
In the initial stages of an emergency, activating the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster is essential for organizing and delivering aid effectively to displaced populations. The CCCM Cluster lead agency depending on scenario (UNHCR in conflict and IOM in disaster situations) should coordinate with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) to assess the immediate needs and determine the suitability of activating the cluster. A CCCM coordinator should be appointed, supported by a dedicated information management officer and capacity development specialist.
Video: CCCM Explainer
Once established, CCCM must prioritize the delivery of essential services such as shelter, water, sanitation, health, and food distribution across formal and informal sites. information management platforms should be set up to manage resources effectively, avoiding service duplication and addressing gaps. Site management operational partners should ensure maintaining safe living conditions for displaced persons, through tools such as safety audits and environmental modifications to reduce risks, such as fire hazards or exposure to violence, including gender-based violence (GBV). Accountability measures, including feedback and complaint mechanisms, are crucial for identifying and addressing any unmet needs or safety concerns, helping ensure that services are aligned with community expectations and standards.
The CCCM Cluster coordinates the activities of its members, which can include but are not limited to the following:
- General site management activities including coordination of services and population data management
- Overall maintenance of infrastructures and improvements of the site environment
- Mobilization and participation of people in sites
- Two-way communication with those in sites
- Durable solutions related activities
- Capacity building
Community Engagement
Engaging, listening to and mobilizing communities generates important qualitative information on the needs, aspirations and actions of displaced communities. It can lead to improved accountability, more localized responses and earlier identification of possible solutions. To realize this potential, in line with the IASC commitments on Accountability to the Affected Population and the MSCM, the community engagement work undertaken by the Cluster needs to adapt to area-based approaches and inform the wider humanitarian response in coordination with existing national community governance mechanisms.
Video: Participation of People in Displacement settings
Working across sectors
Humanitarian response is adapting, from a sector-led response - where support is shaped by the provision and expertise of sectors, to a person-led response – where communities define their needs and responders adapt to provide a holistic, multi-sector approach. By operating as a generative cluster – understanding displaced communities’ needs and aspirations, then sharing information and connecting communities with relevant service providers, the Cluster can contribute to achieving this transformation.
Video: Minimum Standards for Camp Management
Information Management
Information Management (IM) within the Cluster is a critical function that enhances coordination and enables relevant stakeholders to work with shared information, promoting informed decision-making. The proper collection and management of data facilitates humanitarian responses for CCCM and supports other sectoral humanitarian response as well as work towards durable solutions and recovery and disaster preparedness efforts. IM ensures that cluster decisions are based on timely and evidence-driven insights, fulfilling the accountability framework outlined in the IASC Operational Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sector Leads and OCHA in Information Management (2008) See Toolkit Section 1.2 Core Functions of a CCCM Cluster for more information.
Further policy considerations
The IASC Reference Module for Cluster Coordination at the Country Level (2015) outlines the process for activating and deactivating clusters, including the core functions of the CCCM Cluster. Under the IASC Transformative Agenda, cluster activation is intended to be strategic, limited in duration, and responsive to clear gaps in coordination or capacity. The Humanitarian or Resident Coordinator (HC/RC) should recommend activation only when there is a critical gap that local systems cannot address effectively. Plans for deactivation should begin early, with a focus on building local and government capacity to eventually manage the response.
In recent years, there is growing recognition of the need to make humanitarian responses more transparent, accountable, and coordinated. Both the High-Level Panel on IDPs (IDP Report) and the Independent Review of the Humanitarian Response to Internal Displacement’s Recommendations 2024 highlighted issues such as lack of coordination, exclusion of IDPs from decision-making and fragmentation. This results in inefficiencies, gaps, and duplication in aid delivery which lead to slower responses and unmet needs for IDPs.
These reports emphasize the importance of shifting from short-term emergency relief to long-term solutions that address the root causes of displacement and promote durable outcomes, such as return, resettlement, or local integration. The Cluster aligns with these recommendations by advocating for alternatives to camps, focusing on community-based, area-based solutions, and integrating displaced populations into host communities. By doing so, the Cluster responds to the reports’ critiques of the current system’s over-reliance on camps and failure to deliver comprehensive, sustainable solutions to protracted IDP crises.
Furthermore, the Cluster's focus on community engagement and local leadership addresses the exclusion of IDPs from decision-making processes. By placing a greater focus on IDP participation and protection including gender-based violence, the Cluster responds to the recommendations to create a more accountable and inclusive humanitarian system that enables displaced communities to transition toward durable solutions.
Operationalising UNHCR's commitments
UNHCR’s role in internal displacement focuses on global and country-level leadership, advocacy, and coordination, especially in areas of protection, shelter, and camp coordination and management (CCCM). Under the IASC framework, UNHCR leads and coordinates efforts to protect displaced populations, with an emphasis on those affected by conflict and violence. In emergencies, UNHCR assumes CCCM leadership to coordinate services in camps, using evidence-based analysis to inform decision-making and ensure humanitarian responses prioritize protection. The organization is also involved in disaster-induced displacements when certain criteria are met, typically providing time-limited support.
Delivering a protection and solutions response
In its CCCM role, UNHCR fosters a community-based protection approach to address critical risks like sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and child protection. Through its experience in shelter and camp management, UNHCR integrates its expertise to ensure safe and inclusive settlements for IDPs and actively promotes their engagement in decision-making. UNHCR also supports the development of comprehensive cluster strategies, mobilizing resources to fill service gaps when necessary. A core focus of UNHCR’s CCCM role is to mainstream protection across humanitarian interventions, reinforcing local actors’ capacities to eventually assume camp management responsibilities.
Disengaging responsibly
UNHCR aims to transition camp management to local authorities as soon as possible, providing technical support, training, and resources to build their capacity. This “responsible disengagement” ensures a sustainable handover, allowing local entities to lead in managing and supporting IDP communities. Additionally, UNHCR supports long-term solutions by facilitating the integration of IDPs into national services, promoting inclusive development, and strengthening resilience through joint humanitarian and development actions, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Post emergency phase
Localization is a key driver in achieving solutions and reducing the need for planned camps. In most cases, locally led responses are more cost-efficient, less bureaucratic and better able to provide sustainable, contextualized solutions. Despite the best intentions of international actors, the structure of the humanitarian system often leads to limited engagement of local actors. In the process of its work, the Cluster often plays a coordination role at site level. This provides an opportunity to be a leader in localization – promoting and supporting diverse local actors to lead responses.
The role of the Cluster includes facilitating transition of camp management to local actors and authorities. This involves developing contextual analyses and conducting stakeholder mapping to identify local actors, assess scenarios, and establish benchmarks to guide the transition process. Transition plans are created to actively engage local partners, prepare handover plans, and transition the CCCM Cluster’s role from direct management to an advisory capacity from the onset. Ensuring that transition strategies are in place across all locations is essential, with the Strategic Advisory Group overseeing progress toward eventual exit. To support these goals, the CCCM Cluster maintains open lines of communication and ensures that local actors have access to information on cluster activities, fostering transparency and local ownership in camp management.
The CCCM Cluster plays a key role in strengthening the capacity of local and national actors to effectively coordinate and manage camp activities. This includes providing targeted support to enhance local skills, emphasizing learning and guidance that lead to sustainable benefits, especially in accessing and managing funding. Capacity-building efforts incorporate knowledge exchange initiatives and foster partnerships with local stakeholders to build a stronger, locally-led response. Furthermore, the CCCM Cluster ensures that recruitment processes contribute to, rather than diminish, national capacity by prioritizing deployment opportunities and structured learning programs that support lasting skill development for national actors.
Solutions from the Start
While recognizing that return, relocation and integration remain the mandate of the State, the Cluster ensures that displaced people can identify and access humanitarian assistance and protection they need, delivered according to standards and held to account.
Increasing displacement, and reducing resources highlight that efforts need to better integrate solutions from the start. The Cluster supports partners to design sustainable programs to achieve self-reliance and reduce aid dependency. The role of the Cluster will focus on working with communities to transition from emergency relief to self-reliance, towards sustainable solutions.
Checklist for a CCCM cluster at the country level based on IASC core cluster coordination functions
CCCM Cluster Coordination Team
In line with IASC cluster coordination leadership commitments, the following positions are recommended at country level, at a minimum:
- A dedicated CCCM Cluster Coordinator;
- A dedicated CCCM Information Management Officer;
- Depending on the humanitarian response's size and scale, it may be necessary to designate a full-time post to support the cluster coordinator with deputizing the role and coordinating sub-national clusters;
- A Capacity Building CCCM Officer for cluster support is recommended;
- Sub-national cluster coordinators as needed.
See graphic: A minimum CCCM cluster coordination structure for a system-wide L3 emergency:
Annexes
Learning and field practices
Links
Main contacts
Contact the Global CCCM Cluster: [email protected]
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