What United Nations OCHA does

United Nations OCHA is the UN system's designated humanitarian coordination office, established by General Assembly Resolution 46/182 in 1991 and renamed from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs in 1998. It mobilizes and coordinates humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors to ensure an effective, principled response to emergencies and to advocate for the rights of people in need. It serves affected populations across crises, while its primary institutional counterparties are UN Member States, donors, operational UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, and INGOs. The office operates from headquarters in New York and Geneva, with five regional offices, country offices in 27 locations, and decentralized hubs in The Hague and Istanbul, supported by approximately 2,600 staff worldwide. Current leadership is Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher.

OCHA's core products are coordination and financing instruments rather than commercial goods. These include the Inter-Agency Standing Committee secretariat, the cluster system, UNDAC and OSOCC surge-deployment mechanisms, and the CERF ($1 billion annual target) and Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs), which have channeled multi-billion sums into major crises (Ukraine $2.3B, Afghanistan $1.7B, Myanmar $890M, Haiti $880M). It also operates information platforms — ReliefWeb, the Humanitarian Data Exchange, and the Financial Tracking Service — and methodological tools such as the Joint Intersectoral Analysis Framework (JIAF 2.0, launched 2023) that underpin the 2026 humanitarian planning cycle targeting 239 million people in need and 87 million priority lives.

OCHA's economic model is that of a UN entity funded overwhelmingly by voluntary contributions from Member States and the 31-member OCHA Donor Support Group, with only a small share from the UN Regular Budget. It does not sell products in a commercial sense; instead, it pools donor funds, allocates them to operational partners through CBPFs and CERF, and is remunerated via institutional/programme support costs on those flows. The growth of the Donor Support Group from 7 to 31 members by end of 2025 is the most visible signal of base-broadening.

Name

United Nations OCHA

Legal name

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Website

https://unocha.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

United Nations OCHA is the UN system's humanitarian coordination office, established in 1991, that mobilizes and coordinates emergency response across 27 country offices and five regional offices via cluster coordination, CERF, Country-Based Pooled Funds, and information platforms serving affected populations and donor Member States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Coordination Services

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Coordination & Disaster Risk Reduction IGOs (BPADAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA), Humanitarian Pooled Funds & Rapid Response Financing (BPADAOAK), Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL), Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPAGAAAL), Disaster Response & Search and Rescue (SAR) (BPADADAA), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian coordination
• Emergency response funding
• Disaster assessment services
• Humanitarian data platforms
• Pooled fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Contributions from Member States: Most of OCHA's funding comes from voluntary contributions from diverse donors including governments and institutions. The OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG) provides nearly all of OCHA's income.
2. UN Regular Budget: Only a small percentage of OCHA's programme budget is funded from the UN Regular Budget.
3. Private Sector and Individual Donations: Private sector and individuals can contribute through CrisisRelief platform and corporate engagement partnerships.
4. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF): Multi-donor pooled fund enabling humanitarian organizations to kick-start urgent aid operations worldwide within hours of sudden-onset emergencies. Receives contributions from donors year-round, has US$1 billion annual funding target.
5. Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs): Country-specific pooled funds managed by OCHA under leadership of Humanitarian Coordinators, supporting high-priority projects by international and national NGOs and UN agencies.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

UN OCHA coordinates international humanitarian response across 27 country offices, chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, and manages global pooled funding mechanisms including the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs). It also operates public information and data platforms (ReliefWeb, Humanitarian Data Exchange, Financial Tracking Service) and rapid response systems (UNDAC, OSOCC) to support humanitarian actors.

Product overview

OCHA operates as a coordination body for humanitarian affairs rather than a traditional software product company. Its service portfolio consists of coordination mechanisms, funding management tools, and information platforms. The core offerings include the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) for rapid humanitarian financing; Financial Tracking Service (FTS), Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX), ReliefWeb, and ReliefWeb Response for data and information management; and UNDAC and OSOCC for disaster response coordination. These services work together within the Humanitarian Programme Cycle framework to coordinate international humanitarian response. OCHA also manages the Humanitarian Coordinator System, Cluster System, and various assessment frameworks like JIAF 2.0 to structure humanitarian operations globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) UN global emergency fund that enables humanitarian organizations to kick-start urgent aid operations worldwide within hours of sudden-onset emergencies and reach crisis-affected people not receiving adequate attention or funding. Managed by OCHA with a US$1 billion annual funding target.
• Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) Multi-donor pooled funds established when emergencies occur or crises deteriorate, managed by OCHA under the leadership of Humanitarian Coordinators to support high-priority projects by international and national NGOs and UN agencies.
• ReliefWeb Online platform providing 24-hour coverage of disasters, conflicts and crises for the humanitarian community, serving as a central repository for humanitarian reports, maps, and situation updates.
• ReliefWeb Response Operational platform and resource repository for humanitarians, supporting coordination and response activities during active emergencies.
• Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) Open data platform managed by OCHA's Centre for Humanitarian Data that shares real-time humanitarian data, including datasets on crises, population movements, and humanitarian needs.
• Financial Tracking Service (FTS) Tracking tool that records global humanitarian aid flows inside and outside of appeals, supporting advocacy, policymaking, and humanitarian financing decisions.
• United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) OCHA-managed system for rapid deployment of disaster assessment and coordination experts to sudden-onset disasters and complex emergencies; teams can be mobilized within 12-48 hours to any location worldwide.
• On-Site Operations Coordination Centres (OSOCC) Coordination mechanism operated by OCHA that provides a platform and physical coordination location for international response activities immediately following sudden-onset emergencies or rapid changes in complex emergencies.
• Global Humanitarian Overview Annual strategic overview of the world's most pressing humanitarian crises, providing consolidated funding requirements and response plans, and serving as the basis for coordinated resource mobilization.
• Humanitarian Action platform Online platform providing comprehensive information on humanitarian response plans and funding requirements across crises, supporting transparency and donor decision-making.
• Humanitarian Coordinator System OCHA-managed system of Humanitarian Coordinators and UN Resident Coordinators who lead and coordinate humanitarian organizations' efforts in crisis situations at country level.
• Cluster System coordination Coordination mechanism organizing humanitarian actors into core sectors (water, health, food security, shelter, protection, and others) to improve efficiency, avoid duplication, and ensure timely response.

Quantifiable outcome

• Target to assist 135 million people out of 239 million in need (2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA chairs the IASC, the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance. It brings together UN agencies, NGOs, and International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement to ensure inter-agency decision-making in responses to complex emergencies.
• Norwegian Refugee CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership managing Protection Standby Capacity Project (ProCap) and Gender Standby Capacity Project (GenCap), deploying expert humanitarian personnel to support protection and gender equality in humanitarian response.
• Atlas LogistiquesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in UNDAC teams providing logistics support during emergency response operations.
• International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA manages INSARAG, a global network of disaster relief organizations focused on urban search and rescue coordination.
• UN Country Teams and Humanitarian Country TeamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA works with Resident Coordinators and Humanitarian Coordinators leading teams of UN agencies and humanitarian actors at country level for coordinated response.
• Centre for Humanitarian DatasupportingTechnology or IntegrationManages Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) platform for sharing real-time humanitarian data across the humanitarian community.
• Stand-by Partner Programme OrganizationssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal organizations providing humanitarian experts for temporary support to OCHA field offices through surge mechanisms.
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey humanitarian partner participating in IASC and coordinated humanitarian response through Movement components including IFRC.
• Global Disaster Alert & Coordination System (GDACS)supportingTechnology or IntegrationOCHA-managed platform providing real-time disaster alerts and coordination support.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Global humanitarian network that sits on the IASC alongside OCHA and channels resources to national societies. Comparable in coordinating a membership-based humanitarian architecture across disasters and crises, with overlapping donor bases and country presence.
• UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees): The UN Refugee Agency, a fellow UN humanitarian organization with a comparable operational mandate, donor-base model, and country-office footprint. Closely co-located with OCHA in humanitarian coordination, including under the IASC, making it the most directly comparable intergovernmental humanitarian peer.
• World Food Programme (WFP): Largest UN humanitarian agency by funding and field presence; operates country offices, manages a logistics/logistics cluster, and is an active IASC member. Comparable in scale, donor base, and forced reliance on voluntary contributions for humanitarian response.
• UNICEF: UN agency with a major humanitarian response arm in emergencies, cluster leadership (e.g., nutrition, education, WASH), and a country-office network that overlaps OCHA's presence. Directly comparable in governance, donor funding model, and humanitarian coordination footprint.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Independent humanitarian organization operating in conflict zones with a comparable focus on coordination, protection, and emergency response. Often co-leads clusters with OCHA and shares the same donor (Member State) base, making it a structural peer in international humanitarian coordination.

Others

• Development Initiatives: Independent organization producing humanitarian financing data and analysis, including work that complements OCHA's Financial Tracking Service. Comparable as an analytical/ecosystem participant that shapes humanitarian-finance transparency and policymaking in the same space OCHA occupies.

Emerging players

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Large humanitarian NGO responding in crisis-affected countries that overlap heavily with OCHA's 23 country operations. Comparable in emergency response delivery and donor dependence, but operates as an implementing partner rather than a coordinator.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): International medical-humanitarian NGO operating in many of the same conflict and disaster settings as OCHA-coordinated responses. Directly comparable in field presence and rapid response, but operates complementary to — rather than within — the IASC cluster system that OCHA coordinates.

Broad incumbents

• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): UN agency with a comparable global footprint and Resident Coordinator infrastructure that OCHA's Humanitarian Coordinators often sit alongside. Less focused on acute humanitarian response but structurally similar in scale, governance, and donor relationships.
• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency that leads the global health cluster in humanitarian emergencies and works in close coordination with OCHA during health crises. Comparable in UN governance, donor-funded model, and country presence, though with a different substantive mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unocha
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ochafilms
• Facebookfacebook.com/unocha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-nations-ocha
• Instagraminstagram.com/un_ocha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Nations OCHA