UNOCHA

What UNOCHA does

UNOCHA is the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly established in 1991 by Resolution 46/182 with an exclusive mandate to mobilize and coordinate international humanitarian response. Its core functions are threefold: convening humanitarian actors (UN agencies, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, NGOs, and donor governments) under the leadership of the Emergency Relief Coordinator; managing pooled financing instruments including the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF, ~$1B annual target), Country-Based Pooled Funds, and the Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund; and operating shared information services — ReliefWeb, the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX), and the Financial Tracking Service — that form the de facto public data backbone of the humanitarian system.

Operationally, OCHA maintains headquarters in New York and Geneva, with approximately 2,600 staff deployed across 27 country offices, 5 regional offices, and coordination presences in more than 60 countries. It also sustains the UNDAC rapid-deployment system, OSOCC on-site coordination centers, and INSARAG search-and-rescue advisory capacity, which together constitute a global emergency-response infrastructure that is functionally unique.

Its business model is non-commercial: the organization is funded almost entirely through voluntary contributions from approximately 31 OECD/DAC donor governments (coordinated through the OCHA Donor Support Group, expanded from 7 members in 1998) supplemented by a smaller UN regular budget allocation. Funding is requested annually through coordinated appeals and the Global Humanitarian Overview, and the operating budget is set against programme delivery rather than revenue generation — there is no pricing model, customer acquisition funnel, or revenue-per-employee benchmark in the commercial sense.

Name

UNOCHA

Legal name

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Website

https://unocha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UNOCHA coordinates international humanitarian response on behalf of the UN system, convening agencies, NGOs, and donor governments; managing pooled financing instruments such as CERF and CBPFs; and operating shared information platforms (ReliefWeb, HDX, FTS) across 60+ active humanitarian settings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Coordination Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA), Humanitarian Coordination & Disaster Risk Reduction IGOs (BPADAAAE), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Disaster Response Coordination & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (HLAJAGAB)

Keywords

• Humanitarian coordination
• Disaster response
• Pooled fund management
• Humanitarian information systems
• Emergency relief coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

West New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Contributions: Most of OCHA's funding comes from voluntary contributions from a diverse set of donors including governments, institutions, private sector and individuals. Contributions include unearmarked contributions to OCHA's Programme, thematic or softly earmarked support, and contributions to the UN Global Emergency Fund (CERF) or the Country-Based Pooled Funds.
2. UN Regular Budget: Only a small percentage of OCHA's programme budget is funded from the UN Regular Budget.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

UNOCHA coordinates international humanitarian response to conflicts and natural disasters through the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, deploys rapid-assessment teams via UNDAC and OSOCC within 12-48 hours, and manages multi-billion-dollar pooled funding mechanisms including CERF and Country-Based Pooled Funds. It operates global information platforms (ReliefWeb, Humanitarian Data Exchange, Financial Tracking Service) and chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee to ensure coherent humanitarian action across UN agencies, NGOs, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, and national governments.

Product overview

UNOCHA operates a comprehensive humanitarian coordination platform consisting of multiple interconnected tools and services. The core offerings include information management platforms (ReliefWeb, ReliefWeb Response, Humanitarian Data Exchange), financial tracking and funding mechanisms (Financial Tracking Service, Central Emergency Response Fund, Country-Based Pooled Funds, Pooled Funds Data Hub), and rapid response coordination systems (UNDAC, OSOCC, Humanitarian Programme Cycle, Cluster System). These products work together to enable effective humanitarian coordination, from needs assessment through funding allocation to operational response. UNOCHA also produces the annual Global Humanitarian Overview and manages specialized regional funds like the Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ReliefWeb

Quantifiable outcome

• 239 million people identified as needing humanitarian assistance in 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA chairs the IASC, the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance. The IASC brings together all UN agencies and international NGOs to ensure coherent response to complex emergencies. OCHA provides the secretariat for this critical coordination mechanism.
• Norwegian Refugee CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA manages ProCap (Protection Standby Capacity Project) and GenCap (Gender Standby Capacity Project) in long-standing partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council. These projects deploy expert advisors to strengthen protection and gender equality in humanitarian response.
• Stand-by Partner Programme OrganizationscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal organizations provide humanitarian experts for temporary support to OCHA field offices through the Stand-by Partnership Programme. Managed by OCHA's Response Support Branch/Emergency Response Section in Geneva.
• Atlas LogistiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in UNDAC deployment providing logistics support during disaster response operations. Mentioned as part of UNDAC teams responding to emergencies such as flooding in Mozambique.
• International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA manages INSARAG, a global network of search and rescue professionals dedicated to urban search and rescue operations. INSARAG coordinates international USAR teams during disaster responses.
• Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian AssistancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for development of Pacific Edition of Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination guidance, demonstrating regional cooperation on emergency preparedness.
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey humanitarian partner working with local, national and international organizations to implement CERF-funded grants. Part of the broader humanitarian coordination system.
• Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of humanitarian organizations working together to assist Pacific Island Countries to prepare for and respond to disasters. Endorsed as coordination body by IASC in 2012. Includes UN agencies, NGOs, and IFRC.
• Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) / Resident Coordinators (RCs)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOCHA provides leadership support to Humanitarian Coordinators and UN Resident Coordinators who lead and coordinate humanitarian organizations in crisis countries. Supported through tools like the Peer-2-Peer Support Project.
• Humanitarian Adviser Teams (HATs)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSmall OCHA presences based at country level but functionally part of regional offices. Support regional and country-level humanitarian coordinators with coordination, financing, and information management.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World Food Programme (WFP): UN agency providing food assistance in emergencies and serving as the logistics backbone of the humanitarian system. WFP is a major recipient of OCHA-managed pooled funds (CERF/CBPFs) and a key cluster lead under OCHA's coordination framework.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Impartial humanitarian organization providing protection and assistance in conflict zones. As an IASC member with its own coordination mandate in armed conflict, ICRC operates as a parallel coordination body to OCHA in the most severe crises.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to lead and coordinate international action for refugees. Like OCHA, UNHCR operates within the IASC, manages significant donor-funded programs, and coordinates humanitarian response for a specific population. Both are UN humanitarian bodies with global field operations.
• UNICEF: UN agency delivering humanitarian and development aid to children, with significant emergency response operations. UNICEF is a major IASC member, cluster lead, and recipient of OCHA-coordinated pooled funds across most major crises.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN-related organization managing migration-related humanitarian response, including six refugee/migrant response plans coordinated alongside OCHA. IOM is a key operational partner in OCHA-led humanitarian coordination structures.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): World's largest humanitarian network coordinating National Societies for disaster response, with permanent observer status in the UN General Assembly and active role in IASC. Operates parallel coordination architecture to OCHA, particularly at country level.

Emerging players

• UNFPA (UN Population Fund): UN agency addressing reproductive health and gender-based violence in humanitarian settings. Active IASC member, cluster co-lead, and recipient of OCHA pooled-fund allocations across major crises.
• UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees): UN agency delivering humanitarian assistance specifically to Palestinian refugees. UNRWA is an active recipient of OCHA-managed pooled funds and operates in the Occupied Palestinian Territory where OCHA coordinates the broader humanitarian response.

Broad incumbents

• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency leading the Global Health Cluster under OCHA's IASC framework. WHO coordinates health-sector humanitarian response globally and is a major implementing partner of CERF and CBPFs.
• UNDP (UN Development Programme): Larger UN entity with global field presence, particularly through UN Resident Coordinators whom OCHA supports. Engages in the humanitarian-development-nexus that OCHA coordinates, often co-located with OCHA in crisis countries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 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

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UNOCHA