The overall goal of the Global CCCM (Camp Coordination and Camp Management) Cluster is to improve living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) by facilitating the effective provision of protection and services in camps and camp-like settings, advocate for durable solutions and ensure organized closure and phase-out of camps upon the IDPs’ relocation, return, resettlement or local integration. The Global CCCM Cluster primarily supports all IDP operations in which the cluster has been activated. Its support also extends to any IDP operation without a formally activated CCCM cluster and which has a camp or camp-like IDP population.

The scope of operations and responsibilities has evolved through the years and goes beyond camps, to also include collective centres, spontaneous sites, temporary settlements and transit/return centres.

Co-led by International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for natural disaster and conflict-induced IDP situations respectively, the Global CCCM Cluster also benefits from the membership of many partner agencies, as well as support from academic and private sector partners.  At the country level, CCCM is a vital humanitarian mechanism as it facilitates protection and assistance to displaced populations.

Providing equitable access to services

The role of the Global CCCM Cluster is twofold; to coordinate humanitarian actors with regards to all the services provided to displaced populations within any communal settings (i.e. camps, informal settlements, collective centers); and working with the affected population to ensure representation in site governance and access to information about services being provided. The CCCM Cluster works with national authorities in support of their responsibility to administer assistance to populations in need, including through capacity building, expert in-country and remote technical support and mentorship, and strategic advice on adapting tools to a given context. The CCCM Cluster advocates for inclusive approaches, e.g. providing access for displaced persons in local health or education infrastructures, and promotes alternative to camps such as accommodation in host communities and provision of assistance through outreach centers.

Camp managers make sure systems are in place to meet minimal humanitarian standards, duplication in provision of assistance is prevented and gaps are addressed. They also establish two-way communication structures to inform site residents about what is happening and give residents the opportunity to participate in decisions that concern them and provide feedback to humanitarian actors.

Currently the Global CCCM Cluster has active operations in thirty-five countries, eight addressing needs in conflict settings, twenty in a natural disaster contexts and seven in mixed situations

For the latest reports and analysis visit http://globalcccmcluster.org.