2.1 Position on humanitarian coordination.

CARE recognises that effective humanitarian action requires cooperation and coordination among key players in a global context of growing humanitarian needs and increasing numbers of humanitarian actors. In most emergencies, no single organisation has the resources and capacity to meet all relevant needs. Coordination can harness the diversity of the humanitarian community to optimise the effectiveness of our work. CARE supports and engages in appropriate coordination mechanisms, and promotes a collaborative approach of working with partners and peers, while being careful to retain CARE’s independence and impartiality, particularly in conflict settings.

CARE supports and participates in coordination efforts with the following objectives:

• sharing information
• ensuring responses are complementary (who does what, and where)
• reducing additional (externally derived) burden on affected population as much as possible
• agreeing on common technical and quality standards
• facilitating a coherent approach (for example, analysis)
• common assessment processes and joint planning exercises.

CARE avoids coordination approaches that may compromise our independence and impartiality.