What is the Cluster

A Cluster is a representative term for a group of assisting organizations linked by a common activity. It includes a variety of stakeholders that meet regularly on a voluntary basis and take decisions by consensus or majority vote. There are over 40 Cluster members namely international and national Non-Governmental Organizations, International Organizations, representatives of Donor's Community and the Government of Haiti. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been the Lead Agency for the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster since the Earthquake in January 2010 and for the combined Emergency Shelter and CCCM Cluster since September 2011.

See also: http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/pageloader.aspx?page=about-default

The focus of the Emergency Shelter and CCCM Cluster is on: camp management activities, provision of emergency assistance, transitional shelters and distribution of non-food items. The core functions of the Cluster are: coordination with various stakeholders, preparedness and capacity building, needs assessment and planning, information management and reporting, application of international standards, monitoring of cross cutting issues, advocacy and resource mobilization.

To allow for a well planned and strategic assistance, the Cluster collects and reports data using tools such as the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) which is a monitoring tool designed to provide timely and accurate information on the population and Internally Displaced Person (IDP) sites.

The Cluster meets on a regular basis in national plenary sessions. It also has a limited group of stakeholders that meet for important policy decisions, the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) and a series of working groups that meet to discuss specific operational matters, the Technical Working Groups (TWiGs). The Cluster Coordination team is formed by ten national and international staff.

Currently, theEmergency Shelter and CCCM Cluster is concentrating its efforts in two main directions: ensuring that displaced people have access to durable return or relocation solutions and maintaining decent living conditions and providing protection for those still living in camps.

As of January 2012 around 1 million tarpaulins were handed out in spontaneous settlements. More than 100,000 transitional shelters were built and 6000 rental subsidies were distributed allowing almost 450,000 people to move to locations with better living conditions. To continue its effort in alleviating Haiti's displacement crisis, the Emergency Shelter and CCCM Cluster is advocating for the provision of 75,000 additional return shelter solutions targeting people that otherwise will continue to remain in camps at the end of 2012.