As a global organization with representatives and resources around the world, the United Nations (UN) considers disaster response to be part of its humanitarian mandate. The UN:

• Provides logistical coordination of other organizations’ relief efforts
• Assists with needs assessments to ensure that help is directed where it is needed
• Uses its own resources to deliver food, medicine and other emergency supplies

One of the UN’s key roles is managing international partnerships. When disaster affects people on a multinational scale, no single government can coordinate response activity or perform disaster-response planning across borders. When a large-scale disaster strikes, UN agencies assess the situation and develop a humanitarian strategy to tackle the emergency. The UN also is active in planning the rehabilitation of areas affected by disaster.

The UN’s disaster preparedness and response efforts are orchestrated principally through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). For more information about the UN response to disasters, visit the Emergency Response and Relief Coordination page of the OCHA Web site. For guidance on how to give to the UN, visit How Can My Company Help?