Managing External Relations - Disaster Management Center ...

EP
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Managing External Relations
Humanitarian Early Warning System (HEWS) identifies crises with humanitarian
implications. Through multi-sectoral analysis of indicators, both long-term and shortterm,
evaluation of trends and in-depth field-based information, HEWS informs decisionmakers
at headquarters about the likelihood and extent of crises. An extensive database
of base-line information for more than 100 countries supports this activity.
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN): Since 1995, IRIN (Nairobi) has
analysed and synthesised information on developments in the Great Lakes Region. It
issues daily reports as well as thematic studies for over 2,000 primary subscribers in more
than 50 countries. IRIN (Abidjan) was set up in 1997 and began providing similar reports
covering West Africa. It is envisaged that IRIN will expand its coverage in 1998 to include
Southern Africa, Central Asia and the Caucasus Region as well as the Balkans.
Financial tracking: OCHA issues monthly reports on the response to appeals and natural
disasters. This information is provided directly to humanitarian partners, including donors,
and is available on ReliefWeb.
The Department of Political Affairs (DPA)
The following is on the World Wide Web at (http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/docs/mission.htm)
Mission of the Department of Political Affairs
The mission of the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) is to provide advice and support
on all political matters to the Secretary-General in the exercise of his global responsibilities
under the Charter relating to the maintenance and restoration of peace and security.
DPA accordingly:
♦ monitors, analyses and assesses political developments throughout the world;
♦ identifies potential or actual conflicts in whose control and resolution the United
Nations could play a useful role;
♦ recommends to the Secretary-General appropriate actions in such cases and executes
the approved policy;
♦ assists the Secretary-General in carrying out political activities decided by him and/or
mandated by the General Assembly and the Security Council in the areas of preventive
diplomacy, peace-making, peace-keeping and post-conflict peace-building;
♦ provides the Secretary-General with advice on requests for electoral assistance
received from Member States and co-ordinated implementation of programmes
established in response to such requests;
♦ provides the Secretary-General with briefing materials and supports him in the
political aspects of his relations with Member States;
♦ provides substantive support and Secretariat services to the Security Council and
its subsidiary organs, as well as to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable
Rights of the Palestinian People and the Special Committee on the Situation with
regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence
to Colonial Countries and People.
The Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) is responsible for planning, preparing,
conducting, and directing UN peacekeeping operations, based on Security Council decisions. The
following information is on the World Wide Web at (http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/faq.htm)
UN PEACEKEEPING: Some Questions and Answers
United Nations Peacekeepers, wearing distinctive UN blue helmets or berets, are dispatched
by the Security Council to help implement peace agreements, monitor cease-fires,
patrol demilitarised zones, create buffer zones between opposing forces, and put fighting
on hold while negotiators seek peaceful solutions to disputes. But ultimately, the success of
peacekeeping depends on the consent and co-operation of the opposing parties.