Exercise 1: The Camp Manager A country in the LAC Region was devastated by a series of strong typhoons. National capacity was overwhelmed by the impact of the typhoons. The government requested for international assistance. A neighbouring country bilaterally offered military capacity in the form of engineering and transport assets, which was accepted by the affected government. This foreign military unit was deployed to one of the hardest hit areas where there is a major population displacement. One of the major IDP camps hosting an estimated 5,000 IDPs is having difficulty meeting the needs of the IDPs. IOM supports the national and local government in IDP camp management and provides technical advice as the country level cluster lead for camp coordination and camp management (CCCM). The temporary IDP camp manager is a national IOM staff member seconded to the government for three months. Among the many challenges faced by the camp manager, the lack of safe drinking water in the area is the most critical. The camp management has been using a reliable local contractor to truck water into the IDP camp, and although this has worked well, it is becoming very expensive. The camp manager was recently contacted by the commander of the foreign military unit deployed in the area who offered his transport assets to support the needs of the IDP Camp. He particularly mentioned his unit s water lorries (tankers) which are not being optimally utilised. He however stressed that if these will not be utilised within the next three days, he will have to re-deploy them to another area where they can be used. The IDP Camp Manager is not sure of increased funding support to cover the increase in cost of water delivery. While this has been raised to the country CCCM cluster lead level, no feedback has been provided and there are no indications, at the moment, that donors will provide additional funds. The IDP camp manager has asked you for advice on how to best deal with the situation, and he wants to make a decision within 48 hours.
Exercise 2: Emergency Education A 7.6M earthquake hit a country and destroyed/seriously damaged 40% of educational facilities, most of them public schools. A school reconstruction programme in the earthquake affected areas has been put together by the Education Cluster, which highlighted in its proposal in the Flash Appeal that the emergency school reconstruction programme will address the gap that the government has identified. On week 3 of the response, there was an indication that the proposal was likely to be 100% funded by donors who believe in the benefits of emergency education particularly for school-aged children. During the same week, a company plus-sized Engineering Unit from another country was accepted by the affected State and was deployed to the hardest hit area. The Company Commander was given the task of supporting reconstruction activities by the host government, among others. He gathered that a school reconstruction programme is underway and offered his engineering capacity. The Education Cluster lead on the ground is not quite clear on how to respond to this offer and has asked you for advice.
Exercise 3: Mudslides There is an ongoing bilateral naval/amphibious military exercise in the southern part of your country with a friendly nation. The three-week exercise has only started when a huge mudslide triggered by torrential rains happened in one of the island provinces in the central part of the country. The mudslide buried an entire village (est. pop. is 2,500-3,000 people), including an elementary school full of students. It occurred in the morning of a school day that celebrates parents day. National and international media have been providing regular updates on the situation. The governor of the province has requested for national assistance and has declared a state of calamity in the affected areas. The friendly nation s ambassador to the country has offered assistance to the President, offering the naval/amphibious forces participating in the military exercise. The President accepted the offer and the Ambassador gave the marching orders to the contingent commander. The amphibious assault ship with 2,000 Marines, engineering capacity, water and sanitation capacity, trucks and medium-lift helis is now underway, expecting to arrive in the vicinity of the affected town in 24 hrs. Meanwhile, a national Army brigade has also deployed to the area upon the instructions of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Apart from this, there was a sudden surge of actors like NGO SAR teams, volunteers groups, radio comms groups, media, and others. You are a recent graduate of the and a trouble-shooter of the country s NDMO. Your boss remembered your after-training report where you highlighted what you learned from the course. Your boss has called the governor and informed her that you will be at ground zero in six hours to assist her in coordinating the response operations. Before boarding the plane, you gathered from the latest reports that bilateral offers of military and civil defence USAR capacity from three neighbouring countries have been accepted by the President. They will be on the ground in 24 hrs. Given the information you have, and the time you have before meeting the governor and before the foreign MCDA hits the ground, what issue do you have to consider? How would you approach the situation from a UN-CMCoord standpoint?
Exercise 4: Health-y Cluster? A 7.2M EQ hit a country s mountainous region composed of several districts. You have been deployed to one of the worst-hit districts at 5,500 feet above sea level. Winter is fast approaching and the Health Cluster recognized the need to undertake a rapid health assessment of the high-altitude villages (those above 7,000 feet above sea level). This assessment needs to be finalized in a week s time and subsequently carried out within the next 10-14 days. The results are critical in defining the strategy and coverage of the Health Cluster for the EQ response. However, the Health Cluster does not have enough capacity (manpower, logistics, and baseline health indicators on affected villages) to cover the target villages within the timeframe indicated. Meanwhile, the Army Division deployed to the area has a medical company (with 250 pers component). A NATO mobile hospital which has a company-size personnel component was also deployed to the district. You have been hired as the UN-CMCoord Officer for the district and was also designated as the OCHA Sub-Office Head. The mobile hospital s CIMIC Officer/LNO has approached you for advise on how he (on behalf of his unit) could positively interact with the health actors. Similarly, the Army Med Coy Cmndr (who is a doctor) has been asking how he can work with the health NGOs and UN agencies. You have been requested by the Health Cluster to the next coordination meeting. The Health Cluster lead is aware that there is no existing IASC Guidelines on military participation in cluster meetings. You know that they will be asking for advice and guidance in terms of dealing with the military actors in the district.
Exercise 5: Coordination Expectations After successfully passing the final exams of the UN-CMCoord Course, you graduated from the course and went back to your helicopter squadron in the air force as you have always professed your love for flying. While on a training mission in a neighboring country that was hit by widespread flooding, your helicopter squadron was detached from the training mission and ordered by your government to assist in the rescue phase. Having gone through the and having worked in emergencies a couple of times, you have been designated as the liaison officer of your squadron. While flooding is common in this region during this time of year, the unexpectedly intense rains have destroyed bridges and trapped large numbers of victims on isolated pieces of high ground with little or no provision at all. Your unit has been directed to a forward operating base under the control of the armed forces of the affected State. You have been dispatched to the provincial capital closest to the flooded area where your embassy believes rescue operations are being coordinated. The affected State is at peace and there is no immediate security threat. You know from your embassy that there is a UN presence in the country. As a UN-CMCoord graduate, what are your coordination expectations? Which organizations/teams do you intend to contact as you coordinate the deployment of your unit? Which humanitarian tasks would you anticipate your unit to perform?