01 Dec 2020
First deployments for new UN Standby Partners

This year, RedR Australia mobilised our first deployments with UNESCO, UNITAD and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) system (through an existing agreement with UNDP) to global emergencies and crises around the world. Our total number of UN Standby Partnership agreements is now 14, and we look forward to supporting our partners’ efforts in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, recovery and stabilisation in disaster-prone countries in the years ahead.

As the only UN Standby Partner (SBP) in the Asia Pacific region, we are proud to move beyond partnerships to genuine collaboration that helps reduce competition and duplication and achieves a more effective and efficient humanitarian impact. This means sharing information, capabilities and contacts, driven at its core by a joint purpose to safeguard humanity. 

The impact of these new partnerships is already being felt. A Humanitarian Development Nexus Adviser became the coordination focal point for RCO support to the Pacific Humanitarian Team’s response to Covid-19, and we deployed four additional specialists to support the RCO system remotely, who collectively drafted Covid-19 Country Snapshots and socio-economic impact assessment inputs for nine countries throughout the region.

Plus, in Samoa, a RedR Australia deployee to UNESCO is developing a portal to protect and strengthen Pacific States’ cultural heritage. 

A recent After Action Review of the UN Standby Partnership’s Response to Tropical Cyclone Idai found that the partnership contributed to a quicker, more coordinated response with more inclusive programming.

In 2020, RedR Australia was responsible for administering the SBP Secretariat Pooled Funds, participating in the SBP Steering Committee and co-chairing the SBP MEAL Working Group. Importantly, this fora brings standby partners, donors and UN agencies together to drive impact, accountability and sustainability at the global multilateral level.

Visit our website for an overview of RedR Australia’s Standby partners.