Collective action for better health outcomes

When emergencies occur, coordinated health action is essential. No single organization can respond alone. Health Clusters bring partners together to save lives, reduce suffering, and protect the health and dignity of people affected by crises.

Established in 2005, the Global Health Cluster is mandated under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) to strengthen the coordination, quality, and impact of health responses in humanitarian emergencies.

What we do

The Global Health Cluster exists to support Health Clusters and Sectors in countries, making a tangible difference by providing the right expertise at the right place and time, building the capacity of Health Cluster Coordinators and staff in countries, and gathering and disseminating sound and relevant information to guide partners’ responses. GHC also identifies and addresses gaps in technical knowledge and available guidance to ensure the health response aligns with global best practices and standards and promotes and advocates for the importance of humanitarian health action on the global stage to ensure that Health Clusters receive the political and financial support needed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the IASC Cluster Lead Agency for health and provides secretariat support through the Global Health Cluster Team within WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.