IASC guidance on Cluster transition and deactivation

Overview

Clusters are temporary coordination structures, which may be activated by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) when government capacity to coordinate a humanitarian response is limited or constrained. IASC policy sets out the formal criteria for cluster activation and deactivation, and outlines requirements and principles for cluster transition leading to deactivation. Cluster deactivation is the closure of a formally activated cluster. Cluster transition is the process of either the transfer of a cluster’s core functions to other structures or the phasing-out of the functions, leading to deactivation.

This document provides operational guidance for the transition and deactivation of clusters. It builds on existing IASC policy and should be read alongside the guidance for cluster deactivation in the IASC Reference Module on Cluster Coordination at Country Level (2015). It also draws on past guidance for coordination transition, and on recommendations and lessons-learned from past cluster transition and deactivation experiences.