The Role of NGOs in Coordination and Management of Global Refugee Camps

Human Initiative – Every country faces its own challenges in managing refugee camps, whether caused by natural disasters, armed conflicts, or humanitarian crises. In these situations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a role in collaborating with governments to coordinate and manage refugee camps worldwide.

NGO movements across the world adhere to the standards of Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), which is a global cluster focused on the protection and management of refugee camps. The implementation of CCCM in various countries is overseen by global multilateral organizations, one of which is the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Local NGOs are often involved as partners to help with localization efforts.

Every year, humanitarian workers from all over the world gather to evaluate and learn about refugee camp management. This year, in May 2024, they convened once again to discuss the ‘Global CCCM Workshop on Localization’ in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was attended by representatives from Indonesia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, South Sudan, Lebanon, Ukraine, Switzerland, and Kenya. The meeting specifically focused on the localization efforts carried out by IOM in each of these countries.

Deni Kurniawan, representing Human Initiative for Indonesia, expressed that the meeting was a valuable moment for sharing and learning about many things, including how the localization process is being implemented in each country, and how local organizations are being empowered and trusted as strategic partners of international organizations like IOM.

“Each country has different natural conditions, political situations, and refugee cases. Therefore, the localization process varies greatly from one country to another. In the end, all participants gained insights and enrichment from their peers in other countries,” Deni explained.

Human Initiative, as one of the NGOs in Indonesia, is actively involved in various discussions, coordination, and refugee camp management efforts. Like other local-international organizations, Human Initiative has been trained, empowered, and equipped with knowledge on how to handle crises. With this training, Human Initiative is entrusted with responding to crises in its area or those closest to it.

“In terms of refugee response, Human Initiative has been responding to refugees for the past 24 years, both in cases of social and natural disasters. This has been a valuable experience for Human Initiative in interacting with refugees and providing assistance according to their needs. We shared this during the forum, highlighting how the capacity-building provided by IOM has been instrumental in improving the quality of response within our organization,” said Deni.

Furthermore, during this meeting, Human Initiative, along with other local and international organizations, committed to continuously enhancing their capacity in localizing Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM). This commitment also includes ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the functions of CCCM in various forums.