A/HRC/13/21 precondition for authorities to assume their expected role. If soundly drafted, they define responsibilities within government, establish coordination mechanisms and set priorities and activities to which national budget lines and earmarked donor funding can be tied. D. Institutional progress: from picking and choosing to a more systematic and predictable approach 59. Given the fact that there is no organization within the United Nations and the larger humanitarian community with a clear mandate to assist and protect internally displaced persons, a so-called collaborative approach was followed until 2004. Nevertheless, a 2005 report concluded that “the absence of operational accountability and leadership in key sectors of IDP-specific vulnerability” was — despite that approach — “[t]he major weakness in recent responses to IDP crises” resulting in an inconsistent and unpredictable engagement of humanitarian actors.29 The humanitarian reform initiative of 2005 sought to overcome these deficiencies by bringing transparency and consistency, predictability and accountability, through the introduction of the cluster approach in which different organizations would assume lead coordinating responsibilities for internally displaced persons in their areas of expertise. This reform had a remarkable impact on United Nations engagement in situations of internal displacement, especially in the emergency phase, with clearer responsibilities assigned and better coordination provided. New funding mechanisms, in particular the Central Emergency Response Fund, were also successfully introduced to provide immediate funding of relief activities in developing crises to address the needs of internally displaced persons in a timely manner, and to cover urgent needs in underfunded protracted crises. 60. Cluster responsibilities at the global and national level have brought more predictability and helped to close gaps in the humanitarian response to internally displaced persons. In particular, UNHCR, as the cluster lead for the protection of internally displaced persons in conflict settings, emergency shelter, and camp management has taken on considerable responsibilities, including the role of “provider of last resort”. In order to live up to these new commitments, UNHCR has increased its operational engagement and provided for institutional and budgetary amendments. However, the capacities of UNHCR, as well as those of its partners, in particular as regards training and adequate staff numbers, as well as the capacity to provide guidance in the area of protection, are still very limited compared to the overall needs of the displaced. A more robust and decisive engagement will be required. 61. International mechanisms to protect internally displaced persons in situations of natural disasters are often not effective due to lack of understanding, knowledge and the capacity to address threats arising in disaster settings. OHCHR, UNHCR and UNICEF are still struggling to develop the capacity on the ground to match the commitment to leading on protection in disaster settings that they assumed during the course of the 2005 humanitarian reform initiative. The Representative therefore welcomes the expressed commitment of UNHCR to fill this gap within the IASC framework and in consultation with UNICEF and OHCHR,30 and hopes that its capacities will be enhanced accordingly. 29 30 GE.10-10161 Costanza Adinolfi and others, Humanitarian Response Review: An Independent Report Commissioned by the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator & Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA, 2005), pp. 49– 50. See opening statement of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the 60th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme (ExCom), 28 September 2009. 15