Iraq: Information Management Working Group (IMWG) Terms of Reference and 2021 Workplan

Information management coordination context

Aligned to the IASC Operational Guidance on Cluster and OCHA Responsibilities in Information Management and the Grand Bargain commitments to harmonize and simplify reporting requirements, the Information Management Working Group (IMWG) brings together cluster Information Management Officers (IMOs) and other key partners to support the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) and the humanitarian community with information management products and services that underpin the Humanitarian Program Cycle (HPC).

Three years after the end of large-scale military operations against ISIL, finding solutions to displacement and rebuilding post- conflict lives remains complicated, and further challenged by the impact of COVID-19. As a result, humanitarian vulnerabilities among the conflict-affected populations have deepened, while the operating environment has become more complex over the past year. Consequently, the collective response priorities in 2021 will address the key humanitarian needs described in the HNO, namely to support IDPs and returnees. Humanitarian action in Iraq will strictly prioritize efforts that address immediate humanitarian consequences for the most vulnerable, while engaging with partners, particularly through the Durable Solutions Task Force (DSTF), to ensure such medium- to long-term interventions are harmonized and linked with humanitarian interventions. Iraq is also susceptible to natural disasters, especially prone to earthquakes and floods, which requires information management support to ensure partners’ preparedness and readiness for response.

Purpose: The IMWG is a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder group that supports coordinated information management, collaboration on data management and standards, implementation and usage of common services and tools, delivers information products to inform strategic and operational decisions related to the humanitarian situation in Iraq, and helps to facilitate the necessary information management linkages to durable solutions (DS).

Objective: Support the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and ICCG to deliver on the workplan and agreed priorities by serving as a forum for consultations, preparations and delivery of information assets, products and services.