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Standby Partnership Programme

Humanitarian workers and local residents gather outside a modest house shaded by a large tree. One person photographs the scene while several aid workers wearing blue vests speak with two seated older residents in the courtyard.
Under-Secretary-General Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert meets residents and aid workers during a visit to Ukraine. UNDSS

Deploying Expertise. Strengthening partnerships. Enabling operations.

No single organization can possess every capability needed to respond to today's increasingly complex emergencies.The Standby Partnership Programme (SBP) enables UNDSS to rapidly access specialized expertise, strengthen operational capacity and introduce innovative capabilities by working with a growing network of governments, humanitarian organizations, foundations and other strategic partners.

Launched by UNDSS in 2023, the programme complements the Department's existing capabilities by providing highly specialized personnel and surge support that would otherwise be difficult to mobilize quickly.

A Partnership Model for New Emergencies

Standby Partners provide highly qualified personnel to support UNDSS through temporary secondments, helping the Department:

  • Access expertise not readily available within the Organization
  • Respond rapidly to new or expanding operational requirements
  • Reinforce field operations during emergencies
  • Introduce innovative technologies and specialist capabilities
  • Build knowledge and capacity across the Department

Rather than replacing existing UNDSS expertise, Standby Partners complement it by bringing new perspectives, technical skills and additional capacity where they can have the greatest operational impact.

Innovation Through Partnership

Since its launch, the programme has supported UNDSS operations across some of the world's most challenging emergencies, including Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Myanmar, Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Afghanistan.

Standby Partners have enabled the Department to deploy expertise rarely available within traditional staffing structures, including:

  • Information Management and GIS specialists
  • Satellite imagery and mapping experts
  • Emergency telecommunications specialists
  • GIS application developers
  • Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) specialists
  • Technical advisers
  • Communications professionals
  • Graphic designers
  • Programme and project management specialists

These deployments not only address immediate operational needs, they also strengthen institutional capacity by transferring knowledge, introducing new approaches and fostering innovation across UNDSS.

More Than Surge Capacity

The Standby Partnership Programme is about far more than filling temporary gaps. It allows UNDSS to test new ideas, pilot emerging technologies, strengthen partnerships and expand capabilities without creating permanent structures. Increasingly, Standby Partners are helping shape how the Department approaches humanitarian security, digital innovation, analysis, training and emergency response.

Partnerships can also facilitate the sharing of expertise across the UN system itself, ensuring that specialized capacities are available where they are needed most and maximizing the impact of limited resources.

Growing a Global Partnership Network

UNDSS continues to expand its network of Standby Partners to ensure the Department remains agile, innovative and prepared for future emergencies. The Department is also an active member of the Standby Partnership Network, bringing together 16 UN Agencies, Funds, Offices and Programmes and 55 Standby Partner organizations committed to strengthening the collective emergency response capacity of the United Nations system.

As humanitarian needs continue to grow and operating environments become more complex, partnerships will remain an essential component of delivering effective security support and enabling humanitarian action worldwide.

UNDSS has signed bilateral agreements with nine partners:

Deploys experienced international experts in security operations, emergency response and crisis management, helping partners address critical capacity in complex environments.

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Provides advanced technological and operational solutions, including drone operations, satellite imagery and emergency telecommunications, strengthening situational awareness and humanitarian access.

Delivers specialised expertise in information management, GIS, analytics and data visualisation to support evidence-based decision-making and operational effectiveness.

Provides geospatial analysis, mapping, information management and digital solutions that improve operational coordination, planning and emergency response.

Deploys civilian experts in programme management, training coordination, capacity development and service packages, strengthening preparedness, organizational effectiveness and resilience.

Provides highly skilled experts to support humanitarian response, coordination, information management and organisational capacity in crisis settings worldwide.

The only UN Standby Partner based in the Southern Hemisphere provides expertise in emergency preparedness, training, coordination and capacity development.

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Provides specialized experts who strengthen security analysis, information management and operational planning capacities.

Deploys civilian experts to support crisis management, stabilisation and operational effectiveness in complex environments.

We are continuously engaging with additional potential partners to expand the programme.

Since the inception of the Standby Partnership Programme, UNDSS has leveraged this resource to address critical gaps and risks and swiftly expand its capabilitiesduring emergencies (Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza and Myanmar) and to support protracted crises (Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Afghanistan). Through the programme, UNDSS has accessed specialized skills not typically available in-house, including mappers and satellite imagery analysts, emergency and security telecommunications experts, GIS App developers, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operators, technical advisers, and graphic designers. This influx of expertise has additionally facilitated collaborative knowledge-sharing and capacity-building among UNDSS staff, while increasing UNDSS’ profile with some Member States including potential donors.

Since UNDSS core functions require extensive knowledge of the UN security management system, these are not usually areas where UNDSS relies on standby partners.

The Department also joined the , which has 16 participating United Nations Agencies, Funds, Offices and Programmes and 55 participating Standby Partner organizations.