Many different clusters and agencies have responsibility for, and involvement in, child and adolescent health during humanitarian emergencies. An interagency RMNCAH/CAH working group is essential to ensure that all partners work effectively and cooperatively to integrate child and adolescent activities into humanitarian action.

Ideally, the RMNCAH/CAH working group should be positioned under the health cluster. As the leaders of the health sector/cluster, WHO and the ministry of health are ultimately accountable for CAH activities and they should nominate an agency(ies) to lead the RMNCAH/CAH working group. (If this does not happen, raise it at a health cluster meeting.)

The RMNCAH/CAH working group can be led by any government body, local or international nongovernmental organization or UN agency that has the capacity to effectively lead the CAH response in collaboration with the ministry of health. The working group should include members from other sectors/clusters (e.g. nutrition, protection, WASH and education) as many issues that relate to newborn, child and adolescent health are cross-cutting. If a similar group already exists, build on this.

It will also be useful to establish subnational RMNCAH/CAH working groups to coordinate activities and provide feedback locally. These should be linked to local health authorities and the national RMNCAH/CAH working group.

• Identify an agency(ies) to lead the RMNCAH/CAH working group. If the WHO/health ministry does not nominate a lead for CAH response, raise this at a health cluster/sector meeting.
• Establish an RMNCAH/CAH working group at your level (e.g. national, subnational, district) operating within the health sector/cluster.
• Determine the composition of the RMNCAH/CAH working group. Include civil society members and young people.
• Develop terms of reference for your RMNCAH/CAH working group, and roles for the group lead and participating agencies. (See Annex 3 for suggested terms of reference).
• Develop a plan for working group meetings, communication and coordination with the wider community of humanitarian responders.
• The RMNCAH/CAH working group should liaise with stakeholders to clarify roles and integrate CAH priorities into the humanitarian response plan.
• The RMNCAH/CAH working group should actively engage partners outside the health cluster/sector, meet regularly and contribute to health (and other) cluster/sector updates.

• At the onset of an emergency response, a national RMNCAH/CAH working group has been established (under the health cluster) with a nominated group lead and clear terms of reference. Subnational RMNCAH/CAH working groups have been established where needed.
• The RMNCAH/CAH working groups meet regularly and communicate their activities with other agencies, clusters/sectors and the community.
• CAH issues are fully included in humanitarian response plans.