Whenever there is a disaster or a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN is on the ground providing relief, support and assistance.

From the population displacements caused by war, weather and natural disasters, to the impact of such disruptions on health, hygiene, education, nutrition and even basic shelter, the UN is there, making a difference.

Thanks to the World Food Programme ( WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN ( FAO), food is made available to those who might otherwise starve. Thanks to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration ( IOM), camps and other facilities are set up and maintained for those who have been forced to leave their homes.

When men, women and children are trapped in the midst of war, the Secretary-General and his representatives help negotiate "zones of peace" for the delivery of humanitarian aid. And UN peacekeepers protect the delivery of that aid - whether provided by members of the UN system or such humanitarian bodies as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The World Health Organization ( WHO) helps protect those displaced by natural and man-made disasters from the ravages of disease. The United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF), with the aid of such bodies as the International Save the Children Alliance, provides education for children who have been uprooted by calamity. And when it is time to begin rebuilding, the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP) is there to ensure that the recovery process has a firm and stable footing.

The humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts of the UN system are overseen and facilitated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA), led by the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator. Among its many activities, OCHA provides the latest information on emergencies worldwide, and launches international "consolidated appeals" to mobilize financing for the provision of emergency assistance in specific situations.