In episode #2 of Hear, HERE!, humanitarian professional and independent consultant Manisha Thomas joins Ed to discuss the history of the clusters.
When clusters were established in 2005, the idea was to make the international system more predictable and address the gap in IDP responses. At the time, both Ed and Manisha worked for the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), one of three NGO consortia brought into the fold. You can read the special issue of ICVA’s newsletter on the topic, issued in October 2005.

Fifteen years down the road, go behind the scenes of the reform process in this episode of Hear, HERE! What questions were raised then, and what answers provided? What model was advertised, as opposed to what was effectively set up and continues to exist today? How were NGOs included? What limitations existed and how, if at all, were they taken into account?