Sector overview
USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) remains at the forefront of the humanitarian community’s shelter and settlements (S&S) activities, all of which revolve around a common goal: the expeditious and appropriate provision of covered living space to adequately shelter displaced populations, while also promoting safer and healthier settlements. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $26 million in humanitarian shelter assistance and shelter-related risk reduction activities, including nearly $24 million for shelter interventions in 14 countries and approximately $2 million for global and regional S&S initiatives. USAID/OFDA also continues to contribute to the international humanitarian community’s broader S&S strategic framework, including participation in the Shelter and Settlements Working Group (SSWG)—an open membership group hosted by InterAction—and support of the annual Shelter Projects report, spearheaded jointly by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT).