EM-DAT Partners

USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA)

The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) is part of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). BHA is responsible for coordinating and providing humanitarian assistance to people affected by disasters and crises around the world. BHA was formerly known as the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) until it was rebranded in 2020.

BHA works in collaboration with other US government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to deliver aid to those in need. The agency responds to a range of emergencies, including disasters, conflicts, and disease outbreaks, and provides various form of assistance, such as food, shelter, medical care, and water and sanitation services. BHA also works to build the capacity of communities and local organizations to better prepare for and respond to emergencies in the future. Since 1999, USAID/BHA has supported the EM-DAT project.

Scientific & Technological Advisory Group (STAG)

Inaugurated in March 2023, the first Scientific & Technological Advisory Group (STAG) meeting took place in Brussels. The STAG takes over from other previously organized meetings called Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meetings. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Meetings have been implemented every two years on average as part of the evaluation of the USAID-BHA/CRED initiative related to the EM-DAT international disaster database. The objective of the TAG meetings was to discuss and share with the TAG members different aspects related to the EM-DAT initiative and development. Those meetings produce a series of recommendations for the continuous improvement of the EM-DAT database and its related proposed services.

In 2023, the first STAG meeting also included experts from the scientific community. The STAG included participants from several national, international, and UN public agencies, humanitarian agencies, research centers, and universities. The group was composed in such a way as to bring together expertise on various types of disasters and profiles with different skills and interests, from research to field actors to public institutions.

For more details and documents on the TAG and STAG meeting, please visit our dedicated web page.