Normative guidance on specific issues
Print this pageINSARAG Guidelines (Urban Search and Rescue)
The INSARAG Guidelines provide guidance to earthquake-prone countries in establishing USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) response capacity as well as checklists for the minimum requirements of USAR teams envisaged to deploying in international response operations. In addition, the INSARAG Guidelines define coordination and cooperation procedures for international and national responders in major disasters. The unanimously adopted UN General Assembly Resolution 57/ 150 from 16 December 2002 ("Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International Urban Search and Rescue Assistance") endorses the INSARAG Guidelines to be used as the reference for international USAR and disaster response.
See INSARAG Guidelines (INSARAG = International Search and Rescue Advisory Group)
For more information on the INSARAG system, click on this link.
Guiding Principles on Internal displacement
There is no single international legal instrument (such as the Refugee Convention) that sets out the rights of the internally displaced and the obligations of governments and other actors towards them. The Guiding Principles describe the rights of the internally displaced at all stages of their displacement, right up to their safe return or resettlement, and also cover the prevention of displacement. Although not legally binding, the principles are based on binding law (e.g. international human rights and humanitarian law) and provide valuable practical guidance for governments, authorities, intergovernmental organizations and NGOs in their work with the internally displaced.
Click here to see the Guidelines and the accompanying Handbook
For more information on the Guiding Principles, click here.
UN Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons (Pinheiro Principles), 2005
The UN Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons, known under the name of Pinheiro Principles, were formally endorsed by the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 2005. They are designed to provide practical guidance to States, UN agencies and the broader international community on how best to address the complex legal and technical issues surrounding housing, land and property restitution. The Principles provide a consolidated and universal approach to dealing effectively with outstanding housing and property restitution claims and are grounded firmly within existing international human rights and humanitarian law. They provide a normative basis on which to build interventions, but contain no specific guidance on implementing shelter strategies (see Chapters 3 and 4 for details on the 12 transitional settlement and reconstruction options).
To see the Pinheiro Principles, click here.
For more information on the Pinheiro Principles, click on the following link: http://www.cohre.org/view_page.php?page_id=148
Civil-military relations
To find out more information on civil-military coordination issues, click on this link.
1. OSLO Guidelines (Guidelines on the use of military and civil defence assets in disaster relief), November 2006
The Guidelines on the use of military and civil defence assets in disaster relief, better known under the name of "Oslo Guidelines" were initially released in 1994 and updated in 2006 to reflect current terminology and organizational changes. Paragraphs 9 and 10 of the Guidelines are worth quoting at this stage as they define their aim and scope respectively.
- 9. The aim of the present Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief (hereinafter referred to as "Oslo Guidelines") is to establish the basic framework for formalizing and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of foreign military and civil defence assets in international disaster relief operations.
- 10. The "Oslo Guidelines" address the use of MCDA following natural, technological and environmental emergencies in times of peace. The principles, mechanisms and procedures concerning military forces participating in peacekeeping operations or the delivery of humanitarian assistance in situations of armed conflict are not encompassed by this document. The use of MCDA in armed conflict situations is covered in the "Guidelines On The Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets To Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies" ("MCDA Guidelines" - March 2003).
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2. MCDA Guidelines (Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies), March 2003 (revised January 2006)
The aim of this document is to "provide guidelines for the use of international military and civil defence personnel, equipment, supplies and services in support of the United Nations (UN) in pursuit of humanitarian objectives in complex emergencies. It provides guidance on when these resources can be used, how they should be employed, and how UN agencies should interface, organize, and coordinate with international military forces with regard to the use of military and civil defence assets. The document may also be of value in other large-scale emergencies." (paragraph 11).
Target audience: "These guidelines are primarily intended for use by UN humanitarian agencies and their implementing and operational partners, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators, UN MCDA commanders and commanders of other deployed forces performing missions in support of the UN humanitarian agencies and liaison officers coordinating UN humanitarian activities with international military forces. All humanitarian actors should also be familiar with the principles, concepts and procedures set out herein and encouraged to adhere to them, as appropriate." (paragraph 14).
To see the MCDA guidelines, click here
3. Civil-Military Relationship in Complex Emergencies, An IASC Reference Paper, 2004
This paper was endorsed by the IASC Working Group as an IASC Reference Paper in 2004. It complements the MCDA Guidelines of March 2003. The paper will serve as a non-binding reference for humanitarian practitioners, assisting them in formulating country-specific operational guidelines on civil-military relations for particular complex emergencies. It will be updated as the environment in which we work changes and as new guidance on related issues becomes available.
Part 1 of the paper reviews in a generic manner, the nature and character of civil-military relations in complex emergencies. Part 2 lists the fundamental humanitarian principles and concepts that must be upheld when coordinating with the military, and Part 3 proposes practical considerations for humanitarian workers engaged in civil-military coordination.
To see the IASC Reference Paper, click here
4. IASC, Guidelines on the Use of Military or Armed Escorts for Humanitarian Convoys, 2001
The text was approved for implementation by the IASC Working Group in May 2001. Part I reviews the broader policy context. It concludes that, due to changes in the nature of conflict and in the nature of humanitarian assistance, military or armed escorts are, in a limited number of cases, necessary. In these cases, they should be used sparingly, and only in accordance with clear guidelines. Part II consists of two sets of non-binding guidelines: one on when escorts might be used, the other on how they might be used.
To see the IASC guidelines, click here