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Minimum Standards Common to All Sectors

Chapter 1

Divided into eight main sections: 1) Participation, 2) Initial Assessment, 3) Response, 4) Targeting, 5) Monitoring, 6) Evaluation, 7) Aid Worker Competencies and Responsibilities and 8) Supervision, Management and Support of Personnel.
PDF of Chapter 1 (PDF file 254 KB)

References:

Participation

• ALNAP (2003) Participation by Crisis-Affected Populations in Humanitarian Action: A Handbook for Practitioners (via ALNAP website). Overseas Development Institute. (PDF file 964 KB)

Assessment and response

• UNHCR (1999), Handbook for Emergencies second edition. (PDF file 2.25 MB)
• USAID (1998). Field Operations Guidelines for Assessment and Response (FOG). (PDF file 901 KB)
• Committee on Population (CPOP) (2002), Demographic Assessment Techniques in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Summary of a Workshop. (via National Academies Press website), National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
• Humanitarian Information For All. Human Info NGO (formerly Humanity CD-Rom Project)
• OCHA Humanitarian Information Centres
• OCHA (1999), Orientation Handbook on Complex Emergencies. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. United Nations. New York.
• Relief Web Humanitarian Library
• Telford, J (1997), Good Practice Review 5: Counting and Identification of Beneficiary Populations in Emergency Operations: Registration and its Alternatives. Relief and Rehabilitation Network/ Overseas Development Institute. London. (PDF file 307 KB)

Targeting

• IFRC (2003),  Humanitarian Ethics in Disaster and War (via IFRC website). Chapter 1 of World Disasters Report 2003.
• Hoddinott, J (1999), Targeting: Principles and Practice (via IFPRI website). Technical Guide 9, March 1999. Training Material. International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI. (PDF file 158 KB)
• Vincent, M, Refslund Sorensen, B (eds.) (2001), Caught Between Borders, Response Strategies of the Internally Displaced. Norwegian Refugee Council.
• UN/ISDR (2001), International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Countering Disasters, Targeting Vulnerability (via UNISDR website). (PDF file 452 KB)

Monitoring and evaluation

• ALNAP Annual Review (2001), Humanitarian Action: Learning from Evaluation (via ALNAP website).
• ALNAP Annual Review (2003), Humanitarian Action: Improving Monitoring to Enhance Accountability and Learning.
• Overseas Economic Cooperation for Development (OECD) (1999), Guidance for Evaluation of Humanitarian Assistance in Complex Emergencies (via OECD website). Development Assistance Committee (DAC), OECD, Paris.
• European Community Humanitarian Office (1999), Manual for the Evaluation of Humanitarian Aid. (via reliefweb) Evaluation Unit, Brussels. (PDF file 217 KB)

Personnel

• People in Aid. (2003), The People in Aid Code of Good Practice in the Management and Support of Aid Personnel. (PDF file 188 KB)  

Children

• Action for the Rights of the Child (ARC) (via Save the Children website). (1998), Save the Children Alliance and UNHCR.
• McConnan, I. and Uppard, S. (2001), Children Not Soldiers, Guidelines for Working with Child Soldiers and Children Associated with Fighting Forces (via reliefweb). Save the Children UK, London.
• Gosling, L and Edwards, M, (2003),  Toolkits – A Practical Guide to Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment. Save the Children.
• Inter-Agency Working Group on Unaccompanied and Separated Children (2003), Inter-Agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children.

Disability

• Blanck, PD (1995), Disaster Mitigation for Persons with Disabilities: Fostering a New Dialogue. A report of The Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy Studies of Northwestern University in collaboration with The President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Washington D.C. (PDF file 154 KB)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency, Response and Recovery Assisting People With Disabilities In A Disaster (via FEMA website).
• American Red Cross – Disaster Services. Diaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities (via American Red Cross website). (PDF file 1.34 MB)

Environment

• Kelly, C (2003), Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters. Version 4.2. Benfield Hazard Research Centre, University College London and CARE International. (PDF file 450 KB)
• ENCAPA. Environmental assessment resources for small-scale activities: USAID Africa Bureau's ENvironmental Assessment CAPacity Building Program.
• Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit

Gender

• Beck, T and Stelcner, M (1996), Guide to Gender-Sensitive Indicators. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Quebec.
• Dugan, J (2000), Assessing the Opportunity for Sexual Violence against Women and Children in Refugee Camps. Journal of Humanitarian Assistance, August 2000.
• Enarson, E (2000), Gender and Natural Disasters, Working Paper 1, In Focus Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction. Recovery and Reconstruction Department. International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva.
• FAO, Gender & Food Security
• FAO/WFP (2003), Passport to Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Emergency Programmes (via FAO website).
• Gender and Disaster Network
• Gender and Humanitarian Assistance Resource Kit (via Reliefweb). Sub-Working Group (SWG) on Gender and Humanitarian Assistance, established by the IASC-WG.
• UNHCR (1991), Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women. (PDF file 124 KB)
• UNICEF (1999), Mainstreaming Gender in Unstable Environments. (PDF file 64 KB)

HIV/AIDS

• Holmes W (2003), Protecting the Future: HIV Prevention, Care, and Support Among Displaced and War-Affected Populations. International Rescue Committee. Kumarian Press. New York.
• UNHCR/WHO/UNFPA (1999), Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations: An Interagency Field Manual (via UNHCR website). Geneva. (PDF file 782 KB)
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) on HIV/AIDS in Emergency Settings (2003), Guidelines for HIV/AIDS Interventions in Emergency Settings (via SAHIMS website). (draft). IASC, 2003: 85. UNAIDS, Geneva. (PDF file 426 KB)
• Lamptey, P R and Gayle H D (eds), Family Health International (FHI) (2001), HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care in Resource-Constrained Settings: A Handbook for the Design and Management of Programs. Virginia. (PDF file 3.20 MB)

Older people

• HelpAge International (2000), Older People in Disaster and Humanitarian Crises: Guidelines for Best Practice. (PDF file 526 KB)
• UN Madrid Political Declaration and International Plan of Action on Ageing, Report of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Madrid, 8-12 April 2002, A/CONF.197/9 Paragraphs 54-56. (PDF file 439 KB)
• UNHCR (2001), Policy on Older Refugees (Via UNHCR website - scroll to Annex 1 after paragraph 13) (as endorsed at the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee February/March 2000). EC/50/SC/CRP.13
• UN (1991), United Nations Principles for Older Persons based on the International Plan of Action on Ageing. UN General assembly resolution 46/91, 16 December 1991.

Protection

• UNHCR (2002) Agenda for Protection. Geneva. (PDF file 1.59 MB)
• Frohardt, M, Paul, D and Minear, L (1999), Protecting Human Rights: The Challenge to Humanitarian Organisations. Occasional Paper 35, Watson TJ Jr, Institute for International Studies, Brown University.
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2002), Growing the Sheltering Tree: Protecting Rights Through Humanitarian Action, Programmes and Practice Gathered from the Field (via ICVA website). UNICEF, Geneva.
• UNHCR (1999), Protecting Refugees: A Field Guide for NGOs. Geneva.
• Caverzasio, SG (2001), Strengthening Protection in War: A Search for Professional Standards. ICRC, Geneva.
• OCHA, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict