It is important to note that the IOM Emergency Manual is designed primarily to provide guidance to IOM staff operating in humanitarian contexts. Some entries, describing internal management and administrative processes are available only to IOM staff. To access this content, IOM staff will have to sign in using their IOM email address. However, most of the Emergency Manual's content is publicly available, making the manual accessible as a tool for humanitarian partners and other interested parties. In addition to IOM processes and procedures, the Emergency Manual also provides guidance on Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) frameworks and processes, including, but not limited to, the IASC Cluster System and the Humanitarian Programme Cycle. Note that guidance on inter-agency frameworks and procedures are taken from existing IASC tools and references with additional guidance included by IOM, when relevant, on how the Organization can better contribute to inter-agency frameworks.

The Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS) have become one of the key resources for humanitarian workers since its launch in 2012. The CPMS have been developed to support child protection work in humanitarian settings by: Establishing common principles between those working in child protection; strengthening coordination between humanitarian actors; improving the quality of child protection programming and its impact on children; improving the accountability of child protection programming; defining the professional field of child protection in humanitarian action; providing a synthesis of good practice and learning to date; and strengthening advocacy and communication on child protection risks, needs and responses. Years of implementing the CPMS in diverse settings revealed the need for a more user-friendly version of the Standards that would reflect recent sector learning and evidence; improve guidance on prevention, gender and age inclusion, and other cross-cutting themes; and promote applicability to a broader range of humanitarian contexts. This revision benefitted from the input of over 1,900 individuals in 85 countries.

The handbook provides operational guidance and tools to support effective protection responses in situations of internal displacement. Specifically, the Handbook seeks to: ensure staff members are familiar with the core concepts, principles and international legal standards that form the framework for protection work; assist staff in operationalizing these concepts, principles and legal standards and in carrying out their protection responsibilities; improve understanding of the particular protection risks faced by internally displaced women, men, boys and girls of various backgrounds; provide guidance on how to prevent and respond to the protection risks faced by IDPs through a range of different activities; enhance staff skills for carrying out protection work; and promote a consistent and well-coordinated protection response in different operations.