This guidance presents Red Cross and Red Crescent staff, members and volunteers with a set of minimum standards for protection, gender and inclusion (PGI) in emergencies. It aims to ensure that the emergency programming of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and National Societies provides dignity, access, participation and safety for all people affected by disasters and crises. It provides practical guidance on how to mainstream these four principles in all sectors, based on a consideration of gender, age, disability and other diversity factors. This includes limiting people’s exposure to the risks of violence and abuse and ensuring that emergency programmes “do no harm”. The standards address protection, gender and inclusion concerns by providing practical ways to engage with all members of the community, respond to their differing needs and draw on their capacities in the most non-discriminatory and effective way. This helps to ensure that local perspectives guide assistance delivery. The standards also support incorporation of the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (hereinafter referred to as “the Movement”).

The current refugee “crisis” in Europe has created multiple forms of vulnerability and insecurity for refugee women including various forms of sexual and gender-based violence. Increasing numbers of women, either alone or with family, are attempting to reach Europe to seek protection from conflict and violence in their countries, but these women are subject to violence during their journey and/or on arrival in a destination country. The lack of adequate accommodation or reception facilities for refugees and migrants in Europe, as well as the closure of borders which has increased the need for smugglers to help them reach Europe, acts to exacerbate the violence and insecurity.

Prepared by members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), this Handbook aims to provide actors in the field with guidance on gender analysis, planning and actions to ensure that the needs, contributions and capacities of women, girls, boys and men are considered in all aspects of humanitarian response. It also offers checklists to assist in monitoring gender equality programming. The guidelines focus on major cross-cutting issues and areas of work in the early response phase of emergencies. The Handbook is also a useful tool to make sure gender issues are included in needs assessments, contingency planning and evaluations. It can be used as a tool to mainstreaming gender as a cross-cutting issue in the sectors/clusters. If used correctly, this Handbook will help promote the ultimate goal of protecting and promoting the human rights of women, girls, boys and men in humanitarian action and advancing the goal of gender equality

Gender-based violence is among the greatest protection challenges individuals, families and communities face during humanitarian emergencies. Accounts of horrific sexual violence in conflict situations-especially against women and girls- have captured public attention in recent years. These violations and less recognized forms of gender based violence -intimate partner violence, child marriage and female genital mutilation- are also being committed with distubing frequency. Natural disasters and other emergencies exacerbate the violence and diminish means of protection. And gender-based violence not only violates and traumatizes its survivors, it also undermines the resilience of their societies, making it harder to recover and rebuild. Despite the scope and severity of the problem, current programming to prevent gender-based violence and provide support for survivors is insufficient to deliver the desired results. The newly-revised Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action: Reducing Risk, Promoting Resilience and Aiding Recovery are designed to address this gap, with clear steps the humanitarian community can take to protect people from gender-based violence. These Guidelines provide practical guidance and effective tools for humanitarians and communities to coordinate, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate essential actions for the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, throughout all stages of humanitarian response- from preparedness to recovery.

Human rights don’t disappear the moment an earthquake, a hurricane or a tsunami strikes. We witnessed after the Indian Ocean tsunami, the earthquake in Haiti and many other disaster situations that during relief and recovery efforts the protection of human rights gains in importance as it can safeguard the dignity of those affected. People are at their most vulnerable in times of crisis so preventing discrimination and abuse is vital. To promote and facilitate a rights-based approach to disaster relief, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) adopted Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters in 2006. The Guidelines are a major contribution to the promotion of a rights-based approach in situations of natural disasters. Following the feedback from the field-testing of the guidelines we have incorporate lessons-learned from the field into a revised version of the Guidelines. This revised version also expands the rights-based approach to include preparedness measures. Small steps in preparedness can have a major impact once a disaster strikes.

Of the approximately 5.1 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela displaced globally, some 4.3 million are hosted in Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of Venezuelans have no prospects for a sustainable return in the short to medium-term. Colombia alone hosts more than 1.8 million refugees and migrants, including over 1 million with an irregular status, who are without proper documentation to facilitate access to basic rights and services including existential healthcare, WASH, nutrition and other life-saving facilities.

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.

As of October 2019, more than 4.5 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela are outside their country of origin, with 3.7 million in the region alone. As per current trends, it is estimated that the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela included in government official figures in countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, will reach up to 5.5 million by the end of 2020. In this context, this RMRP 2020 is the result of field-driven planning, bringing together 137 appealing organizations, in consultation with host governments, civil society and faith-based organizations, local communities, donors, as well as the refugees and migrants themselves with common objective of addressing the overarching humanitarian, protection and socioeconomic integration needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela.

The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) offers a strategic, coordination, planning, advocacy, and programming platform for humanitarian and development partners to respond to the Syria crisis at the regional level and in host countries. It comprises one regional plan, with standalone country chapters covering Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. While strategy, planning and programming are country-led processes, regional coherence is pursued to ensure consistency in response planning and implementation, to promote common tools, standards and innovation, and to enhance advocacy efforts at global and regional levels.

This Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) provides a framework for coordinated, needs-based and prioritized humanitarian action in Myanmar in 2020. It has been developed by the Myanmar Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), under the leadership of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC), based on the 2020 Myanmar Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and a comprehensive analysis of response capacities. It sets out the humanitarian component of a broader engagement by the United Nations (UN) and its partners in Myanmar which spans relief, recovery, peace-building and longer-term development activities. This HRP recognizes the primary role of the Government of Myanmar in the initiation, organization, coordination, and implementation of humanitarian assistance within the country. The overarching goal of the HRP is to ensure that the physical and mental wellbeing of people affected by conflict or disasters in targeted locations is improved, minimum living standards are ensured, durable solutions in line with international standards are achieved wherever feasible, and respect for the rights of affected people is enhanced.