Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response 2018 edition

Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response, a 2018 revised handbook of The Sphere Project, sets out minimum standards for four sectors: water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion; food security and nutrition; shelter, settlement and non-food items; and health action.

Reducing Disaster Risk

Business Contributions to Disaster Risk Reduction

In March 2015, the UNISDR (The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) is gathering government, business and NGO leaders, from around the world, to develop a framework that will make the world a safer place in today’s disaster...

Is your business disaster proof?

When disasters strike, 25% of businesses never re-open. And 80% of those that do not recover within one month are likely to go out of business. 75% of companies without business continuity plans fail within three years of a disaster. It is a sobering picture for any CEO or corporate board.

OCHA Central Register

In December 1991, the General Assembly requested the United Nations to "establish a central register of all specialized personnel and teams of technical specialists, as well as relief supplies, equipment and services available within the United Nations system and from Governments and...

Updates | ReliefWeb

This useful website by ReliefWeb is a freely accessible on-line database providing information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. Depending on a country’s emergency situation, ReliefWeb may post updates on a continuous (24-hour) basis.

Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS)

Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) are a set of international guidelines and standards for the design, implementation and assessment of livestock interventions to assist people affected by disasters. LEGS is based on three livelihoods objectives: Providing immediate assistance to...

HAP 2010 Standard

The HAP Standard is a practical and measurable tool that represents a broad consensus of what matters most in humanitarian action. The Standard helps organisations design, implement, assess, improve and recognise accountable programmes. Being accountable to crisis-affected communities helps...

Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations

A joint project of the EFC and the US Council on Foundations (COF), the disaster response initiative sought to develop a set of principles and practical tips to guide and inform foundations and corporate grantmakers interested in becoming more effective and strategic in their responses to...

Guide for Effective Aid - Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)

The South American branch of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has prepared a set of guidelines to assist relief organisations in sending effective aid to support disasters. The guidelines advise on what a relief organisation should do immediately after a disaster. Also listed are items that...

Good Practice Reviews from the Overseas Development Institute

Good Practice Reviews from the Overseas Development Institute offers a series of good practice publications directed toward the humanitarian field.

Role of Employee Engagement in Disaster Response: Learning from Experience

Role of Employee Engagement in Disaster Response: Learning from Experience, a report, discusses the role of businesses in the relief, recovery and reconstruction process, of natural disasters. It presents an eight point plan for developing an employee engagement approach to disaster response....

Words into action: a guide to implementing the Hyogo Framework

This Guide has been created to provide advice on useful strategies for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA). It represents a distillation of the wealth of experience that exists throughout the world on how to...

European Commission Humanitarian Operation (ECHO) - Regulation

This page contains the full text of EU regulation 83/181, concerning the ''exemption from value added tax on the final importation of certain goods''. Articles 40-55 are specific to VAT exemption for charitable goods and disaster relief work. The situations where VAT exemption applies are similar...

UNOCHA - Philippines page

The Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs provides information on the Philippines

UNOCHA Regional Office for Latin America and the Carribean

The OCHA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) covers 35 countries and 23 territories, with field offices in Colombia and Haiti.

UNOCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Since its establishment in 2005, OCHA’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) has sought to minimise the vulnerability of populations in the region to humanitarian crises. ROAP has provided support and assistance to governments, UN agencies, NGOs and other humanitarian actors in response...

OCHA Regional Office for Southern and East Africa (ROSEA)

As a part of the United Nations Secretariat, OCHA is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure coherent responses to emergencies. OCHA works with governments and partners to coordinate both preparedness measures for potential emergencies as well as responses to current...

UNOCHA Dubai Liaison Office

The OCHA Dubai Liaison Office was established in 2009 when the Regional Office for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia relocated from Dubai to Cairo. The office facilitates staff movement and provides logistics support to OCHA country offices and Humanitarian Support Units in the region....

UNOCHA Brussels Liaison Office

The OCHA Brussels Liaison Office was established in 2007 to promote humanitarian policies and strengthen partnerships with regional institutions including the European Union (EU), NATO, and the Secretariat for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. The Office focuses on policy matters...

Preparing employees to be disaster-ready volunteers - a guide to building an effective volunteer training program

This guide provides an overview of key issues for companies to consider when establishing a program to train and deploy employee volunteers to expedite disaster relief. They include: • Engaging employees • Establishing relationships with relief agencies • Tapping skilled volunteers •...