Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. Published in 1979, by |
Convention on the Rights of the Child This convention bans discrimination against children and provides for special protection and rights appropriate to minors. The preamble recalls the basic principles of the United Nations and specific provisions of certain relevant human rights treaties and proclamations. It reaffirms the fact that children, because of their vulnerability, need special care... Published in 1989, by |
Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies, build on UNICEF’s experience in recent crises and outlines UNICEF’s initial response in protecting and caring for children and women. It states UNICEF’s core response at all levels of the organization. Published in 2010, by |
Diversity in donorship: the changing landscape of official humanitarian aid This research analyses the increasingly important role of a growing number of donor governments, particularly in Asia, the Gulf States and central Europe, engaged in the response to humanitarian crises. It suggests that the growth in the number and diversity of official donors presents the humanitarian community with important opportunities for dialogue,... Published in 2005, by |
Emergency Field Handbook: A Guide for UNICEF Staff This handbook has been developed as a practical tool for UNICEF field staff to meet the needs of children and women affected by disasters. It is the result of extensive consultation. Published in 2005, by |
Geneva Conventions The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are international treaties that contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war. They protect people who do not take part in the fighting (civilians, medics, aid workers) and those who can no longer fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners of war). Published in 1949, by |
Growing the Sheltering Tree - Protecting Rights Through Humanitarian Action The aim of this book is to share the unique, often ingenious methods that humanitarian workers have developed to help people under threat survive, for instance, civilians living in zones of conflict or under oppressive regimes. It will be especially useful for field practitioners as it describes practical methods developed to promote respect for fundamental... Published in 2002, by |
Guidelines on Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings The primary purpose of these guidelines is to enable communities, governments and humanitarian organizations, including United Nations agencies, NGOs, and CBOs, to establish and coordinate a set of minimum multisectoral interventions to prevent and respond to sexual violence during the early phase of an emergency. The guidelines specifically detail minimum... Published in 2005, by |
Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings In 2005, in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, an IASC Task Force on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings was established to develop intersectoral guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. The guidelines, which were developed by 27 agencies, have been peer reviewed extensively in multiple languages.... Published in 2007, by |
Joint evaluation of the international response to the Indian Ocean tsunami: Synthesis report The TEC's Synthesis Report represents the culmination of over a year's work by TEC member agencies. It examines the successes and failures as well as the constraints within which the response occurred between the first 8 and 11 months of the response. It does this by distilling the findings and learning from over 140 additional reports, including many TEC... Published in 2006, by |
Lessons from Rwanda - Lessons for Today Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated a comprehensive evaluation of the international response. The findings were highly critical of nearly all the international actors. Ten years after the genocide the Ministry commissioned this assessment of the impact and influence of the evaluation. It concludes that the... Published in 2005, by |
Multilateral Treaty Framework: An Invitation to Universal Participation. Focus 2001: Rights of Women and Children This publication summarises the objectives and key provisions of 23 multilateral treaties related to the advancement of women's rights and the goal of gender equity, deposited with the UN Secretary-General. These include the Convention and protocol on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and... Published in 2001, by |
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict The protocol sets 18 as the minimum age for direct participation in hostilities, for recruitment into armed groups, and for compulsory recruitment by governments. States may accept volunteers from the age of 16 but must deposit a binding declaration at the time of ratification or accession, setting out their minimum voluntary recruitment age and outlining... Published in 2000, by |
Resetting the rules of engagement: Trends and issues in military-humanitarian relations This report reviews the trends and makes recommendations to the humanitarian and defense sectors regarding the challenges facing the humanitarian and military communities, including how to maintain the integrity of humanitarian principles in combined political, military and humanitarian efforts; how to design and resource military roles in protecting... Published in 2006, by |
The SPHERE Project Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response The SPHERE Project aims to improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by disasters, and to enhance the accountability of the humanitarian system in disaster response. The new edition of the handbook (2004) has been thoroughly revised and updated, taking into account recent developments in humanitarian practice in wat/san, food, shelter... Published in 2004, by |