Skip to main content
IASC

Search form

Main menu

  • About the IASC
  • IASC In-Focus
  • Library

Protection

Image
a number of kids sitting in ruins
Photo Credit: James St John Cox/OCHA

During armed conflict, civilians are often subjected to violence, abuse, coercion and deprivation. Experience shows that parties to conflict often violate the principles of distinction, proportion and precaution. It is thus incumbent on Humanitarian Coordinators, Humanitarian Country Teams and clusters to ensure that protection of all affected and at-risk persons informs humanitarian decision-making and response, including engagement with States and non-State parties to conflict.

Protection is a core priority of the IASC, ensuring the rights of all people affected by humanitarian crises are at the centre of humanitarian action. In their 2013 statement, the IASC Principals stressed the centrality of protection and recognized their responsibility to lead in this area, including through policy development, dialogue, advocacy and engagement with States. In 2016, the IASC Policy on Protection in Humanitarian Action emphasized the IASC’s commitment to prioritize protection and contribute to collective protection outcomes, including at the country level through the development of strategies to help Humanitarian Country Teams address the most critical and urgent risks and violations. The protection policy also emphasized the need to implement this commitment in all aspects of humanitarian action and across the humanitarian programme cycle.

Key Products on Protection

Image
""

IASC Policy on Protection in Humanitarian Action

Image
cover page screenshot

IASC Principals Statement, The Centrality of Protection in Humanitarian Action, 2013

Image
cover page

IASC Key Protection Advocacy Messages - COVID-19

Tools in Support of Protection
Protection Standby Capacity Project (ProCap)

ProCap provides direct support through the deployment of Senior Protection Advisers who work closely with Humanitarian Coordinators, Humanitarian Country Teams, clusters, key national and local stakeholders, and others to ensure the centrality of protection in humanitarian action.

Support, which is tailored to the specific crisis context and works across the leadership, programmes and localisation pillars, can be provided for up to three years by means of sequenced deployments. Request support through ProCap RC/HC Expression of Interest and/or procapgencap@un.org.  

Categories
Protection
Related Groups

IASC Task Force 1 on Centrality of Protection

Image
Hands of people in the circle

IASC Results Group 1 on Operational Response (closed end of March 2022)

Image
Four Syrian Red Crescent staff, wearing winter jackets with the hood pulled up, lift a stretcher into the back of a Red Crescent landrover during a snowstorm.
Relevant Resources
  • Suggested Actions to Strengthen Accountability to Affected Persons and Protection for Intercluster Coordination.
  • Guidance note on Protection and Accountability to Affected Persons in the Humanitarian Programme Cycle

Subscribe to the IASC Newsletter

Footer

  • Contact
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy
Facebook Twitter
Service provided by UNOCHA OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all.
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 International license. Creative Commons BY 4.0

OCHA Services

Related Platforms

  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Grand Bargain

Other OCHA Services

  • Financial Tracking Service
  • Humanitarian Data Exchange
  • Humanitarian ID
  • Humanitarian Response

 

  • Inter-Agency Standing Committee
  • OCHA website
  • ReliefWeb
  • Virtual OSOCC
See all