Promotion of the Humanitarian Agenda
As part of its intergovernmental requirements, the Promotion of the Humanitarian Agenda Unit (PHAU) coordinates the input to and the drafting of Secretary-General's reports to the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. The coordination efforts include liaising with UN agencies, funds and programs as well as the NGO community to make sure their views and concerns are reflected in the reports, which often constitute the basis for draft resolutions. The unit then provides support to delegations engaged in negotiations on matters of substance and drafting.
PHAU has initiated a study on impact assessments building on its recently completed methodology for analyzing the humanitarian impact of sanctions. This methodology will be piloted in the field in 2004. PHAU’s work on sanctions and related assessment issues is supported by its separately funded, “Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions Project.”
The Unit is also involved in the existing inter-agency mechanisms in the field of disarmament. In particular, through the Inter Agency Coordination Group, chaired by UNMAS, the Unit participates in Humanitarian Mine Action activities (Landmines). The Unit is also involved in the “Coordinating Action on Small Arms ”, chaired by the Department for Disarmament Affairs, to foster understanding of the humanitarian impact of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Another task that PHAU is dealing with is analysis of the policy aspects of civil-military relations in humanitarian action. Military forces have become increasingly involved in operations other than war, including the provision of relief and reconstruction assistance to the local civilian population. Such encroachment into what has traditionally been seen as humanitarian or development space raises significant issues of principle, as well as policy and operational questions, and requires a re-examination of the proper relationship between the humanitarian and the military actors in the field.
The Unit was tasked to undertake such examination and, working with various partners through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the UN’s Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), MCDU’s Advisory Panel, and colleagues in the field and academia, prepared the IASC Reference paper on Civil-Military Relationship in Complex Emergencies.
The Reference Paper, which was endorsed by the IASC, complements the Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies of March 2003. It is a non-binding generic reference for humanitarian practitioners, to be used when formulating country-specific guidelines on civil-military relations in particular complex emergencies. It reviews the nature and character of the relationship between the humanitarian and the military actors in complex emergencies, outlines fundamental principles and concepts that must be upheld when humanitarian organisations coordinate with the military, and highlights practical considerations involved in this often difficult and uneasy interaction.
Recently OCHA launched the first ever comprehensive United Nations Manual on Humanitarian Negotiations with Armed Groups. The Manual and its companion set of Field Guidelines is the outcome of an OCHA initiative, supported by Switzerland, to develop a practical and user-friendly guide on negotiations with non-state armed groups for humanitarian workers.
Every day, aid workers in the field are faced with situations that require some form of negotiations. These can include seeking agreements to access people in need, reaching an understanding on how to protect civilians or requesting safe passage and/or security guarantees for humanitarian operations. For humanitarian workers, therefore, negotiating successfully with all actors in situations of crisis or conflict is essential to be able to provide effective and timely humanitarian assistance and protection.
The new Manual and the Field Guidelines are published with a CD-ROM that contains beside the two new publications also key policy documents, field studies and additional resources. To consult the CD-ROM please click here.