The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is a unique inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving the key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners.
The IASC was established in June 1992 in response to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance. General Assembly Resolution 48/57 affirmed its role as the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance.
Under the leadership of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, the IASC develops humanitarian policies, agrees on a clear division of responsibility for the various aspects of humanitarian assistance, identifies and addresses gaps in response, and advocates for effective application of humanitarian principles. Click here to read more about the IASC.
IASC Principals are the heads of all IASC member agencies or their representatives. They meet twice a year in conferences chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. John Holmes, usually in April and December. For urgent matters, the IASC Principals can schedule ad hoc meetings. Click here for schedule and documents related to the IASC Principals Meetings.
The IASC Working Group is composed of the directors of the Emergency Programmes of the IASC agencies or their equivalent counterparts. It meets in regular intervals three times a year, usually in March, June / July, and November alternating between Rome, Geneva and New York for two and half days, hosted by IASC agencies on a rotational basis. Click here for work plans and progress reports of the IASC Working Group.
IASC Subsidiary Bodies assist in developing policy or operational guidelines for humanitarian assistance.
Sub-Working Groups include the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), Emergency Telecommunications, Gender and Humanitarian Action, Preparedness and Contingency Planning. There is also a Contact Group on Good Humanitarian Donorship and Task Forces on HIV in Humanitarian Situations, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, Safe Access to Firewood and Alternative Energy in Humanitarian Settings.
[Last Update: 29 August 2007]
«CERF Around the World