Five key guidelines have been developed under the auspices of the multi-stakeholder Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Consultative Group (UN-CMCoord) and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), respectively. They set down the principles and concepts for UN-CMCoord; when and how Foreign Military Assets (FMA) can be considered; how they should be employed; and how UN Agencies and the broader humanitarian community should interact and coordinate with foreign and domestic military forces.

The non-binding guidelines are: a) Guidelines on the Use of Foreign Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief, b) Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies, c) IASC Reference Paper on Civil-Military Relationship in Complex Emergencies, d) IASC Non-Binding Guidelines on the Use of Armed Escorts for Humanitarian Convoys, and e) Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination of Foreign Military Assets (FMA) in Natural and Man-Made Disasters.

The guidelines don’t provide details on the interaction with other armed actors, such as heavily armed police or non-state armed groups. The Recommended Practices raise critical questions on the operating relationship with these stakeholders, particularly on the UN-CMCoord key element of Information Sharing.

Guidance Guidelines and papers