What are ?

All OCHA activities are foundations for humanitarian Promoting and ensuring guided by the four action. They are central to compliance with the humanitarian principles: establishing and maintaining principles are essential humanity, neutrality, access to affected people, elements of effective impartiality and whether in a humanitarian coordination. independence. These or a complex emergency, principles provide the such as armed conflict.

Origins and implementation The humanitarian principles established the role of the for the International Red are derived from the core Emergency Relief Cross and Red Crescent principles, which have long Coordinator (ERC). General Movement, and non- guided the work of the Assembly resolution 58/114 governmental organizations International Committee of (2004) added independence in disaster relief. The code the Red Cross and the as a fourth key principle provides a set of common national Red Cross/Red underlying humanitarian standards for organizations Crescent Societies.1 action. The General involved in humanitarian The principles’ centrality to Assembly has repeatedly activities, including a the work of OCHA and other reaffirmed the importance of commitment to adhere to the humanitarian organizations promoting and respecting humanitarian principles.

OCHA on Message: on OCHA is formally enshrined in two these principles within the More than 492 organizations General Assembly framework of humanitarian have signed the Code of assistance. 2 resolutions. The first three Conduct. Also of note is the principles (humanity, Commitment to the Humanitarian Charter and neutrality and impartiality) principles has also been Minimum Standards in are endorsed in General expressed at an institutional Humanitarian Response Assembly resolution 46/182, level by many humanitarian elaborated by the Sphere Project.3

Humanitarian Principles which was adopted in 1991. organizations. Of particular This resolution also note is the Code of Conduct

Humanity Neutrality Impartiality Independence

Human must Humanitarian actors Humanitarian action Humanitarian action be addressed wherever must not take sides in must be carried out on must be autonomous it is found. The purpose hostilities or engage in the basis of need from the political, of humanitarian action controversies of a alone, giving priority to economic, military or is to protect life and political, racial, the most urgent cases other objectives that health and ensure religious or ideological of distress and making any actor may hold respect for human nature. no distinctions on the with regard to areas

beings. basis of nationality, where humanitarian

race, gender, religious action is being belief, class or political implemented.

opinions.

1 These are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. See the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, proclaimed in Vienna in 1965 by the 20th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

2 The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct includes principles beyond the core four principles endorsed by the General Assembly. In addition, humanitarian organizations may find that some of these additional principles have particular meaning in certain contexts (for example, “participation” is often cited as an important humanitarian principle). Conceptually, many other principles can be linked back to the four endorsed by the General Assembly.

3 See: www.sphereproject.org/handbook/

The humanitarian principles humanitarian principles and, Sustained access is, in turn, have practical operational importantly, ensuring that crucial for strengthening the “The moral relevance. Humanitarian humanitarian organizations implementation of the action almost always takes act in accordance with them humanitarian principles. For authority of the place in complex political are key to gaining example, it allows and militarized acceptance by all relevant humanitarian actors to depends on its environments. Adherence to actors on the ground for directly undertake and ability to help the principles is therefore humanitarian action to be monitor the distribution of critical in order to distinguish carried out. This acceptance assistance to people, thus people most in humanitarian action from the is critical to ensuring ensuring that is need, and it must activities and objectives of humanitarian personnel distributed impartially and do so with the political, military and other have safe and sustained reaches those most in need. highest ethical actors. Promoting access to affected people. standards and professionalism.” What is OCHA’s role? - Secretary-General OCHA’s mission is to every humanitarian non-state actors at all levels, Ban Ki-moon, mobilize and coordinate response. It does this by and by undertaking and Council on Foreign principled humanitarian promoting practical contributing to policy Relations, action. OCHA promotes the compliance measures within development within the New York, humanitarian community’s a Humanitarian Country United Nations. May 2006 compliance with Team through its humanitarian principles in engagement with State and

What does OCHA say?

1. Humanitarian 3. Our compliance with 4. There are multiple principles govern humanitarian principles pressures on humanitarian humanitarian actors’ affects our credibility, and actors to compromise conduct. therefore our ability to enter humanitarian principles, into negotiations with such as providing relevant actors and establish humanitarian aid as part of 2. Humanitarian actors safe access to affected efforts to achieve political must engage in dialogue people. However, it is not ends. Maintaining principled with all parties to conflict for enough to repeatedly recite humanitarian action in the strictly humanitarian humanitarian principles. face of these pressures is purposes. This includes Rhetoric must be matched an essential task, but not an ongoing liaison and by leadership and practice. easy one. negotiation with non-state In other words, humanitarian armed groups. actors must “walk the talk”.

To find out more Contact: Simon Bagshaw, United Nations resolution 46/182: www.un.org/documents/ga/res/46/a46r182.htm Protection and The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct: www.ifrc.org Displacement Section [email protected]

June 2012

OCHA on Message is a reference product that enables staff to communicate OCHA’s position on key issues. For more information contact the Reporting Unit at [email protected].