United Nations launches Manual on Humanitarian Negotiations with Armed Groups
(New York, 15 February 2006): The
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
will launch tomorrow the first ever comprehensive United Nations Manual
on Humanitarian Negotiations with Armed Groups. "I strongly urge all those
engaged in negotiations with non-state armed groups to consult the manual
in order to prepare and conduct the dialogue with these groups carefully,"
said Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
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.
To facilitate a structured approach to humanitarian negotiations, OCHA initiated, with the support of the Swiss Government, a project to develop a practical and user-friendly guide on negotiations with non-state armed groups for humanitarian, development and human rights workers. After research, extensive consultations with members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and several field visits, OCHA has been able to produce both the manual and a companion set of field guidelines. In addition, a CD-ROM was produced, which provides all relevant background material such as related United Nations documents, field studies and policy documents as well as links to other institutions and think-tanks that work on humanitarian negotiations. "We envision that the manual and the companion set of guidelines will become essential guides for humanitarian practitioners in the field," Egeland said.
The manual is also available online at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900SID/RURI-6LTL72?OpenDocument