Key global guidelines, guidance and handbooks

Key global UN-CMCoord guidelines

Oslo Guidelines on Use of Foreign Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief (rev 2007)

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IASC Non-Binding Guidelines on the Use of Armed Escorts for Humanitarian Convoys (2013)

'The MCDA Guidelines' - Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets (MCDA) to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies – (rev 1 2006)

'The IASC Reference Paper' - IASC Guiding & Operating Principles on Civil-Military Relationship & Use of Military Assets (2004)

Official OCHA and CMCS Handbooks and Guidance

OCHA Handbook version 2.1 (2025)

Humanitarian civil-military coordination remains central to OCHA’s mandate to safeguard and expand humanitarian access and protection outcomes. In a rapidly evolving landscape, continuous learning, collaboration, and the uptake of good practices are critical.

As the UN focal point for humanitarian civil-military coordination, OCHA’s Civil Military Coordination Service (CMCS) remains committed to upholding the highest standards in coordination and thought leadership.

The updated 2.1 edition of the UN-CMCoord Handbook provides practitioners, whether humanitarian, military or other stakeholders, a compact and comprehensive tool that reflects current thinking and realities faced by the UN-CMCoord community today.

This 2.1 edition incorporates key new conceptual and operational developments shaping the field today. New case studies illustrate these shifts, while others remain unchanged as their lessons remain pertinent to the thematic areas they address.

As with the 2018 version, the Handbook is organized into six chapters, structured to facilitate mutual understanding and promote civil-military coordination. Enhancing this understanding is vital to operational effectiveness and principled humanitarian action.

For any further inquiries or information, please contact the Civil Military Coordination Service at cmcs@un.org.

OCHA Field Handbook (2018)

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UN-CMCoord Handbook for the Military 2.0 (2017)

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OCHA on Message - What is CMCoord (2022)

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OCHA 'What is Last Resort' (2012)

OCHA CMCS Guidance

These OCHA guidance documents have been developed to support OCHA staff to fulfill their humanitarian coordination related responsibilities. The guidance documents in this section will be reviewed periodically based on operational dynamics, requirements and applicable IASC guidance and guidelines. These guidance documents are not official guidelines, policy, or a binding directive. They do not supercede nor replace existing global guidance.