The UN GA Resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002 on “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International USAR Assistance” stresses the need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) assistance. A key factor in achieving this objective is the ongoing development of USAR capacity, especially within countries with a high risk of structural collapse from either natural or technical disasters.

Countries may look to develop USAR capacity for domestic purposes only, or they may look to develop capacity with the view to becoming an international donor of USAR response assistance. Either way however, countries are encouraged to develop USAR capacity in accordance with the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Guidelines. The INSARAG Guidelines, developed and practiced by emergency responders from around the world, serve to guide international USAR teams and disaster-affected countries during international USAR response operations as well as providing guidance on how to develop USAR capacity.

A USAR Capacity Assessment Mission aims to identify existing capacities and determine the required capacities according to the country’s USAR objectives. This provides an indication of the gaps between the current capacity and the required capacity which in turn assists in defining the USAR capacity development strategy.

The INSARAG network provides unique access to a pool of experienced, qualified USAR experts that are able to conduct an assessment of existing capacity, mapped against needs and who are then able to assist with the design and subsequent implementation of USAR Capacity Development initiatives.

Building the first tier of local capability involves the training and development of existing local emergency services and community responders to meet the needs of the affected population at the onset of the incident. Termed ‘USAR First Responders’, their role at the initial phase of an incident is that of:

  • Assessing the nature and scale of the incident
  • Rescue and basic casualty care in the initial stages of a collapse incident
  • Providing information to domestic decision-makers about the event
  • Requesting the appropriate resources required to successfully complete the rescue phase

First Responder Networks would be most effective in areas where no organised USAR capability exists, as well as areas where any USAR response from structured teams may be delayed. It is envisaged that USAR First Responders will typically be personnel working in the local community or staff of local government organisations tasked with emergency management or response. For example; local police, medical staff or fire-fighters, government workers (including civil protection) or members of volunteer organisations.

To assist in the development of USAR First Responders, INSARAG has developed the First Responders Training Package. More information regarding INSARAG First Responder Training can be found at the link below.

First Responders Program V2.0 – Community Responders Program

First Responders Training Package

INSARAG First Responder Training Programme – v. Feb 2015

First Responders Training Package (Presentations)

Videos

 Bleeding Control Arterial
 Building Collapse
 Car Into Building
 Impaled Objects with Nick Rondinelli
 MMA Broken
 First Aid Bean’s Example 
 Recovery Position Step by Step Guide
 Stretcher Walk NSW
 USAR Rubble Search and Rescue

Updates 2022 :

IRNAP Guidance Note 2022 – Link

IRNAP Checklist 2022 – Link

The INSARAG Guidelines 2015 include a complete manual on strengthening national and local capacity building (Vol. II, Manual A) and recommend countries to establish a national USAR team accreditation mechanism to allow a country to “manage, monitor and establish the same standards officially and adhere closely to the INSARAG standards and guidance in developing its USAR national response systems”. This process has been worked on particularly since 2014 in a workshop carried out in Chile on “The creation of a national USAR team accreditation process” and many of the lessons learned in the Americas region in the past few years have been incorporated.

The INSARAG Americas Regional Group presented a proposal on this topic to the INSARAG Steering Group in 2016, who in turn requested the Regional Group to lead the initiative to “design a peer revision/certification process of national USAR team accreditation processes, which confirms to the requesting country that it is complying with the minimum standards for national USAR team accreditation processes” and present recommendations back to the Steering Group in 2017.

A National Accreditations Working Group was created in 2016, led by the Americas Regional Group with participation from other interested countries, and the proposal developed and consulted globally throughout 2016 was endorsed by the INSARAG Steering Group in 2017.

Classification vs Accreditation
The INSARAG Guidelines 2015 make the difference between the IEC classification – a process amongst peers, designed by the INSARAG community for the verification of the achievement of the standards for teams with an international deployment mandate; and the accreditation, a process which is by definition at the national level and through which the achievement of national standards is certified by an accrediting entity, in other words, the competent national authorities.

National accreditation process
The USAR response framework of INSARAG shows a structure, which aims to ensure interoperability between different levels of USAR response and determines that “it is vital that working practices, technical language and information are common and shared through all levels of the USAR response framework” (INSARAG Guidelines, Vol I, 2.1). Therefore, the standards developed for the accreditation of national teams must be aligned with the INSARAG methodology and therefore should be recognized within this same framework.

The 2015 INSARAG Guidelines provide a very general guidance on the establishment of a national USAR team accreditation process.

In addition to the Guidelines, here are additional and more detailed directions and tools for the design and implementation of a national accreditation process. This guidance will be incorporated in the next update of the INSARAG Guidelines, as endorsed by the INSARAG Steering Group in 2017.

NOTE: By definition, the national standards and processes shall be elaborated and promulgated at national level by the competent authority. This guidance is designed to promote the use of the INSARAG methodology by national authorities for its national teams and the national USAR response.

  • Recommended minimum criteria and steps for the national USAR team accreditation processes. – These shall serve as guidance to national authorities who are in the process of establishing a national USAR team accreditation process.
  • National standards: This is an updated version of Annex C of Manual A of the INSARAG Guidelines: “Capacity assessment checklist for national USAR team”. This updated version is more explicit with regards to standards applicable for light teams. They also include actual standards/ requirements on the national disaster management system (LEMA) with regards to the activation and coordination procedures for the national response.
  • Supporting documentation: the following are a series of formats for the supporting documentation that national teams may wish to use in order to demonstrate that they are achieving the national standards.
  •  
 Supporting documentation Definition  Guidance/recommended template
 1. Strategic plan of the institution  Organizational document, which explains and establishes the general and specific objectives, strategies, program lines, projects and corresponding resources, with a long-term planning horizon. It should include mission statement, vision and indicators  Format 1.1
 2. Organizational model and structure (which contains the 5 components)  Document, which describes the organizational model of the teams and where all functions or positions of the organization are described. Profiles and responsibilities shall be specified, as well as the skills and abilities that are required for each of them.  Format 2.1
 3. Annual operational plan which includes the annual and mid-term financial plan/ budget  Document containing guidance on the actions to be executed in the short term, and where budgetary and financial planning for the short and medium term sustainability of the team is described, in line with the strategic plan of the institution.  Format 3.1
 4. Annual training and skills development plan  Training plan containing a database of courses or workshops held, and which defined objectives, goals, responsibility, resources, certifying entities, schedule, workload, curriculum, number of participants based on the expected minimum training for a team that chooses to be accredited according to the level that it applied for. It shall include the continuous learning/ re-certification plan.  Format 4.1
 5. Safety, health and insurance and/or legal health benefits arrangements  Programs, processes and tools designed to provide teams and their members with coverage in the field of health, occupational safety, legal benefits and/or insurance; Including the annual and post-mission medical check-up.  Format 5.1
 6. Agreements with providers of services and goods Description of each of the duly signed, valid agreements, allowing for adequate maintenance and procurement of equipment, tools, supplies and services for the team functions.  Format 6.1
 7. Human resources management  Document where the organizational human resources policies are established. (Licenses, permits, sanctions, leave, etc.).  Format 7.1
 8. Physical installations of the team  Details of each of the physical spaces that the team disposes of for its work (warehouses, stores, dorms, gym, kitchen, etc.)  Format 8.1
 9. Tools, equipment and accessories  Equipment, tools and accessories required for the corresponding operating level of the USAR Team. These shall be physically available, in good technical condition and have an operational registration/inventory system as well as a preventive and corrective maintenance service  Format 9.1
 10. Operational capacity and autonomy  Document in which the operational procedures, as well as the corresponding timeframe, is established, through which the different tasks of the USAR team are being carried out in line with the response cycle  Format 10.1
 11. Logistics  Document which describes the logistical requirements for the USAR team to function appropriately (food, lodging, transportation, etc.)   Format 11.1
 12. ICT  Description of the ICT systems (eg. Fixed, portable and accessories) defined for the USAR team according to its level, its operational status, communications plan, operational registration/inventory system and the preventive and corrective maintenance.  Format 12.1
 13. Activation & mobilization mechanisms & protocols  Activation and mobilization procedures of the USAR team  Format 13.1
 14. Document/ information management  The information management forms that provide the documentation support for the USAR operations (INSARAG forms are recommended)  INSARAG forms

 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Member States that have met the criteria for the National Accreditation Process(NAP) which ensures that National Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams meet the INSARAG standards, as specified in the INSARAG Guidelines of 2015.are listed below:

The simplified Flowchart outlining the steps to take for INSARAG NAP is attached here:   2000px PDF file icon.svg

IRNAP Recognized Countries since 2017:

Date Member States RG
1 June 2017 France AEME
2 November 2017 Turkey AEME
3 November 2018 Colombia Americas
4 December 2018 Guatemala Americas
5 June 2022 Chile Americas
6 June 2022 Cyprus AEME
7 October 2022 Singapore AP

Turkish national accreditation

  •  (Turkey National Accreditation Certification, Istanbul 2017)
Pyramid2

The most successful USAR resource is one that can be in position directly following an incident of structural collapse. Understanding this, the INSARAG has committed itself to capacity building projects in countries that would likely benefit from local USAR capacity. Using the wealth of USAR experience resident in the INSARAG, the group has developed documents and courses available to countries wanting to develop local USAR capacity. It is also possible for INSARAG to arrange capacity assessment missions to countries needing review of existing systems or lack thereof.

 

 

 

IEC of Italy – November 2018

IEC of Colombia – March 2018

IEC of Armenia – September 2015

INSARAG Polex 2013

INSARAG Asia-Pacific Regional Exercise (Nepal)

IEC-Klassifizierung SARUV (Mai 2011)

EMERCOM Classification 2011 video 1

EMERCOM Classification 2011 video 2

The INSARAG Steering Group unanimously endorsed the new INSARAG Guidelines 2020, and the new Guidelines are into effect on 1st January 2021.

Please be informed that the 2020 Guidelines consist of three volumes:

VOLUME 1: POLICY

VOLUME II : PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

VOLUME III: OPERATIONAL FIELD GUIDE

The goal of INSARAG Guidelines Volume II, Manual C (Link) is to define the operational minimum standard for international USAR. In an effort to achieve this objective, the INSARAG network has developed two voluntary, independent, peer review-processes: the INSARAG External Classification (IEC) and INSARAG External Reclassification (IER). The purpose of this manual is to ensure a USAR Team preparing to undergo an IEC/R has a deep understanding of the expected planning, preparation and delivery requirements. It furthermore provides guidance for peer reviewers on how to conduct an IEC/IER.

By following these principles, a USAR Team will be prepared to offer professional services, operate in a collaborative manner, and provide timely life-saving assistance to an affected population. 

IEC/Rs taking place after 1st January 2021 will be based on the IEC/R Checklist 2020 (Link) found in Volume II, Manual C – IEC/R Process.

 For any further information, please contact INSARAG Secretariat at insarag@un.org.

Once a USAR team and its sponsoring organisation have agreed to undergo the IEC, it is required to submit an application to the INSARAG Secretariat making use of the IEC Application Phase 1 Form (Annex E of the IEC/IER Guidelines).

The requirements for this application are as follows:

  • The country’s INSARAG Focal Point is required to submit a written application to the INSARAG Secretariat stating that the USAR team would voluntarily like to undergo an IEC;
  • This application must be submitted to the INSARAG Secretariat a minimum of two years prior to the planned date.However it is important to note that due to the demand for IECs, it is more likely that the team will have to wait longer than two years before it can be scheduled;
  • This application must be completed in English where possible. Where this is not possible, a covering letter in English must accompany any non-English documents briefly explaining its contents;
  • Regardless of whether a USAR team is an official government team, a non-governmental team or combination thereof, it requires the formal support of the country’s INSARAG Focal Point in order to be eligible to undergo an IEC;
  • The application form includes the requirements for the abbreviated Portfolio of Evidence (PoE).

Upon receipt of the written application and the abbreviated PoE, the INSARAG Secretariat will evaluate whether the USAR team in questionis likely to attain the standards required for the IEC within the available timeline. If the INSARAG Secretariat is satisfied with the initial substantiation of the team’s capability, it will:

  • Inform that country’s INSARAG Focal Point in writing that the team has been successful in its application;
  •   Allocate a provisional IEC exercise date;
  • Enter the IEC into the schedule of upcoming IECs which is available on the Virtual OSOCC.

On the issue of prioritising teams on the IEC queue, a decision given by the INSARAG Steering Group in 2010 says that for the new teams requesting for an IEC, the relevant INSARAG Regional Group during their annual regional meeting will discuss and present recommendations in the next INSARAG Steering Group meeting on the geographical spread of the IEC and recommend the priority of teams to be classified in their region.

If the INSARAG Secretariat is not satisfied with the initial substantiation of the team’s capabilities, it will inform that country’s INSARAG Focal Point in writing indentifying the areas of concern.

 

Over the past decade disasters around the world, affecting urban areas of high density populations living and working in concrete and reinforced concrete single and multi story dwellings, has increased the need for sophisticated USAR capabilities. While deployment of international USAR teams has been of great benefit to trapped victims and the affected country, lessons learned have revealed the need for responding USAR teams to be integrated within a well coordinated system to ensure the most appropriate use of available USAR resources. Therefore, INSARAG saw a need to classify international USAR teams according to their operational capabilities in order to ensure that only qualified and appropriate international USAR resources are deployed to an emergency.

The INSARAG community acknowledges the importance of providing rapid professional USAR support during disasters which result in structural collapse.  In an effort to achieve this objective and the need to ensure that only qualified and appropriate international USAR resources are deployed to an emergency, the INSARAG community has developed a voluntary, independent, peer review process, the INSARAG External Classification (IEC).

To ensure that a USAR team’s international response capability remains current and continues to subscribe to the INSARAG methodology, the INSARAG External Reclassification (IER) process has also been endorsed. Taken together these two processes form the INSARAG Classification System.

Being established in 2005, this system is designed to ensure that assisting countries send a team with the required capabilities. It also plays a major role in ensuring that the appropriate resources are assigned to the appropriate sites as soon as possible. The INSARAG USAR team classification system has identified three levels of classification. These are Light, Medium and Heavy USAR teams. Details of the requirements that teams need to achieve in order to be classified, application to the IEC and all other relevant details are listed in the IEC/IER Guidelines.

Key Documents

How INSARAG responds to emergencies: LINK

This INSARAG USAR directory provides details on all INSARAG member countries and their USAR teams. The intention of this USAR directory is to provide an overview of the different teams currently available for international deployment. This directory includes both INSARAG Externally Classified (IEC) teams as well as those teams that are not IEC classified.

This directory is open to all governmental or non-governmental/volunteer organisations involved in providing or potentially receiving international USAR assistance or USAR capacity building. Inclusion in the USAR directory does not represent any accreditation of the USAR team by INSARAG . All requests for inclusion into or editing of this database should be submitted through the INSARAG country national focal point or where this is not in place sent the attached form directly to the INSARAG secretariat at:   insarag@un.org .

The INSARAG country national focal point is considered the central point of contact between the INSARAG secretariat and all organisations in that country involved in the INSARAG. For countries that are likely to provide or receive international USAR assistance,  INSARAG advises the designation of an INSARAG operational focal point. This operational focal point is expected to act as a counter part to the INSARAG Secretariat in the event of any actual USAR team deployments.
Link to USAR Directory

INSARAG IS IN THE WORLD HUMANITARIAN SUMMIT !

The UN Secretary-General will hold the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) on 23-24 May in Istanbul, Turkey on 23 and 24 May.  The Summit will be held at the highest level and will bring the global community together to reaffirm our solidarity with people affected by crises, and our collective commitment to humanity. As a recommendation from the INSARAG Global Meeting in 2015 and the Steering Group meeting in 2016, the INSARAG Secretariat in OCHA Geneva along with a strong push from our global chair, Ambassador Manuel Bessler, we are pleased to inform you that INSARAG has been chosen to run a side event in the Summit. 

I believe that you or representatives from your Governments will be in Istanbul participating in the WHS, and would like to warmly welcome all to participate and support this event. We will update you again on the details of the event once this is confirmed closer to the date.

Should you have any questions related to administrative issues or registration, please contact me or Mr. Winston Chang atchangw@un.org.

World Humanitarian Summit

INSARAG STEERING GROUP MEETING 2016

On 3 February 2016, the INSARAG Steering Group meeting was opened by Ambassador Manuel Bessler, Global Chairman of INSARAG and Mr. Rudolf Müller, Director a.i. of OCHA Geneva.  The Global Chair summarised the key achievements of INSARAG in 2015, outlined the upcoming highlights for 2016 and reflected on issues to be further discussed in the upcoming sessions.

The meeting was attended by 156 participants from 66 Member States and Organizations (see Annex B), including Regional Chairs and Vice-Chairs, Working Group Chairs, National Focal Points and representatives from classified teams, and participants from the Humanitarian Networks and Partnership Week (HNPW). Representatives from OCHA’s Regional Offices and OCHA’s Emergency Services Branch (ESB) also attended. The meeting was facilitated by OCHA’s Field Coordination Support Section in its capacity as INSARAG Secretariat.
Chairman’s Summary with Annex A – Agenda
Annex B – Participant list
Annex C1 – Concept Note – Capacity Building
Annex C2 – Concept Note – IER System
Annex C3 – Concept Note – International Light Teams
Annex C4 – Concept Note – Beyond the Rubble
Annex C5 – Concept Note – National USAR Team Accreditation_ENG
Annex C5 – Concept Note – National USAR Team Accreditation _SPA
Humanitarian Networks Partnerships Week 2016
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2 

(open with Google Chrome) Capture2

Capture

END OF THE YEAR’S NEWSLETTER

Message from Jesper Lund, Chief of FCSS and INSARAG Secretary

Dear Colleagues,
As 2015 is coming to an end, I have been reflecting on our experiences this past year. We had twelve UNDAC missions, including floods in Malawi and Myanmar, a cyclone in Vanuatu and the earthquake in Nepal. Two years of consultations culminated in the launch of the INSARAG Guidelines, and along with the new OSOCC Operations course and Emergency Response Methodology training, reflect our efforts to put the right tools in the right hands. It was also a year of building connections with the three organizations taking part in the Professional Dialogue meeting in Cyprus and the second INSARAG Global Meeting in Abu Dhabi. Our operational partners who provide technical support during deployments grew with the signing of a Letter of Intent with the Fuel Relief Fund. Read more…
INSARAG Year End Report 2015

FCSS_2015_Dec_-_

INSARAG GLOBAL MEETING 2015

Message from Jesper Holmer Lund
Secretary of INSARAG
and Chief FCSS, OCHA Geneva

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The international and national urban search and rescue (USAR) community gathered for the second INSARAG global meeting and 25th anniversary of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 18 to 19 October 2015, back-to-back with the three Working Groups Meetings, USAR Team Leaders Meeting and three Regional Groups Meetings on 20 October – the largest INSARAG gathering in history !  

313 participants from 94 countries and organisations and more than 200 participants from the Abu Dhabi Police attended the meeting, leading to the ‘INSARAG Abu Dhabi declaration’, INSARAG’s input to the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016.

As the UN Secretary-General said in his message on this occasion, ” As INSARAG celebrates 25 years, you should all be proud of the success this community has achieved…The ability of the network to span continents and cultures is a testament to the commitment of its members and a model of best practice for the humanitarian community” 

In the past week, I have received nothing but positive comments. As such, there is no doubt that we fully met our objectives for the series of INSARAG meetings. This astounding success surpassed all expectations, and I thank each and every one of you who contributed time, effort and commitment to making the week of INSARAG meetings in Abu Dhabi a historic and memorable event. Allow me to salute and thank again, all of you who made it possible.  

By coming together, we have shown the humanitarian community that INSARAG remains a highly relevant network and can be called upon to deliver value added life-saving assistance based on agreed standards and will continue to improve our response to be “Fit for the Future”. 

Finally, we are very grateful to the UAE, the Ministry of Interior of the UAE, for hosting this event, UN and international/regional organizations and other entities that contributed. 
Please find the session presentations in the links below for the Team Leaders and Global Meetings.
Best regards,
Jesper

Global Meeting Chariman’s Summary
Global Meeting presentations
Abu Dhabi Declaration in English
Abu Dhabi Declaration in French
Abu Dhabi Declaration in Spanish
Abu Dhabi Declaration in Chinese
Abu Dhabi Declaration in Arabic
Group photos

Team Leaders Meeting

Global_Meeting_2015_Group_Pic

ARTICLE “THE GUARDIAN” REGARDING THE INSARAG SIMEX IN CHILE.

Article  “The Guardian” regarding the INSARAG Simex in Chile ” How did Chile manage to survive its recent earthquake virtually unscathed? The article also in PDF attached .

More Articles…
ARMENIA BECAME A MEMBER OF THE UN INSARAG

On September 4, Armenia became a member of the UN International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) after the Armenian Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team successfully underwent a three-day external classification exercise held on 1-4 September and was classified as a Medium USAR Team. – See more in this link or you can download the document here .

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE – INSARAG MINI-SURVEY

Following the recent Earthquake in Nepal, the OCHA Field Coordination Support Section as INSARAG Secretariat commenced a technical evaluation of the Urban Search and Rescue response with a focus on on deployment considerations, virtual and operational support provided by OCHA, implementation of the 2015 INSARAG Guidelines and work conducted by the USAR teams beyond the initial Search and Rescue phase.

Thoughts and comments were collected through an online survey and we are grateful to those who contributed.

This comments and feedback received through this evaluation will contribute to the Nepal Lessons Learned at the Global INSARAG Meeting in October as well as a system-wide evaluation of the Nepal response to which all USAR teams will be invited to contribute. 
Thank you again for your continued support and dedication to INSARAG.
The results of the survey are summarized in the attached REPORT .

INSARAG REGIONAL EQ EX REVIEW WORKSHOP IN GENEVA

The INSARAG Earthquake Response Exercise Redesign Workshop, 15-17 April 2015, was taken place in Geneva. The participants are revising and strengthening the INSARAG Earthquake Response Exercise, by implementing the revised INSARAG Guidelines 2015 and the OSOCC Guidelines 2014. The workshop was officially opened by the Deputy Director OCHA Geneva and Chief of the Emergency Services Branch, Rudolf Müller, and is attended by 44 participants from partners such as the World Health Organization, MapAction, ACAPS, and OCHA Regional Offices. The outcome of the workshop is a generic INSARAG Earthquake Response Exercise Package that for the first time will be used in the upcoming INSARAG exercise in Mongolia.

20150415_090757

20150415_120645

20150416_135429

TRAINING WORKING GROUP MEETING IN GENEVA

The INSARAG Training Working Group (TWG) met on 13-14 April 2015 in Geneva. The TWG is an engaged team of global urban search and rescue experts, who meet three times a year to develop training standards and content for the INSARAG community. The TWG supports the INSARAG Earthquake Response Exercise Redesign Workshop, which currently is taking place (15-17 April). They will provide their unique expertise, and propose a strategy for the revised generic INSARAG Earthquake Response Exercise Package.

 20150413_0929430

SAVE THE DATE: GLOBAL MEETING 2015

INSARAG Global Meeting 2015 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates
Join Member States, UN Agencies, the IFRC, and OCHA for the 2nd INSARAG Global Meeting in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, from 18 to 20 October 2015.

Highlights:

  • Celebrate 25 years of INSARAG’s standards setting and contributions to strengthening the effectiveness and coordination of international urban search and rescue (USAR) assistance based on UN GA 57/150.
  • Special testimony from rescued survivors of major earthquakes.
  • Help chart INSARAG’s value add and role in the changing humanitarian landscape through the theme for the meeting: “Fit for the Future”.
  • The Annual INSARAG USAR Team Leaders Meeting (16-17 October) and 3 Regional Meetings (20 October) meets back-to-back.

 

Save this date, and see you in Abu Dhabi this October!

 

Please find attached the Official Second Announcement .

 

For more information, write to the INSARAG Secretariat at insarag@un.org

for_webpage

ENDORSEMENT OF INSARAG GUIDELINES

INSARAG Guidelines 2015:
The ISG unanimously endorsed the new INSARAG Guidelines 2015, and its implementation plan, including the extension of GRG’s activity through the implementation phase. The new Guidelines put into effect as of 11 February 2015. Regarding the IEC/R Checklist, the IEC/Rs in March (Japan and New Zealand) will use the existing Checklist while using the 2015 Checklist as “trial”, but all the IEC/Rs after 1 April 2015 are required to use the Checklist 2015.

The Guidelines will consist of three volumes: Volume I: Policy, Volume II: Preparedness and Response (Manual A: Capacity Building, Manual B: Operations, and Manual C: IEC/Rs Guide), and Volume III: Operational Field Guide.

Member states welcomed the new Guidelines, and will take full Ownership. They expressed their interest to translate the Guidelines into other languages such as Arabic (UAE), Chinese (China), French (France), German (Germany), Hebrew (Israel), Japanese (Japan), Russian (Russia and Belarus), Spanish (Peru), and Turkish (Turkey).

Please find the new guidelines in the link below:
https://owncloud.unog.ch/public.php?service=files&t=b435decb1305980fd1db4c4ef44e4ae9