Human Rights Guidance Note for Humanitarian Coordinators

The purpose of this guidance note is to provide Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) with a specific, clear and field-oriented tool to facilitate the integration of human rights into humanitarian action, and to outline the role of the HC in this context. It is hoped that the guidance note will also facilitate and encourage agencies to clarify their role vis-à-vis the integration of the human rights agenda into their activities. The guidance note begins by setting human rights law in context and discusses its relevance to humanitarian action. Subsequent sections provide assistance to HCs for the gathering and assessment of human rights related information and for the application of this information – with particular attention paid to the application of human rights for assistance, protection response and advocacy activities as well as for possible human rights related reporting which might be undertaken. The guidance note concludes with suggestions regarding the forms of human rights partnership and coordination systems which HCs might consider establishing.