Oslo Guidelines Key concepts and principles History

Oslo Guidelines Key concepts and principles

History… • Oslo process began in 1992, with first guidelines first released in 1994. • Following the increasing trend and unprecedented deployment in 2005 of military forces and assets in support of humanitarian response to natural disasters confirmed the need to update the 1994 "Oslo Guidelines". • The guidelines have since been updated, and re-launched in 2006, with the most current version (revision 1. 1) released in November 2007. • Guidelines are non-binding.

Aim and Scope • Aim is to establish the basic framework formalizing and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of foreign military and civil defence assets in international disaster relief operations • Apply to situations of natural disaster in times of peace, in the response phase • Cover both “UN MCDA” and “other deployed forces” • Intended users include: – UN humanitarian agencies, their implementing and operational partners – Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators – UN MCDA commanders and commanders of other deployed forces performing missions in support of the UN humanitarian agencies – liaison officers coordinating UN humanitarian activities with foreign military forces.

Key Concepts • Recognizes the sovereignty of the Affected State and their primary responsibility for providing humanitarian assistance on its territory. • Covers tasks and responsibilities Affected, Transit and Assisting States (including FOREIGN military and civil defense commanders) as well as UN bodies. • Defines humanitarian assistance and the core principles by which it should be delivered (humanity, impartiality, neutrality) and categorizes types of humanitarian activity that international military assistance might appropriately support…

TYPES OF FOREIGN MILITARY SUPPORT • Direct Assistance • Indirect Assistance • Infrastructure Support Oslo Guidelines (Rev 1. 1 2007)

Types of Foreign Military Support • Air, land sea survey and assessment, • Reconnaissance in the disaster zone and of access, • Search and rescue, evacuation, provision of relief services, • Engineering, • Communications, • Logistics support, • Medical support

Foreign Military Assets Essential Principles • Provided at the request or with the consent of the Affected State • For limited duration • Mission under the overall control of a Civilian Authority • Provided at no cost to receiving state • Unarmed, but in national uniforms

Foreign Military Assets Essential Principles • Complementarity: assets should complement existing relief mechanisms in order to provide specific support to specific requirements in response to the acknowledged "humanitarian gap" between the disaster needs that the relief community is being asked to satisfy and the resources available to meet them. • Last Resort: foreign military and civil defence assets should be requested only where there is no comparable civilian alternative and only the use of military or civil defence assets can meet a critical humanitarian need. The military or civil defence asset must therefore be unique in capability and availability.

Summary Intensity Foreign Military and Civil Defense Assets International Response National Response Reconstruction Time

QUESTIONS?

UN OCHA Fourth Asia Pacific Conference on Military Assistance to Disaster Relief Operations (APC-MADRO 2009) 13 -15 September 2009 ARF ISM DR 16 -18 September 2009 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

APC-MADRO 2009 APC-MADRO Development ‘ROAD MAP’: 2005 Introductory Meeting International Seminar (New Delhi) Disaster Management – Emerging Challenges for the Armed Forces. 2006 APCMADRO 2007 APCMADRO Second Conference First Conference (Malaysia) conducts (Singapore) establishes assessment and gap analysis modus operandi and of existing guidance and endorses outline aims recommends development of and goals of the APC- guidelines for the ‘Facilitation of Foreign Military Assistance MADRO. to Disaster Relief Operations in the Asia-Pacific Region’ to complement other regional initiatives. 2005 -2006 Post-Tsunami initial discussions on necessity for SOPs foreign military assistance to disaster relief operations in the Asia-Pacific region. 2006 -2007 2008 APCMADRO 2009 APCMADRO 2010 APCMADRO Third Conference Fourth Conference (Australia) studies and develops a final draft further develops a incorporating all working draft of the remaining concerns, guidelines for the issues and amendments ‘Facilitation of Foreign raised by participating Military Assistance to nations. Disaster Relief Operations in the Asia. Pacific Region’. 2007 -2008 -2009 Working draft of Preparatory guideline needs assessment and gap guidelines prepared by OCHA and regional analysis table prepared by OCHA and regional partners for circulation to OCHA and regional all participating countries to the Steering partners for discussion at for national comments, Committee for the APC-MADRO 2007. amendment and comment, amendment and presentation to the presentation at the APCMADRO 2009. APC-MADRO 2008. Fifth Conference (High Level Event). Finalisation, approval and endorsement of the Guidelines. (Brings to an end the APC-MADRO series of conferences. ) 2009 -2010 Endorsement of finalised guidelines at the national level in preparation for final endorsement at the APC -MADRO high-level event in 2010.

APC-MADRO 2009 Afghanistan Japan Pakistan ASEAN Australia Korea Philippines ICRC Bangladesh Laos IFRC Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Singapore Canada Mongolia Solomon Islands Sri Lanka China Maldives Thailand SAARC Fiji Mongolia Timor Leste SOPAC France Myanmar Tonga WFP India Nepal USA Indonesia New Zealand Vietnam Maldives MERCY Malaysia MPAT Red. R Australia

APC-MADRO 2009 Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines for the use of Foreign Military Assets in Natural Disaster Response Operations ver. 7. ? , 15 Sept 09 NOTE: This is a draft working document not for distribution. Release is controlled by the United

APC-MADRO 2009 Table of Contents PREFACE Background Purpose & Scope GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS Principles Concepts Disaster Management Cycle Military Assistance Do No Harm Information Sharing Use of Military Assets Requests for Assistance Pre-disaster Preparedness INTERNATIONAL RESPONDERS United Nations Humanitarian Organisations Regional Organisations ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Affected State Assisting State United Nations COORDINATION OF MILITARY ASSETS Structure of Coordination Affected State Assisting Military Humanitarian Community OPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS ANNEXES: A. Key definitions. B. References. C. Requests for Assistance Process.

APC-MADRO 2009 Way forward: • Guidelines to be “cleaned up” by OCHA • Copies forwarded to participants for final review and comment. • Final document forwarded to participants for delivery to their respective governments. • Final document forwarded to Permanent Missions in Geneva and New York • APC-MADRO 2010 endorsement before mid-2010.

UN OCHA Discussion