International Search and Rescue Advisory Group

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) was established in 1991. The group was created within the framework of existing humanitarian coordination within the United Nations (UN). To this end, the group’s secretariat falls within the Emergency Response Section (ERS) of the Response Support Branch (RSB) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva.

INSARAG’s primary purpose is to facilitate coordination between the various international USAR teams who make themselves available for deployment to countries experiencing devastating structural collapse events primarily due to earthquakes. The group achieves such coordination by facilitating opportunities for communication between these groups ahead of such events.