Attachments
Introduction
Ethnic and religious identifiers are highly sensitive and politicized in the Syrian context. Their use can inadvertently legitimize discrimination, exclusion, or retaliation. This guidance note is issued to promote conflict-sensitive, respectful, and principled language in communications by protection partners - and humanitarian partners more broadly - in Syria.
Key Principles
Protection partners’ use of language should align with the IASC Policy on Protection in Humanitarian Action. Protection and other actors are encouraged to review this policy here. Relevant principles include:
- Humanity and Neutrality: Use language that highlights individuals’ protection needs, rights, and dignity—rather than religious, ethnic, or political identities.
- Do No Harm: Avoid terminology that may stigmatize, reinforce divisions, or increase risks of reprisal. Always consider how language may be interpreted in local contexts.
- Non-discrimination: Protection actors must ensure non-discriminatory access to services and assistance, irrespective of background. Our use of language must reflect this core principle.
- Rights-Based and Needs-Based Approach: Refer to people according to their displacement or protection status— not their background or group affiliation. Displacement and return movements should be framed within international humanitarian and human rights law, focusing on voluntariness, safety, and dignity—not ethnic demographics.
- Conflict Sensitivity: Balance the need to raise awareness of the risks faced by specific communities with the need to avoid amplifying tensions or creating new risks.