UN-CMCoord Field Handbook Version 2.0 (2018) [EN/AR/FR/ES]

In the multi-faceted and evolving nature of humanitarian civil-military coordination (UN-CMCoord or CMCoord), humanitarian-military dialogue at all levels remains the sine qua non of effective humanitarian action in field operations.

Version 2.0 of the UN-CMCoord Field Handbook reflects a number of evolving and emerging topics and products since the last version was disseminated in October 2015. A major evolution has been in the connections between UN-CMCoord, access, protection and security.

While they are distinct areas, CMCoord personnel across the world have had to take on additional tasks and roles in these domains, faced with reality and the nature of today’s field operations.

To respond to the need expressed by our field-based colleagues, the working paper ‘Operational Guidance for Humanitarian Notification Systems for Deconfliction’ (HNS4D) was recently released. A major process under the auspices of the multi-stakeholder UN-CMCoord Consultative Group resulted in a consensus document entitled ‘Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination of Foreign Military Assets in Natural and Man-Made Disasters’.

At the general request of our CMCoord network, we have also made reference to and linked a number of documents that can assist in gaining additional knowledge and expertise in precise areas and contexts.

We are grateful to the Czech Republic Fire Rescue Service who hosted a workshop in Prague in November 2017. This allowed us to bring together 12 of our fellow civilian, military and humanitarian field practitioners from a broad range of agencies, organizations and institutions, to brainstorm and draw up the body for the revision.
A great thank you also to these and the many other colleagues and CMCoord Officers and Focal Points who shared their ground experience and provided inputs and practical tips.

We hope that version 2.0 of the UN-CMCoord Field Handbook has captured current evolutions and challenges and that it will be of assistance to UN-CMCoord Officers and Focal Points, and also to the wider networks and partners that unavoidably touch on civil-military interaction in their daily undertakings.