Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) Level 3 (or L3) Responses. An L3 emergency is the classification for the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crisis. An L3 declaration means that a system-wide mobilization is required to significantly scale up a humanitarian response and improve overall assistance.

Level 1 emergencies are responded to at country level, and Level 2 emergencies are responded to at regional level.

Skills and abilities for positive behaviour that enable individuals to adapt to and deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. They help people think, feel, act and interact as individuals and as participating members of society. Life skills can be general (for example, analysing and using information, and communicating and interacting effectively with others), or they may concern specific topics such as risk reduction, environmental protection, health promotion, HIV prevention, prevention of violence and peace-building. The need for life skills often increases in situations of crisis, requiring increased emphasis on building life skills that are relevant and which apply to the emergency and local contexts.

The capabilities, assets, opportunities and activities required to be able to make one's living. Assets include financial, natural, physical, social and human resources, for example: stores, land and access to markets or transport systems. A household's livelihood is sustainable or secure when it can cope with and recover from shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and productive assets.