Wide range of authorities, communities, organizations, agencies and inter-agency networks that all combine to enable international humanitarian assistance to be channelled to the places and people in need of it. They include UN agencies, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, non- governmental organizations (NGOs), local government institutions and donor agencies. The actions of these organizations are guided by key humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.

Serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts that exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources and therefore requires urgent action. It can refer to slow- and rapid-onset situations, rural and urban environments and complex political emergencies in all countries.

One dimension of humanitarian action. It focuses on the provision of services and public assistance during or immediately after a specific emergency in order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety, maintain human dignity and meet the basic subsistence needs of the people affected. It should be governed by the key humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. It can be used interchangeably with Humanitarian assistance and Intervention. Response all includes mitigation efforts. See also Mitigation.

A significant deviation or loss in body functioning or structure. Impairments may be either temporary or permanent, and people may have multiple impairments.

A rights-based approach to programming, aiming to ensure all people who may be at risk of being excluded have equal access to basic services and a voice in the development and implementation of those services. It requires that organisations make dedicated efforts to address and remove barriers to access services. Inclusion also refers more broadly to providing a welcoming environment for all children and designing a service to meet the needs of a diversity of children.

When an infectious disease occurs in greater numbers than expected in a community or region or during a season. An outbreak may occur in one community or even extend to several countries.

Forms of justice enforcement and dispute resolution that are not an integrated part of the formal justice system and which have a degree of effectiveness, stability and legitimacy within a designated local constituency. Most often based on a normative framework deriving from tradition/custom, and/or religion, on occasions with integrated elements from the national legal framework and/or international human rights standards. In many cases informal justice systems draw on a variety of legal sources. Also called customary justice systems.

Areas where groups of housing units have been constructed on land that the occupants have no legal claim to or occupy illegally; or unplanned settlements and areas where housing is not in compliance with current planning and building regulations (unauthorized housing).

The expressed willingness to participate in services. Informed assent is sought from children who are by nature or law too young to give consent, but who are old enough to understand and agree to participate in services. When obtaining informed assent, practitioners must share, in a child-friendly manner, information on: services and options available, potential risks and benefits, personal information to be collected and how it will be used, and confidentiality and its limits.

Voluntary agreement of an individual who has the capacity to take a decision, who understands what they are being asked to agree to, and who exercises free choice. When obtaining informed consent, practitioners must share, in a child-friendly manner, information on: services and options available, potential risks and benefits, personal information to be collected and how it will be used, and confidentiality and its limits. Informed consent is usually not sought from children under age 15. 

An integrated approach allows two or more sectors to work together towards a shared programme outcome(s), based on capacities and joint needs identification and analysis, and, thus, promotes equal benefits or mutually beneficial processes and outcomes among all involved sectors. See Pillar 4. 

Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized state border.

The body of international treaties and established legal rules (including customary international law) that govern States' obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.

Besides the provisions of human rights law, situations of armed conflict are also governed by international humanitarian law. The specific provisions that apply depend on whether the conflict is international or non-international (civil) in character. Various instruments, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols, regulate the conduct of hostilities and place duties on both State and non-State armed actors.

A set of rules and procedures that aims to protect, firstly, persons seeking asylum from persecution and, secondly, those recognised as refugees under the relevant instruments.

The full-time care, nurturing and protection of a child by someone other than a parent who is related to the child by family ties or by a significant prior relationship.

Informal kinship care is any private arrangement provided in a family, whereby the child is looked after by kin.

Formal kinship care describes arrangements that have been ordered or authorized by an administrative body or judicial authority; it usually involves an assessment of the family for the child and the provision of some kind of continuing support and monitoring.

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.

Any action, including the failure to act, that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Maltreatment is commonly used as an umbrella term for abuse and neglect.

The World Health Organisation defines child maltreatment as "the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. It includes all types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.” In the context of the CPMS, it is expanded to cover harm inflicted by those unknown to the child.

A wide range of disorders that affect an individual’s cognition, emotion and/or behaviour, and interfere with one’s ability to learn and function in the family, at work and in society. Most of these conditions can be successfully treated. They include mental and substance use problems, severe psychological distress, intellectual disabilities and suicide risk. For pragmatic reasons, some neurological conditions such as epilepsy and dementia are usually part of programmes for mental health conditions in humanitarian emergencies.

A state of psychological well-being (not merely the absence of a mental health condition) in which every individual realises their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community.

Any type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and prevent or treat mental health conditions. MHPSS programmes aim to (1) reduce and prevent harm, (2) strengthen resilience to recover from adversity, and (3) improve the care conditions that enable children and families to survive and thrive. See mental health, psychosocial and child well-being.

Specify the minimum qualitative levels to be attained in humanitarian response.

Reducing harmful impacts or consequences. For humanitarian action, it may include physical infrastructural measures as well as improvements to the environment, strengthening livelihoods or increasing public knowledge and awareness. See Response.

At programme level, monitoring is an on-going, internal process of data collection focused on inputs and outputs. At coordination level, monitoring both the situation and the response is central to optimizing the impact of efforts to protect children in emergencies. Situation monitoring is the on- going and systematic data collection and analysis of child protection risks, concerns, violations and capacities in a given humanitarian context. Response monitoring is the on-going and coordinated measurement of the humanitarian response in a humanitarian context (i.e. activities planned and carried out by humanitarian actors). See Standard 6: Child protection monitoring.

The intentional or unintentional failure of a caregiver – individual, community, or institution (including the State) with clear responsibility by custom or law for the well-being of the child – to: (a) protect a child from actual or potential harm to the child’s safety, well-being, dignity, and development or (b) to fulfil that child’s rights to survival, development, and well-being when they have the capacity, ability and resources to do so. Harm may be visible or invisible. An act may be categorised as neglectful whether or not the caregiver intends to harm the child.

The principle that unfair distinctions should not be made between children, people or communities on any grounds, including age, sex, gender, race, colour, ethnicity, national or social origin, sexual orientation, HIV status, language, civil documentation, religion, disability, health status, political or other opinion, or other status. It does not mean that everyone should be treated in the same way, but is about equality of access and outcomes, requiring different types of assistance and support based on actual needs and capacities. See Principle 2.

The processes and activities that allow crisis-affected people to play an active role in all decision- making processes that affect them. Real participation includes all groups, including the most vulnerable and marginalized. It enables people and communities to take part in decision-making processes and to be involved in actions on issues that are of concern to them. It is a way of recognising dignity, identifying and mobilizing community resources, and building consensus and support. Participation is a right and is voluntary. See Child participation and Principle 3.

Activities and measures taken in advance of a crisis to ensure an effective response to the impact of hazards, including issuing timely and effective early warnings and the temporary evacuation of people and property from threatened locations.

Adapted from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) definition of prevention:

• Primary Prevention entails addressing root causes of child protection risks among the population (or a sub-set of it) to reduce the likelihood of abuse, neglect, exploitation or violence against children.

• Secondary Prevention entails addressing specific source of threats and/or vulnerabilities of a child who is identified as being at particularly high risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or violence, due to characteristics of the child, family and/or environment.

• Tertiary Prevention entails reducing the longer-term impact of harm and reducing the chance of recurring harm to a child who has already suffered abuse, neglect, exploitation or violence.

Any data that is collected directly from its original source for the objective in question. The objective of primary data collection is to establish a reliable source of information from the affected populations and areas, including where the affected population might have moved to. Primary data is only collected when it does not exist elsewhere. See also Secondary data.

All activities aimed at ensuring the full and equal respect for the rights of all individuals, regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity, social or political affiliation, religious beliefs, or other status. It goes beyond the immediate life-saving activities that are often the focus during an emergency. Protection is in accordance with the letter and spirit of the relevant bodies of law, namely Human rights law, International humanitarian law, and Refugee law.

Child Protection is an Area of Responsibility within the Protection Cluster within the Cluster system.

Term used by the UN and NGO community to refer to measures taken to prevent, mitigate and respond to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse by their own staff and associated personnel, including community volunteers and government officials engaged in the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The process of incorporating protection principles and promoting meaningful access, safety and dignity in humanitarian aid. The following elements must be taken into account in all humanitarian activities:

1. Prioritize safety and dignity and avoid causing harm: prevent and minimize as much as possible any unintended negative effects of your intervention which can increase people's vulnerability to both physical and psychosocial risks;
2. Meaningful Access: arrange for people’s access to assistance and services - in proportion to need and without any barriers (e.g. discrimination). Pay special attention to individuals and groups who may be particularly vulnerable or have difficulty accessing assistance and services;
3. Accountability: set-up appropriate mechanisms through which affected populations can measure the adequacy of interventions, and address concerns and complaints; and
4. Participation and empowerment: support the development of self-protection, capacities and assist people to claim their rights, including – not exclusively – the rights to shelter, food, water and sanitation, health, and education.

Unpleasant feelings or emotions that can impact your level of functioning and ability to navigate and participate in social interactions. It is psychological discomfort that interferes with your activities of daily living. Psychological distress can result in negative views of the environment, others, and the self. Sadness, anxiety, distraction, disruption in relationships with others and some symptoms of mental illness are manifestations of psychological distress.

The interaction between social aspects (such as interpersonal relationships and social connections, social resources, social norms, social values, social roles, community life, spiritual and religious life) and psychological aspects (such as emotions, thoughts, behaviours, knowledge and coping strategies) that contribute to overall well-being.