The Centrality of Protection: Practical Steps for Humanitarian Coordinators and Humanitarian Country Teams

This Note sets out practical steps that Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) and Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs) can take to ensure that protection is at the centre of humanitarian response. It builds on the concrete example of how the HC and HCT took up their protection responsibilities in Iraq. This was captured during a STAIT and Global Protection Cluster mission in August 2016. It also builds on elements from Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territories. The Note reflects expectations in the IASC Principals Statement on the centrality of protection in humanitarian action from December 2013i, the IASC Policy on Protection in Humanitarian Action 2016ii, and other Global Protection Clusteriii guidance and policies.