Guidelines on the Use of Foreign Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief

The “Oslo Guidelines” were originally prepared over a period of two years beginning in 1992.
They were the result of a collaborative effort that culminated in an international conference
in Oslo, Norway, in January 1994 and were released in May 1994.

The unprecedented deployment in 2005 of military forces and assets in support of humanitarianresponse to natural disasters, following an increasing trend over the past years, confirmed the need to update the 1994 “Oslo Guidelines”.

The Oslo Guidelines were re-launched at an event hosted by the Government of Norway, in
Oslo, on 27 November 2006, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Consultative
Group on the Use of MCDA. Norway, Switzerland and Sweden took the lead in the update,
facilitated by OCHA’s Civil-Military Coordination Section / Emergency Services Branch.