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Chair Summary of 1st  NAWG Working Group Meeting 12-13 August 2020 Link

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Terms of Reference – INSARAG National Accreditation Working Group

• (i) Background
• In its annual meeting in February 2020, based on the recommendation of the INSARAG Americas Regional Group and on the recognition for the need to greater global coherence on the guidance and support being provided to countries interested in establishing National USAR team accreditation processes in line with the INSARAG guidelines, the INSARAG Steering Group decided to create a National Accreditation Working Group.

• (ii) Name
• National Accreditation Working Group

• (iii) Purpose

The purpose of the Working Group is:

• Collate, review and prepare documents and offer quality control of the guidance and methodology developed on the INSARAG-recognized national accreditation process (IRNAP) globally, in particular the technical guidance note on the IRNAP.
• Promote the exchange of experiences in the application of national USAR accreditation processes between the different regions

• (iv) Specific terms of reference and responsibilities
• Review and make the necessary adjustments to the technical guidance note and its annexes on the INSARAG Recognised National Accreditation Process (IRNAP) that serves as a guide and encompasses the basic contents of the process adapted for the three regions.
• Analyse and compare the NAP and IRNAP processes in countries across the three regions, and consolidate the lessons learned of common and global interest.
• Provide remote support on methodological issues and interpretation of standards to the Technical Support Groups and Technical Recognition Groups (TSGs/TRGs) that are formed to give support to countries
• Establish close coordination links with the INSARAG Training Working Group, in order to identify and develop synergies with the products and training that are developed on the INSARAG External Classification (IEC) process, understanding that these are two very different but related processes
• Consolidate and/or develop training for members of the TSG/TRG rosters that can be adapted and implemented at the level of each region

• (v) Duration
• 2 years

• (vi) Members
• This group would consist of 3 active members of the TSG/TRG roster from each region, whose members must meet the following minimum criteria:
  • o USAR Experience (USAR processes and training)
  • o Experience in operations / USAR coordination
  • o Extensive experience with the INSARAG methodology
  • o Experience with a national accreditation process, and / or with the INSARAG external classification process.
  • o Knowledge of English language.
  • Each member of the WG will also function as a liaison between the working group and the TSG/TRG roster in their region.
  • Each region will present its candidates, which will be selected by the INSARAG Secretariat, in consultation with the Regional Chairs
  • The WG will be led by two co-chairs appointed from this group,and from different regions,  and the WG will serve for an initial period of 2 years and supported by the INSARAG Secretariat
  • The WG will appoint one member as secretary of the working group, responsible for keeping the documentation of the WG and presenting the results to the Secretariat.

• (vii) Governance of the working group
• The WG reports to the INSARAG Steering Group and is required to present progress of its work in the three regional meetings as well as in the Team Leader’s meeting.

• (viii)Work methods
• Face to face as well as virtual meetings
• The face to face meeting shall coincide with other global or regional INSARAG events or meetings
• Members have to be available to attend 2 meetings in different regions and be self-funded. The first meeting is planned in Geneva, and where possible, back to back with the annual Team Leaders meetings.

• (ix) Products

The main expected products of this working group will be:

• Annual update of the Technical Guidance Note on the IRNAP serving as a guide and encompassing the basic contents of the process adjusted for all regions.
• Analysis and comparison between existing NAP and IRNAP processes in countries across the three regions, and a consolidation of the lessons learned globally to be presented at regional and global level.
• Links established between the external classification process and the national accreditation processes

Training for the TSG/TRG developed with objectives and program, adaptable to each region