Page 27 – INSARAG

INSARAG external support and recognition process (IESRP) for national USAR team accreditation processes

It is desirable that the national accreditation processes form an integral part of the INSARAG process in the wider sense, equally to the INSARAG External Classification process for international teams. This is with the purpose of ensuring interoperability and appropriate interaction between the national and international response capacity.

The purpose of the “INSARAG external support and recognition process (IESRP) for national USAR team accreditation processes” is to provide a general framework for the advisory work and national USAR team capacity building work in the INSARAG community with the aim to establish a recognition process of national USAR team accreditation processes.

The support process shall be

Voluntary: above all, this process shall be completely voluntary and interested countries shall make a formal request in order to obtain the support
Supported by a regional Technical Support Group: a roster of experts, which the appropriate profile (USAR experience, experience with the INSARAG methodology, languages) shall be constituted and endorsed by the Regional Chairmanship group
Based on country commitment: countries which would have received support through this process from the Technical Support Group shall also commit to provide appropriate experts in turn for the regional roster
Based on a commitment towards the INSARAG methodology: the requesting country shall demonstrate its willingness to work according to the INSARAG methodology
Funded by the requesting country: the requesting country shall cover the costs related to the Technical Support Group but there may be different modalities to carry it out, including through bilateral agreements or with support from donors.

The support process is composed of the following key steps

Request: the interested country shall present a request to the Secretariat with a formal document demonstrating the commitment of the country to work according to the INSARAG methodology and presenting a report on the self-evaluation of the achievement of the criteria and steps of the national accreditation process.
Designation of the Technical Support Group: the Secretariat will send a request to the regional roster of experts who will respond with their availability to support the country in its national accreditation process. The requested country will select three experts from three different countries of the region.
The support process: the Technical Support Group will advise the country in the implementation of the criteria and steps for the national USAR team accreditation process. The requesting country and the Technical Support Group shall determine the methodology and duration of the advisory services (virtual meetings, electronic correspondence, face-to-face meetings, etc.). NB: in some cases, this process may be very short depending on the process of the country, in other cases it may take much longer, including years.
Verification of the achievement of the criteria and steps of the national accreditation process: the country and the Technical Support Group will determine the appropriate moment to carry out the visit to the country of the latter, during which the entire national accreditation process will be reviewed (final documents, practices, etc.). The technical Support Group will elaborate a report of its activities and the process witnessed in the country and will share it with the requesting country and the Secretariat.

External recognition

On behalf of the INSARAG community, the INSARAG Secretariat will issue a recognition to the national authorities in charge of the national USAR accreditation process which have demonstrated that they have incorporated and implemented the INSARAG methodology within their own national standards and processes. It is a way for the INSARAG community to promote national capacity strengthening processes and a way to recognise the fact that the efforts undertaken at national level are in line with the INSARAG methodology.

This certificate of recognition will be issues upon recommendation from and following the receipt of the final report from the Technical Support Group.

Reference documentation

For more information on the National Accreditation process, refer to the specific page.

INSARAG Strategic Plan 2026-2030

English

Resumen de la reunión del Grupo regional de INSARAG en las Américas del 2007, República Dominicana

Chairman summary of the INSARAG Americas Regional Group meeting, 2007 (Dominican Republic) – Spanish

This exercise was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 9 to 13 May 2016. This event was supported by the Government of Turkey.

The purpose of the exercise was to practice international coordination methodology in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines, with a focus on cooperation between national and international disaster managers and response actors as well as joint operations planning between Local Emergency Management Authorities (LEMA) and the international On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC). This exercise saw active involvement of international urban search and rescue (USAR) teams from the region responding and working alongside fellow national USAR members, and in parallel, there was engagement of the national disaster management team working alongside the United Nations in-country response mechanisms during such major disasters.

The INSARAG Asia-Pacific Region Earthquake Response Exercise 2016 was held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from 25 to 29 July 2016.

This exercise was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 22 to 26 June 2015. This event was jointly supported by the Governments of China and the United States.

The purpose of the exercise is to practice international coordination methodology in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines, with a focus on cooperation between national and international disaster managers and response actors as well as joint operations planning between Local Emergency Management Authorities (LEMA) and the international On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC). This exercise will see active involvement of international urban search and rescue (USAR) teams from the region responding and working alongside fellow national USAR members, and in parallel, there will be engagement of the national disaster management team working alongside the United Nations in-country response mechanisms during such major disasters.

The INSARAG Asia Pacific Regional Earthquake Response Exercise 2014 was co-hosted by China Earthquake Administration together with the INSARAG Secretariat (UN OCHA’s Field Coordination Support Section) and jointly supported by the Governments of China and the United States. Targeted participants to this Exercise are Local Emergency Management Authority (LEMA), USAR experts from Asia Pacific countries, international and regional organizations from 25 to 31 August 2014

The INSARAG Asia Pacific Region Urban Search and Rescue Earthquake Response Exercise was held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, from 07 to 09 November 2013.

The purpose of the exercise is to practice international coordination methodology in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines, with a focus on cooperation between national and international disaster managers and response actors as well as joint operations planning between Local Emergency Management Authorities (LEMA) and the international On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC). This exercise, based on the scenario of a possible major earthquake occurring in India, will see active involvement of international urban search and rescue (USAR) teams from the region responding and working alongside fellow national USAR members, and in parallel, there will be engagement of the national disaster management team working alongside the United Nations in-country response mechanisms during such major disasters.

An Urban Search and Rescue Exercise was held in Pstrąże, Poland from 23 to 26 April 2013.

The purpose of the exercise is to practice urban search and rescue (USAR) operations and international coordination methodology in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines. The exercise is based on a major earthquake scenario. It provides a platform for both international and national USAR teams to work together. In parallel, it aims to practice the joint operational coordination between the Local Emergency Management Authority (LEMA) and the On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC).

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