Membership in INSARAG is open to all countries and organizations involved in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) activities. Countries interested in joining the INSARAG network are required to designate a national focal point, which will serve as the primary interface between the INSARAG Regional Group and the INSARAG Secretariat.

Organizations seeking to apply for INSARAG membership should submit an official request to the INSARAG Secretariat through their respective INSARAG National Focal Points, along with the completed USAR team profile form. Organizations from countries with an established national INSARAG focal point are encouraged to express their interest through this designated contact. If no national focal point has been designated, organizations may reach out directly to the INSARAG Secretariat.

Although it is strongly recommended that USAR teams deploying internationally undergo the INSARAG External Classification (IEC), this is not a requirement for INSARAG membership, as the IEC process is voluntary (please refer to the IEC page for more details). Countries without existing USAR capacity, but who anticipate needing USAR assistance or are in the process of developing local USAR capabilities, are equally welcome to become INSARAG members.

INSARAG members are part of a global knowledge-sharing network focused on collapsed structure rescue and operational field coordination. They are invited to attend annual meetings of their relevant INSARAG Regional Group, participate in USAR Team Leaders meetings, and engage in INSARAG working groups. Members also gain access to INSARAG’s information and knowledge-sharing tools, including the “Virtual OSOCC” (Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre) and the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), which provide alert notifications during sudden-onset disasters and offer real-time updates and coordination throughout ongoing emergencies. The responsibilities associated with INSARAG membership are outlined in the INSARAG Guidelines.

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) operates through a structured network of forums and geographical regions, all reporting upward through the overarching global elements of the Steering Group. This organizational structure ensures that INSARAG’s objectives are effectively achieved at the regional level while aligning with best practices defined and endorsed by the global group.


INSARAG Steering Group
The INSARAG Steering Group (ISG) serves as the governing body of INSARAG, meeting annually to guide its activities. It is composed of the INSARAG Chair, Regional Group Chairs and Vice-Chairs, national focal points from INSARAG External Classification (IEC) certified countries, Chairs of relevant ad-hoc Working Groups, and the INSARAG Secretariat. The Steering Group approves all INSARAG advice, ensuring published actions and recommendations reflect the collective agreement of the group.


INSARAG Secretariat
The INSARAG Secretariat plays a pivotal role in facilitating coordinated communication among the various INSARAG components, channelling information through the Steering Group as needed. It is responsible for organizing events in collaboration with designated hosts, managing the INSARAG website, and maintaining the INSARAG USAR Directory. Hosted within the Emergency Response Section (ERS) of the Response Support Branch (RSB) under the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva, the Secretariat ensures smooth operations across the network.


INSARAG Regional Groups
INSARAG is divided into three Regional Groups:

• Africa, Europe & Middle East
• Americas
• Asia-Pacific
  

INSARAG Working Groups
Ad-hoc Working Groups are created by the Steering Group to address specific issues. These task-specific groups develop targeted solutions and disband once their objectives are achieved.

International USAR Team Leaders
This cross-regional network of experienced USAR practitioners meets annually to address technical issues related to training and share best practices. Drawing on lessons learned from past operations and exercises, the group’s collective expertise enhances the operational effectiveness of international USAR responses.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/150, adopted on 16 December 2002, titled “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International Urban Search and Rescue Assistance”, was developed through the efforts of INSARAG. This resolution serves as a cornerstone for INSARAG’s work, endorsing the INSARAG Guidelines and Methodology while emphasizing key principles central to its mission.

A pivotal aspect of the resolution is its reaffirmation that each state holds the primary responsibility to care for victims of natural disasters within its borders. It asserts the affected state’s primacy in the initiation, organization, coordination, and implementation of humanitarian assistance. International Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is intended to supplement, rather than replace, the affected country’s existing capacity, including local rescuers. The resolution also underscores the importance of timely coordination of resources to maximize efficiency during disaster response.

For incidents exceeding the capacity of a single country, the resolution emphasizes the need for technically proficient international assistance, particularly in USAR operations following earthquakes and other structural collapse events.

The resolution is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Sponsor Countries

The following countries sponsored United Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/150 of 2002:

Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.

INSARAG activities are guided by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/150 (2002) on “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International Urban Search and Rescue Assistance,” along with the INSARAG Hyogo Declaration adopted at the first Global Meeting in 2010 in Kobe, Japan, and the INSARAG Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the second Global Meeting in 2015 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

INSARAG is mandated to:

• Enhance the effectiveness of emergency preparedness and response activities to save more lives, alleviate suffering, and minimize adverse impacts.
• Enhance the efficiency of cooperation among international USAR teams operating in collapsed structures at disaster sites.
• Encourage initiatives aimed at enhancing search-and-rescue preparedness in disaster-prone regions, with a particular focus on developing countries.
• Establish globally recognized procedures and systems to ensure sustained collaboration among national USAR teams in international operations.
• Formulate USAR procedures, guidelines, and best practices, while enhancing collaboration among relevant organizations during the emergency relief phase.

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) was established in 1991. This establishment followed the initiatives of the specialized international Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams who operated together in the Mexican earthquake of 1985 and the Armenian earthquake of 1988. So as not to duplicate existing structures, the group was created within the framework of existing humanitarian coordination within the United Nations (UN). To this end, the group’s secretariat falls within the Emergency Response Section (ERS) of the Response Support Branch (RSB) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva.

Under this umbrella of the UN, the INSARAG has successfully pursued the creation of a UN General Assembly Resolution 57/150 on “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International USAR Assistance” in 2002. This resolution is widely considered to have underpinned much of the progress achieved by the group over the last two decades.

INSARAG’s primary purpose is to facilitate coordination between the various international USAR teams who make themselves available for deployment to countries experiencing devastating structural collapse events primarily due to earthquakes. The group achieves such coordination by facilitating opportunities for communication between these groups ahead of such events. These meetings of teams have resulted in many practical agreements between them that have streamlined working together during actual disasters. Much of the details on how these teams have agreed to work together can be found in the INSARAG Guidelines, a living document outlining the principles agreed upon within the group.

In 2021, INSARAG commemorated 30 years of life-saving work.

1. This is INSARAG: 30 Years of Preparedness and Response – Anniversary Edition
2. The Exposure Story: 30 Years of Urban Search and Rescue
3. Timeline: 30 Years of INSARAG