The Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health in Crises is an international coalition of organizations and individuals working collectively to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in humanitarian settings.
We work collaboratively to:
- issue evidence-based technical guidance, standards, and tools to inform high-quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service provision in humanitarian settings
- evaluate the state of SRHR in the field, identify gaps in research and service, and generate new evidence
- document and disseminate evidence to policy makers, managers, and practitioners
- advocate for the inclusion of SRHR in humanitarian policies, programming, and funding
- advocate for the inclusion of historically marginalized populations in humanitarian and development policies, programming, and funding.
Our History
Founded in 1995, when SRH in humanitarian settings was virtually non-existent, IAWG has worked together to ensure that SRH is consistently integrated into every humanitarian response from the earliest days of an emergency throughout response and recovery.
In 1996, IAWG developed and piloted the Inter-Agency Field Manual for Reproductive Health in Refugee Settings. The resource was finalized in 1999 and later renamed the Inter-Agency Field Manual for Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings. The Field Manual was originally revised for field testing in 2010 and revised again in 2018. This Field Manual has served as the authoritative guidance on SRH in crises for nearly 25 years. The latest version in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic can be found here: IAWGfieldmanual.org.
IAWG simultaneously developed the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Sexual and Reproductive Health – a priority set of life-saving services and activities that must be implemented in the earliest days of an emergency – and the Inter-Agency Emergency Reproductive Health Kits (IARH Kits), prepackaged supplies necessary to implement the MISP, which are managed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
IAWG conducted global evaluations of SRH in humanitarian settings, initially from 2002-2004 and later from 2012-2014. Their objectives were to document progress, challenges, and gaps to best guide funding, policy, and programming decisions.
Since its founding, IAWG has held regular general membership meetings where our diverse community comes together to share their work, learn from each other, and strengthen collaborations. The next IAWG meeting is scheduled for 1-5 November 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand.