The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) was formally established in 1991, following the collaborative efforts of specialized international Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams during the 1985 Mexico earthquake and the 1988 Armenia earthquake. INSARAG was created within the framework of the United Nations’ humanitarian coordination system. Its secretariat is housed 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 the UN umbrella, INSARAG played a pivotal role in strengthening international disaster response. In 2002, the group successfully advanced UN General Assembly Resolution 57/150, “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International USAR Assistance.” This resolution is widely regarded as a cornerstone of INSARAG’s progress over the past two decades.
INSARAG’s primary mandate is to facilitate coordination among international USAR teams that deploy to countries affected by catastrophic structural collapses, most often caused by earthquakes. The group achieves this by fostering communication and collaboration among teams before disasters occur. These engagements have led to practical agreements that streamline joint operations during emergencies. The operational framework and principles guiding this cooperation are codified in the INSARAG Guidelines, a dynamic document continuously updated to reflect evolving best practices.
In 2021, INSARAG commemorated 30 years of life-saving work, marking the milestone with a series of commemorative materials, including:
- “This is INSARAG: 30 Years of Preparedness and Response”
- The Exposure Story: 30 Years of Urban Search and Rescue