show menu

Emergency shelter standard

Last updated:
Key points
  • Ensure minimum standards of covered living space per person are respected
  • Shelter solutions should be adapted to the geographical context, the climate, the cultural practice and habits, and the local availability of skills as well as accessibility to adequate construction materials in any given country.
  • The provision of core relief items is inherently linked to the adequacy of settlement and shelter. Core relief items may include shelter-related materials, as well as other domestic items.
  • Consider the life span of shelter materials as they deteriorate with time. Further to the initial distribution, replacement, reinforcement or maintenance may be required.
  • Individual family shelter should always be preferred to communal accommodation as it provides the necessary privacy, psychological comfort, and emotional safety.
  • Whenever possible, persons of concern should be empowered to build their own shelters, promoting a sense of ownership and self-reliance.

In this section:

Give us some feedback

Let us know what you think of the new site and help us improve your user experience….

Give us some feedback

Let us know what you think of the new site and help us improve your user experience….

Help us keep the handbook up to date
Suggest an enhancement to this page

Welcome to the new UNHCR Emergency Handbook website. If you are UNHCR staff, please use your UNHCR credentials to log in. From 1st April 2023, all non-UNHCR staff may re-register here.