This guidance is for those who wish to learn about recovery as it is currently understood within the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The guidance can be used when planning:

i. early recovery alongside the initial relief response

ii. recovery programming at the point when communities begin to get back on their feet after disaster and crises

iii. recovery programming as part of contingency planning and disaster preparedness activities.

This is a summary overview of what is in the IFRC Recovery programming guidance, 2012. It has been designed for use primarily by managers, decision makers and senior practitioners, including National Society and IFRC personnel who may have had limited experience of recovery but who wish to consider this more actively in disaster response. It aims to promote a common approach to recovery amongst National Societies and IFRC in order to strengthen programme quality in enabling communities to build more resilience as quickly as possible after disasters and crises. The guidance can be used in conjunction with the IFRC guidelines listed at the end of this summary and in technical manuals that exist elsewhere.