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CAP Writing and Editing
Guide
CAP Section, ERSMB, OCHA
Updated: 11 May 2012
CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
CONTENTS
1.
DICTION (CORRECT CHOICE AND MEANING OF WORDS) ..................................................... 3
2.
GENERAL WRITING TIPS ............................................................................................................. 6
2.1
AIM FOR CLARITY ...................................................................................................................... 6
2.2
EACH PARAGRAPH SHOULD HAVE A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END. ............................................... 6
2.3
SEVEN RULES FOR SIMPLICITY ................................................................................................... 6
2.4
AVOID THE PASSIVE VOICE WHENEVER POSSIBLE........................................................................ 6
2.5
ELIMINATE THE USE OF “AS WELL AS” WHEN YOU COULD SIMPLY WRITE “AND.” ............................. 6
2.6
SPLIT INFINITIVES ARE ACTUALLY OK, IN OUR VIEW..................................................................... 6
2.7
COLONS AND SEMICOLONS ........................................................................................................ 6
2.8
COMMAS .................................................................................................................................. 7
2.9
MINIMISE USE OF “ETC.” ............................................................................................................ 7
2.10
AVOID UNNECESSARY WORDS ................................................................................................... 8
2.11
HYPHENATION .......................................................................................................................... 9
PRINCIPLES OF USING HYPHENS .................................................................................................... 9
A COMPOUND FORMED OF TWO NOUNS IS USUALLY NOT HYPHENATED. ............................................ 9
COMMON EXPRESSIONS THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE HYPHENATED: .................................................... 9
DO NOT HYPHENATE AFTER -LY ADVERBS ..................................................................................... 10
3.
2.12
INDIRECT OR REPORTED SPEECH ............................................................................................. 11
2.13
COMPARISONS ....................................................................................................................... 11
2.14
USE JUDGMENT ABOUT SENTENCES THAT HAVE TOO MANY ACRONYMS ...................................... 11
2.15
SECTION HEADINGS AND TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................... 11
HUMANITARIAN TERMINOLOGY AND USAGE ....................................................................... 13
3.1
WHAT “CAP” STANDS FOR ...................................................................................................... 13
3.2
AVOID THE PHRASE “HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION” ................................................................. 13
3.3
CAP TEXTS SHOULD AVOID SAYING “FUNDING THROUGH THE CAP.”.......................................... 13
3.4
SAY “ACTIONS” INSTEAD OF “ACTIVITIES” WHENEVER POSSIBLE. ................................................ 13
3.5
SAY “HUMANITARIAN AID” INSTEAD OF “HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE” WHENEVER POSSIBLE. ........ 13
3.6
USE OF VERB TENSES IN SCENARIOS ....................................................................................... 13
3.7
ARMED FORCES ..................................................................................................................... 13
3.8
GEOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 14
3.9
AFFECTED .............................................................................................................................. 14
3.10
BENEFICIARIES ....................................................................................................................... 14
3.11
DEAD VS.
KILLED.................................................................................................................... 14
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
1. DICTION (CORRECT CHOICE AND MEANING OF WORDS)
Some frequently used (and sometimes mis-spelled) words
Less/fewer: Less describes amount or degree (a sliding scale); fewer describes number (an
integer scale). Ex: “The recent hurricane caused less damage than Andrew.” “Military
reports estimate fewer deaths than villagers have claimed.”
That/which are not interchangeable. “That” introduces a clause that defines its preceding
term or phrase with essential information. No comma precedes it. “Which” introduces a nondefining clause that adds additional description to a term or phrase. A comma may precede
it. (As a rule of thumb, if it looks right with a comma before it, it should be a “which.”)
Examples: “Of all the available CAPs, I chose the one that showed the most best practice.”
“The CAR CAP, which was led by a former CAP Section Chief, showed some good practice.”
Who/whom: “Who” (subject) or “whom” (object) replaces either ‘that’ or ‘which’ for
individuals or groups of people. “I gave the prize to the person who most deserved it.”
Among/between: use “between” in reference to two items, “among” for three or more.
When using "between" with numbers, put “and” between the numbers, not "to."
Example:
 Incorrect: The landslide displaced between 400 to 600 people.
 Correct: The landslide displaced between 400 and 600 people.
Affect/effect:
affect (verb) is to influence (often with negative implication)
effect (verb) to cause or implement, as in “to effect a change”
effect (noun) the result or outcome of an action or event
Impact: Use only as a noun, not as a verb. Impacted is a medical term for an ingrown tooth,
not a synonym for “affected”. Also, be sparing about using the noun form as a synonym for
“effect.” It is badly over-used in that sense, especially in humanitarian documents, and
should be reserved only for cases of extreme effects.
Dead/killed: Dead is not cause-specific; killed implies an act of violence. Use dead or
fatalities in general, killed only with specific knowledge of the cause. Qualify as appropriate
(i.e. confirmed, alleged, reported).
Compose/comprise: Parts compose a whole. A whole comprises parts.
Farther/further: Farther describes physical distance; further denotes degree.
Principal/principle: Principal means first in rank or importance (noun or adjective), like
“IASC Principals” (heads of agencies) or “the principal cause of the humanitarian needs is
the conflict.” Principle (noun) means a fundamental law, a moral rule, or a concept.
Datum / data: datum is singular and verbs should be also; data are plural and verbs should
be also (e.g. “The data suggest that the situation is serious…”).
Discreet (judicious, prudent) / Discrete (separate, distinct, delineated)
Lose (cease to have) / Loose (not bound, not tight)
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
Acute / chronic: Acute means brief but severe. (In medical use, it can also mean recent or
current. For example, acute malnutrition does not mean severe malnutrition; it means
current or recent, as opposed to past malnutrition which may have caused stunting.)
Chronic means ongoing or frequently recurring.
Examples (Acute):
 The assessment confirmed that cyclone victims face an acute shortage of
food and water.
 Nearly 1.4 million people in the region suffer from an acute funding shortage
in emergency food operations.
Examples (Chronic):
 According to WHO, chronic conditions such as heart disease have surpassed
infectious diseases as the leading causes of deaths worldwide.
 His chronic insomnia was caused by drinking too much caffeine every
evening.
Example (Chronic and Acute):
 They suffer from a chronic shortage of food, but their plight becomes acute
during a drought.
Advocate: To advocate means to support, recommend, or speak in favour of a person or an
action. It can be used as follows:
1. A person or organization advocates something. The word "for" or "against" is not
used after "advocate" in this sense.
Examples: OCHA advocates humanitarian reform. The Economist advocated
a surge of troops to Afghanistan.
2. A person or organization can advocate for someone, meaning “on behalf of”.
Examples: The Secretary-General advocated for those trapped in closed
camps. UNICEF advocates for children.
3. A person or organization can be an advocate of something, meaning “in favour of”.
Examples: Dr. Martin Luther King was an advocate of human rights.
In his campaign, President Obama was an advocate of change.
Compliment and complement: Compliment means to praise. Complement means to
complete something else, or to make it perfect. (An easy way to remember whether to use i
or e is to remember: I compliment you on your work.)
Example:
 The Government complimented OCHA on its coordination activities following
the earthquake.
 WFP activities complement the Government's efforts in combating food
insecurity.
Incident and incidence: Incident means the occurrence of an event or a disturbance.
Incidence is the rate at which something occurs, usually a disease.
Example:
 The kidnapping incident shocked the humanitarian community.
 The incidence of flooding in the region increases each year.
 The meeting focused on the high incidence of cholera.
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
Role and Roll: Role means a customary function, or an organization’s part in an event.
Example: The Government confirmed that the role of OCHA was to coordinate all
international humanitarian assistance in the region.
Roll is a verb to describe movement, or as a noun to describe an item that takes a cylindrical
shape. It is also used as a verb phrase to describe a launch/introduction.
Example: The campaign was rolled out in early July.
Dependence / dependency: “Dependency” is not a condition, it is a dependent entity.
Replace with “dependence” if it refers to a condition (which it almost always does in CAP
docs), like: “Free food aid risks creating dependence on the part of recipients.” The
dependent entity usage would be something like “In constitutional terms, Puerto Rico is a
dependency of the USA, though many Puerto Ricans would prefer independence.”
Normality, never “normalcy”: “Normalcy” is not a word. It was mis-spoken by a muchderided politician in the 1920s, and repeated as a joke about improper word use.
Unfortunately, some people now think it’s the real word. They’re wrong. Replace all with
“normality.”
People, never “persons.” The plural of person is people. Replace all. (Some occurrences
of “persons” unfortunately have appeared in GA resolutions, which seems to make people
think it’s the correct official plural. They’re wrong; it’s not a word.)
Neither, nor: Neither is used to mean "not one or the other". Neither is always used with
nor, not or. When using neither and nor, make sure that the verb agrees with the noun
nearest to it. If the noun nearest the verb is singular, the verb should also be singular. If the
noun nearest the verb is plural, make the verb plural.
Examples:
•
Neither the Shelter Cluster nor the Health Cluster has adequate funds.
•
Neither the Resident Coordinator nor her staff members were quoted in the article.
When using neither without nor, the verb should always be singular.
Example: Neither of the agencies is withdrawing from the region.
Inform: to give or impart knowledge. It must be used with an object. Example: Mr. Holmes
informed the minister that he had just returned from Colombia. (Do not say: Mr. Holmes
informed that he had just returned from Colombia).
Unexploded ordnance: an ordinance is a law. Ordnance is explosive munitions.
Ordnance is a collective noun (never plural). Hence the correct phrase and acronym are
unexploded ordnance (UXO).
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
2. GENERAL WRITING TIPS
2.1




Aim for clarity
Keep sentences short and simple.
Use coherent paragraphs to provide structure.
Give each paragraph a topic sentence.
Anticipate the reader’s follow-up questions, and provide the answers.
2.2 Each paragraph should have a beginning, middle and end.
The beginning introduces the paragraph’s subject. The middle presents all key facts and
arguments. The end makes clear the point of the paragraph.
2.3







Seven rules for simplicity
State a fact or an idea directly.
Use concrete rather than abstract words.
Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
Use active voice rather than passive voice.
Avoid wordy sentences.
Use appropriate language.
Use verbs rather than nouns – verbs are dynamic and action-oriented.
2.4 Avoid the passive voice whenever possible
Use active construction instead. Ex.: NGO XYZ delivered food and NFI to 800 refugees.
Not: Food and NFI were delivered to 800 refugees by NGO XYZ. (You might use the
passive voice with discretion if needed, such as when political considerations necessitate
ambiguity or when the actor is unknown.)
2.5 Eliminate the use of “as well as” when you could simply write “and.”
Unnecessary use of “as well as” is an increasingly common bad habit. "As well as" should
only end a series or list if the last item is in some way different from the rest of the list, and if
this is worth underlining. It's wrong to write "The fruits on offer included apples, oranges,
peaches, pears, as well as watermelons and mangoes." Instead, you should simply write
"The fruits on offer included apples, oranges...pears, watermelon and mangoes." It might be
OK to write "Lunch consisted mostly of fruit, specifically apples, oranges, and watermelons,
as well as some non-vegetarian items like sausage" – because the last item is different.
2.6 Split infinitives are actually OK, in our view
Split infinitives (“to boldly go…”) are thought by many to be outlawed. This is false: they are
in fact perfectly harmless, and they even improve the sentence in that they place the modifier
next to the verb that it’s modifying. This tends to be more rhythmic, and also removes
ambiguity. Compare: “He told us boldly to go where no man has gone before.” and “He told
us to boldly go where no man has gone before.” In the first one, is he saying it boldly, or
does he want us to go boldly?
2.7 Colons and semicolons
Colon: In proper grammar, a colon joins two complete clauses into a sentence where the
first clause leads strongly to the second clause. For example, “There is no doubt that food
insecurity is critical: acute malnutrition has soared in recent weeks, rural-to-urban migration
is accelerating, and market prices for food have jumped.”
A colon can also introduce a bulleted list or a quotation. Example:
The Secretary-General said: "Now is your moment to act."
The first word after a colon is not capitalized in normal sentences. However, phrases
followed by a colon are often used as paragraph headings (as in the first paragraph of this
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
section, above), and can be followed by a capital letter, especially if its use as a heading is
made obvious by bold or underline.
Semicolon: The semicolon joins into one sentence two complete clauses that are related but
not strongly enough to necessitate a colon. A semicolon often replaces “and,” but does not
have the same meaning as “but.”
Example: Roads in the north are flooded; delivery convoys are unable to pass.
The semicolon should also be used for a textual list or series of items, particularly those that
also contain commas. This helps to distinguish each item. Such items need not be complete
clauses.
Example: The report outlined three points: fighting is ongoing between Government
troops and insurgent groups; heavy casualties have been confirmed, particularly
among Government troops; and access to basic services is limited, particularly in the
south.
2.8 Commas
In a series, use a comma before "and" only if needed to avoid confusion – in other words, no
serial comma. Examples:
 The country had been hit by droughts, floods and hurricanes.
 The Emergency Relief Coordinator visited Senegal, Niger and DR Congo.
 Representatives from donors, Member States and United Nations agencies
attended the briefing.
Exception
In some cases, a final comma may have to be included for the sake of clarity. Examples:
 Funding covered sectors including maternal health, agriculture, water and
sanitation, and drought response.
 The Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Health and Social Affairs offered
their support.
 The OCHA Chief of Staff requested three types of ice cream for his farewell party:
pomegranate, peanut butter and chocolate chip, and coconut.
Use two commas to separate explanatory information.
Example: Security in Gardez, the provincial capital, has worsened.
Use a comma to set off two independent clauses linked by a conjunction.
Example: Security has improved, but access remains limited.
Use a comma to set off an introductory phrase.
Example: According to WHO, three mobile clinics were damaged.
Do not use a comma to separate a complex subject (noun phrase) and verb if they are
adjacent.
Example: The long-term outlook for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees in
Jordan and other neighboring countries is not clear.
Do not use to link two sentences or complete clauses with a comma ("comma splice"); use
either a semicolon or a period.
Example: There is little food available; starvation threatens thousands.
2.9 Minimise use of “etc.”
If you’re naming a couple of items following “for instance,” “for example”, or “including”,
there’s no need to add etc. Example: “Lunch consisted mostly of fruit (for example
watermelons and mangoes).” In other words, use “for instance” or “etc.,” but not both.
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2.10 Avoid unnecessary words
Below are some simple, shorter alternatives to commonly-used but redundant words and
phrases.
Long: They reached a total of 3 million beneficiaries.
Short: They reached 3 million beneficiaries.
Long: They are able to or will be able to...
Short: They can...
Long: For a period of 10 months
Short: For 10 months
Long: utilising
Short: use
Long: With regards to...
Short: Regarding...
Long: have a negative impact on or negatively impact
Short: worsen
Long: …as well as...
Short: …and…
Long: Worked together with...
Short: Worked with...
Long: ...due to the fact that...
Short: ...because...
Long: The meeting was chaired by OCHA.
Short: OCHA chaired the meeting.
Long: Each individual project
Short: Each project
Long: Forward planning for 2010
Short: Planning for 2010
Long: Cut down
Short: Cut or reduce
Long: Estimated at approximately $10 million
Short: Estimated at $10 million
Long: Over the course of 2010
Short: During 2010/Throughout 2010
Long: In an effort to
Short: To
Long: Working in collaboration with
Short: Working with
Long: Areas that were not accessible
Short: Inaccessible areas
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
Long: WFP estimates that 3 million people are in need of food aid.
Short: WFP estimates that 3 million people need food aid.
Long: urban centres
Short: cities. (“Urban areas” can be OK if it is meant to imply cities plus peripheries / suburbs
/ townships. But the English word for urban centre is “city.”)
2.11 Hyphenation
PRINCIPLES OF USING HYPHENS
Hyphens serve to link a noun and a gerund, or an adjective/adverb and a noun, into an
adjectival expression. The same two words are not hyphenated if they are not jointly serving
as an adjective. Hence, “CAP Section’s long-term office space plan is to eject AO
completely, but in the short term, we will be content to merely reclaim the third floor.”
Hyphens also remove ambiguity. Compare:
The minister’s one man attempts to overthrow the government...
The minister’s one-man attempts to overthrow the government...
A COMPOUND FORMED OF TWO NOUNS IS USUALLY NOT HYPHENATED.
For example: food insecurity; aid dependence. (But, if the second word is an adjective not a
noun, and it is followed by a noun which it modifies, the first noun and adjective should be
hyphenated: food-insecure people, aid-dependent people, best-case scenario.)
COMMON EXPRESSIONS THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE HYPHENATED:
 age- and gender-disaggregated percentage
 best-case scenario, worst-case scenario (BUT, “In the best case, all IDPs will return…”
and “The most likely scenario is continued low-level conflict…”)
 capacity-building (as either a noun or an adjectival phrase)
 child-friendly
 child-headed
 co-worker
 cyclone-affected people, or drought-affected areas, or conflict-affected people
 decision-making process
 end-user
 first-hand
 follow-up (with hyphen when used as a noun or as an adjective, but not as a verb)
 food-insecure (but, the compound noun form is without hyphen: food insecurity)
 fund-raising campaign
 gender-based violence
 high-energy (note: not capitalized) biscuit
 income-generating (but again, the compound noun form is without hyphen: income
generation)
 inter-ethnic
 inter-agency
 life-saving
 long- and short-term plans
 mid-year; mid-October; mid-anything
 psycho-social (often misspelled as psychosocial)
 Secretary-General / Secretaries-General / Under-Secretary-General (Note: This is
because 'under' is not a title on its own so must be hyphenated; but: Deputy
Secretary-General)
 self-reliance
 sub-Saharan
 under-five mortality
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
TIP: you can use find & replace to correct a recurring phrase in a document, like replacing
“drought affected” to “drought-affected.”
DO NOT HYPHENATE AFTER -LY ADVERBS
For example: “a firmly established rule.” (This is because there no doubt that “firmly” modifies
“established,” since an adverb can’t modify a noun.) Do not hyphenate prepositional verbs:
“OCHA set up a task force.”
Do not hyphenate prepositional verbs, but do hyphenate prepositional nouns. Example:
OCHA set up a task force.
But, hyphenate follow-up, set-up, or roll-out (etc.) when used as a noun or an adjective.
Examples (noun):
•
Follow-up after a mission is vital.
•
The meeting was held as part of the follow-up.
•
The roll-out of the cluster approach is complete. Next, OCHA should roll out
better monitoring practices.
Examples (adjective):
•
Many follow-up issues have yet to be resolved.
•
The follow-up report was longer than expected.
Examples (verb):
•
He promised to follow up on the unresolved issues.
•
They will follow up on the report's recommendations.
Tip: If you can insert the or a in front of follow up, a hyphen is required.
(Per United Nations style, prefixes may or may not be hyphenated. Example: subcommittee;
sub-group; sub lieutenant.)
 Words beginning with ‘multi’: Compound words beginning with 'multi' are generally closed
(no hyphen). Example: “The multinational organization held a multicultural event. Several
multilingual guests attended.”
There are exceptions to this rule, which are listed below. All require a hyphen.
Multi-access
Multi-bilateral
Multi-cause
Multi-centred
Multi-client
Multi-country
Multi-donor
Multi-ethnic
Multi-faith
Multi-hazard
Multi-purpose
Multi-skilled
Multi-stakeholder
Multi-storey
Multi-user
Multi-utility
Multi-year
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2.12 Indirect or reported speech
Indirect speech is used to report something that was said or written, rather than the exact
words.
Quotation marks are not required for indirect speech.
When using indirect speech, use a verb in the past tense to indicate who is saying /
announcing / confirming the information, e.g. “He said… She stated… He announced… They
confirmed.”
A corresponding change can be made in verb tenses in the statement that is being reported,
depending on whether the statement is still true and/or relevant or at least not time-bound (in
which case you should use present tense), or no longer automatically valid (in which case,
past tense).
Examples:
 Direct: The OCHA annual report is being launched today.
 Indirect: The USG announced last week that the OCHA annual report was being
launched that day. [It’s not still being launched now, hence “was being launched.”]
 Direct: IDPs are in desperate need of clean water.
 Indirect: The Secretary-General stated that IDPs were in desperate need of clean
water. [This implies that they no longer desperately need water. If they still do, say
“are”]
 Indirect with past tense (no longer automatically true): The first ERC said in 1992
that Afghanistan was the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
 Indirect with present tense (still true): ERC Valerie Amos said yesterday that
Sudan is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
 Indirect with present tense (still true): The speaker noted that, under the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has [not had] the right to life, liberty and
security of person.
 Indirect with present tense (still true, or at least not time-bound): Thomas
Jefferson famously argued in 1776 that all men are created equal, and enjoy the right
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
2.13 Comparisons
For ease, always use ‘to’ after ‘compare’, whether or not the two items are similar.
Examples:
•
The funding level is considerably lower compared to the funding level this time last
year.
•
The views from the new office are magnificent compared to the views from the
previous office.
•
The international response to the earthquake in Haiti has been compared to the
response following the 2004 tsunami.
•
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
2.14 Use judgment about sentences that have too many acronyms
Bad example: “The MoH and MDM collaborated on a PSEA and PEP programme for victims
of SGBV at risk of STIs like HIV/AIDS.”
It gets even worse when the acronym’s full phrase is supposed to be spelled out, because
it’s the first appearance: “An inter-agency Humanitarian Coordination Group (HCG) which
includes members of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United
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CAP WRITING AND EDITING GUIDE
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health
Organization (WHO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and international and local non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) such as Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE),
Caritas, Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Cruz Vermelha do
Timor-Leste /Timor-Leste Red Cross (CVTL), the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), OXFAM, Plan International, and World Vision, was
established to plan and coordinate humanitarian assistance activities.”
That’s one sentence! Break them up somehow if they’re that bad, like shifting the detailed
list into a footnote.
2.15 Section headings and table of contents
Make sure the section headings are accurate and precise. Sometimes they are inherited
from a template and don’t make sense in that specific appeal doc. For example, some flash
appeals or EHAPs might have a section headed “Year in Review.” That doesn’t make sense
for a sudden-onset situation.
Make sure the table of contents is sensible – detailed enough to guide the reader, but not too
detailed. What goes into the table of contents is governed by the heading style and its
“level”. Usually, our tables of contents show levels 1, 2 and 3, i.e. section heading, subheading, and sub-sub-heading. The third level is necessary because each cluster response
plan has a third-level heading, and we want the page number for each cluster response plan
shown in the table of contents. But it’s not necessary, for example, for each scenario (bestcase, worst-case, and most likely) to be listed in the ToC – one page number for “Scenarios”
is enough.
If a section has only one sub-section and thus only one sub-heading, then the sub-heading
should not be necessary. This is a bad example:
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3. HUMANITARIAN TERMINOLOGY AND USAGE
3.1 What “CAP” stands for
CAP can stand for consolidated appeal or consolidated appeal process, depending on
context. You can put the preceding sentence into a footnote if necessary to clarify, which
usually is necessary, because in most CAP documents the acronym is used both ways. (The
acronym CA for consolidated appeal never caught on.) In the first usage of either phrase in
the text, be careful to choose the correct phrase. For example, you cannot “publish a
Consolidated Appeal Process.” The appeal is the document (or at least the mass of printed
and on-line information that is published as an appeal). The process is everything else, so
you could write “the Country Team triggered a consolidated appeal process in May, leading
to the consolidated appeal’s publication in November.”
3.2 Avoid the phrase “humanitarian intervention”
It should be reserved for military interventions with humanitarian goals, which is a sensitive
subject. Substitute “humanitarian action,” “…involvement,” or “…initiative.”
3.3
Avoid the phrase “humanitarian and early recovery activities” (or any variation
on that).
That gives the clear impression that early recovery is not part of humanitarian action. That’s
wrong: it is. In fact it’s woven into most humanitarian projects. So simply say “humanitarian
action,” or if you must mention early recovery, say “humanitarian action including early
recovery.”
3.4 CAP texts should avoid saying “funding through the CAP.”
It gives a misimpression of the CAP as a funding channel. Change such phrases to
something like “funding for projects counted in the CAP.”
3.5 Say “actions” instead of “activities” whenever possible.
“Actions” are active and have results. “Activities” sounds more aimless – something that
keeps you busy, but is not results-oriented. It even sounds faintly childish (for example,
schools have small children do activities, not actions.)
So “action” is almost always
preferred.
3.6 Say “humanitarian aid” instead of “humanitarian assistance” whenever possible.
“Assistance” has two more syllables than “aid”, and too many esses. There’s no reason to
use it when you can say “aid” instead.
Re “aid” vs. “action,” use “aid” when you want to emphasise voluntary contributions or arrival
of resources from outside; use “action” when you want to emphasize acts and results. For
example: “The government requested humanitarian aid to complement its actions, so after
securing the necessary contributions, WFP and UNFPA launched large-scale humanitarian
action.”
3.7 Use of verb tenses in scenarios
CAPs have best-case, worst-case, and most likely scenarios. Standardising the use of verb
tenses in these scenarios makes them easier to understand, and reinforces their meaning.
►
Most likely scenario: use future tense. (Example: “In this scenario the security situation
in the south will gradually improve, though it will remain fragile because of the
communal divide.”)
►
Best-case and worst-case scenarios: use conditional tense. (Example: “Following an
initial period of improvement in the security situation, communal violence would renew
in several previously affected locations and would spread to new areas in southern
Kyrgyzstan.”)
3.8
Armed Forces
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When referring to armed forces, use upper-case for the full official name of a specific force.
Use lower-case when used generically.
Examples:
1. East African armies, including the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Army, are
an important part of the overall response to HIV/AIDS.
2. The Zimbabwean air force is officially referred to as the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
3. Ban Ki-moon sent his condolences to the families of those killed in a sunken navy
ship off the coast of the Republic of Korea. The ship belonged to the Republic of
Korea Navy.
3.9 Geographical references
When referring to an official place name or a major geographic region, use uppercase.
Always use hyphens for compound words.
Example: Officials from the Government of Southern Sudan met dignitaries from
North America and South-Eastern Europe.
Use uppercase when referring to regions or blocs that are to be understood in a political
context.
Example: The end of the Cold War changed the focus from East-West relations to
North-South relations.
Use lowercase for geographical direction or when referring to a general area within a
country.
Example: The typhoon swept through villages in the south-west of the country and is
now heading north. Villages along the north coast have already been evacuated.
3.10 Affected
Those people (not including fatalities) forced to cope with the consequences of a disaster,
crisis or conflict. Humanitarian assistance aims to reach affected populations, often
prioritized by target group and hierarchies of need. When possible, disaggregate data on
affected populations by gender and age groups.
Example: The number of people affected by the hurricane was well over a thousand.
3.11 Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries are affected people who receive humanitarian assistance, services or
protection. Applied in a general sense (those who have received any aid in a particular
situation) or sector-specific (those who have received assistance of a certain type).
Example: The caseload for food distribution included 500 beneficiaries.
3.12 Dead vs. killed
Dead is not cause-specific; killed implies an act of violence. Use dead for fatalities in
general, killed only with specific knowledge ofthe cause. Qualify as appropriate (i.e.,
confirmed, alleged, reported).
Example: An unconfirmed number of people were killed by the fighting. Twenty
people were reported dead.
OTHERS: see overleaf (copied from OCHA Style Guide, 2009)
CAP Section
Friday, 11 May 2012
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