Glossary · Humanitarian Trendlines

Terms used on the dashboard

Advert, or post	One job advert published on ReliefWeb. Not a hire.
Share of adverts	Adverts with a topic, divided by all adverts in the same period. Used for trends so a shrinking market does not look like a shrinking topic.
Core	The topic or theme is central to the role. This is the default measure used on this site.
Duty	The topic is a substantial part of the work but not its main subject.
Core or duty	Counts adverts where the topic is either core or a duty. Broader and noisier than core alone.
Exploratory themes	Eight small topics with too few adverts for a reliable trend. Shown as counts only, and left out of rankings.
Parent topic	A topic that includes its specialists. Health includes SRH, epidemics and MHPSS. CVA includes MPCA, cash coordination and group cash transfers.
Job type	ReliefWeb's own field: job, consultancy, internship or volunteer opportunity.
Career category	ReliefWeb's own field for the function of the role, such as programme management or logistics.
Experience	ReliefWeb's own field: 0 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 9, or 10 or more years.
High income, low or middle income	Based on the World Bank's income group for the organisation's home country, as ReliefWeb records it. The World Bank groups countries as high, upper middle, lower middle or low income by gross national income per person. Low or middle income means any of the last three. The October 2026 classification is used for every year.
International NGO	An NGO whose home country, as ReliefWeb records it, is high income.
Locally based NGO	An NGO whose home country is low or middle income and which places at least 80% of its located adverts there. A proxy for national NGOs.
Regional NGO	An NGO based in a low or middle income country that advertises across several countries.
International organisation	ReliefWeb's type for UN agencies and other intergovernmental bodies.
Topic concentration	How much more often an organisation advertises for a topic than the sector does: the topic's share of the organisation's adverts, divided by its share of all adverts. 2× means twice as often.

The 65 topics

These are the definitions the model was given, grouped as on the dashboard. Exploratory themes are marked; on the dashboard they sit in their own group.

65 topics

Sectors

Food security & agriculture

Food assistance, food security analysis, and agriculture, livestock and fisheries programming.

Includes: food distribution; food security assessments and IPC analysis; seeds and tools; pastoralism; veterinary; fisheries
Not here: malnutrition treatment (Nutrition); enterprise and market systems (Markets & value chains)

Nutrition

Prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

Includes: CMAM; infant and young child feeding; micronutrients; nutrition surveys (SMART)
Not here: general food assistance (Food security & agriculture)

Health

Health care delivery and health systems: clinical, public health and pharmacy roles.

Includes: primary and secondary care; medical and nursing staff; health systems strengthening; pharmacy and medical supply

Sexual & reproductive health

Maternal, newborn and reproductive health services and rights.

Includes: maternal and newborn health; family planning; midwifery; SRHR; MISP
Not here: GBV response (Gender-based violence)

Epidemics & disease control

Outbreak response and control of communicable diseases.

Includes: cholera, Ebola, COVID-19 and other outbreaks; disease surveillance; infection prevention and control; vaccination campaigns; HIV, TB and malaria programmes

Mental health & psychosocial support (MHPSS)

Mental health care and psychosocial support for crisis-affected people.

Includes: psychologists; psychosocial counsellors; MHPSS coordination
Not here: staff welfare and HR wellbeing roles; "environmental health"

Water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH)

Water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion.

Includes: water engineering; latrines and faecal sludge; hygiene promotion; WASH in institutions

Shelter & settlements

Emergency and transitional shelter, non-food items and settlement planning.

Includes: shelter construction and repair; NFI distribution; site planning; housing rehabilitation
Not here: camp management (CCCM); housing, land and property rights (Legal aid, documentation & HLP)

Camp coordination & camp management (CCCM)

Coordination and management of camps and displacement sites.

Includes: camp managers; site management; CCCM cluster roles
Not here: shelter construction (Shelter & settlements)

Education

Education in emergencies and education programming.

Includes: teachers and teacher training; education in emergencies; school construction programmes; education cluster roles
Not here: "education" as a CV requirement; staff training

Livelihoods & early recovery

Restoring incomes and basic infrastructure after a crisis.

Includes: income generation; vocational training; cash for work; rehabilitation and reconstruction; economic recovery
Not here: market systems and enterprise development (Markets & value chains); agriculture (Food security & agriculture)

Logistics & emergency telecoms

Humanitarian supply chain, common logistics services and emergency telecommunications as a response sector.

Includes: Logistics cluster roles; humanitarian supply chain and pipeline management; humanitarian air service (UNHAS); prepositioning; emergency telecommunications (ETC)
Not here: routine logistics, procurement and fleet roles (ReliefWeb career category Logistics/Procurement); generic IT support (ReliefWeb career category ICT)

Protection

Protection (general)

Protection monitoring, case management and rights-based protection work not covered by the specialist areas below.

Includes: protection monitoring; protection case management; protection mainstreaming
Not here: child protection, GBV, mine action, HLP and human rights (own topics); social protection; data protection

Human rights & humanitarian law

Human rights monitoring and advocacy, international humanitarian law and protection of civilians.

Includes: human rights officers; human rights monitoring and reporting; international humanitarian law; protection of civilians; rule of law and transitional justice
Not here: protection monitoring and case management (Protection (general)); "human rights" in an organisation's values statement

Child protection

Preventing and responding to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence against children.

Includes: unaccompanied and separated children; child protection case management; children associated with armed forces
Not here: child safeguarding policy roles (Safeguarding & PSEA); "unaccompanied" duty stations

Gender-based violence (GBV)

Preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

Includes: GBV case management; conflict-related sexual violence; women's protection and empowerment; safe spaces
Not here: gender mainstreaming (Gender equality); PSEA by aid workers (Safeguarding & PSEA)

Mine action

Clearance of mines and explosive ordnance, risk education and victim assistance.

Includes: demining; explosive ordnance risk education; weapons contamination; EOD

Legal aid, documentation & HLP

Legal assistance, civil documentation and housing, land and property rights.

Includes: ICLA; legal counselling; civil documentation and legal identity; birth registration; HLP rights
Not here: digital ID systems (Identity & registration systems); organisational legal counsel

Human trafficking

Countering trafficking in persons and assisting survivors.

Includes: counter-trafficking; victim identification and assistance; modern slavery
Not here: migrant smuggling (Migration); wildlife, drug and arms trafficking

People & displacement

Refugees & asylum

Roles centred on refugees and asylum seekers.

Includes: refugee response; refugee status determination; resettlement; asylum procedures
Not here: roles where "refugee" appears only in the organisation's name or mission statement

Internal displacement

Roles centred on internally displaced people.

Includes: IDP response; displacement tracking (DTM); IDP policy

Migration

Roles centred on migrants and mixed movements.

Includes: mixed migration; return and reintegration; labour migration; migration policy and data; migrant smuggling
Not here: roles matched only because the employer is IOM

Durable solutions & statelessness

Ending displacement through voluntary return, local integration, or settlement elsewhere, and preventing statelessness.

Includes: durable solutions strategies; voluntary return; local integration; statelessness prevention and reduction
Not here: resettlement casework and processing (Refugees & asylum)

Inclusion & accountability

Gender equality

Gender analysis, mainstreaming and women's empowerment.

Includes: gender advisers; gender analysis; women's economic empowerment; gender mainstreaming
Not here: GBV (own topic); equal-opportunity statements in ads

Disability inclusion

Including people with disabilities in programmes and services.

Includes: disability inclusion advisers; rehabilitation; inclusive education and accessibility
Not here: equal-opportunity statements; roles matched only because the employer is Humanity & Inclusion

Youth & adolescents

Programming for and with young people.

Includes: youth empowerment and employment; adolescent programming; youth participation
Not here: "young professional" schemes; internships

Diversity & inclusion (age, SOGI, DEI)

Inclusion of older people and LGBTQI+ people, and organisational diversity, equity and inclusion.

Includes: older people and ageing; LGBTQI+ inclusion; anti-racism; organisational DEI roles
Not here: equal-opportunity statements; "decolonising aid" and "shift the power" (Localisation & local leadership)

Safeguarding & PSEA

Protecting people from exploitation, abuse and harassment by aid workers and organisations.

Includes: safeguarding advisers and investigators; PSEA networks and focal points; child safeguarding
Not here: the standard requirement that every applicant accept the safeguarding policy

Accountability & community engagement (AAP)

Listening and answering to affected people, and working to recognised quality standards.

Includes: feedback and complaints mechanisms; communicating with communities; community engagement; CHS and Sphere; misinformation and information ecosystems
Not here: financial accountability; parental engagement in schools

Cash, markets & social protection

Cash & voucher assistance (CVA)

Delivering assistance as cash transfers or vouchers.

Includes: cash officers and advisers; CVA programme design; vouchers; cash for work modality; NGO cash coordinators; cash plus and complementary programming; sector-specific cash; targeting and transfer values
Not here: accounting vouchers; cash handling by cashiers and finance staff

Multi-purpose cash (MPCA)

Unrestricted cash transfers covering basic needs across sectors.

Includes: MPCA; multi-purpose cash; minimum expenditure basket

Cash coordinationExploratory

Inter-agency coordination of cash assistance.

Includes: cash working groups; inter-agency cash coordinators; CALP and cash coordination bodies
Not here: NGO internal "Cash Coordinator" roles (CVA); CALP training as a credential

Group cash transfersExploratory

Cash given to community groups or local responders to run their own response projects.

Includes: group cash transfers (GCT); community cash grants; microgrants to community groups; survivor- and community-led response
Not here: cash to individual households (CVA, MPCA); grants to registered NGO partners (Partnerships & partner capacity)

Digital payments & financial service providersExploratory

Delivering transfers through digital channels and managing payment providers.

Includes: mobile money; e-vouchers and e-payments; financial service provider contracting; payment systems; KYC requirements for recipients
Not here: repayments; general finance payments

Financial inclusion & savings groups

Access to savings, credit and financial services.

Includes: VSLAs and savings groups; microfinance; financial literacy; financial inclusion
Not here: service level agreements (SLA)

Markets & value chains

Market analysis, market systems development and enterprise support.

Includes: market assessments (EMMA, MSMA); market systems development; value chains; MSME and enterprise development
Not here: labour market studies; social marketing; subject-matter experts (SME)

Social protection

Public systems of social assistance (safety nets), social insurance and labour-market support, and their links to humanitarian assistance.

Includes: social assistance and safety nets; social insurance; shock-responsive and adaptive social protection; linking humanitarian cash to social protection
Not here: psychosocial assistance; child and legal protection

Digital & data

Data collection & analytics

Collecting, analysing and visualising programme data.

Includes: data analysts; dashboards and BI; statistics; mobile data collection (Kobo, ODK); Power BI and Tableau
Not here: generic "data analysis" in M&E duties

Needs assessment & analysis

Assessing and analysing humanitarian needs to inform response planning.

Includes: multi-sector needs assessments (MSNA); JIAF and humanitarian needs overviews; assessment officers and analysts; context and situation analysis
Not here: project baselines and routine M&E (ReliefWeb career category Monitoring and Evaluation); IPC and food security assessments (Food security & agriculture); market assessments (Markets & value chains)

GIS & remote sensing

Mapping, geospatial analysis and satellite imagery.

Includes: GIS officers; remote sensing; spatial analysis
Not here: stakeholder "mapping"

Identity & registration systems

Systems that register people for assistance and manage their identity records.

Includes: beneficiary registration systems (SCOPE, proGres); digital ID; identity management; de-duplication
Not here: civil documentation and legal identity (Legal aid, documentation & HLP); biometric capture itself (Biometrics)

BiometricsExploratory

Using fingerprints, iris, face or voice to identify the people assisted.

Includes: biometric registration and verification; iris and fingerprint systems (e.g. BIMS); biometric policy
Not here: FBI fingerprint checks for applicants; statistical "biometrics" and biometry

Interoperability & data sharingExploratory

Making systems and organisations exchange data.

Includes: data-sharing agreements and platforms; system integration and APIs; data standards; interoperable registries
Not here: generic "sharing data with colleagues"

Data responsibility

Safe, ethical and lawful management of data about affected people, including data protection.

Includes: data protection officers; privacy and data protection impact assessments; data responsibility and data ethics; data governance
Not here: privacy notices to job applicants; IT security (Cybersecurity)

Cybersecurity

Securing digital systems and information against attack.

Includes: information security; cybersecurity officers; security operations; digital security training
Not here: physical safety and security (Safety & security management)

Digital transformation, innovation & ICT4D

Using digital technology and innovation to change how organisations and programmes work.

Includes: digital strategy; innovation leads, labs and funds; ICT4D; digital inclusion; digital literacy
Not here: generic IT support (ReliefWeb career category ICT)

AI & machine learning

Building or applying artificial intelligence.

Includes: machine learning; data science with AI; AI policy and governance
Not here: Amnesty International; French/Spanish "IA" in other senses

Blockchain & cryptoExploratory

Distributed ledgers and cryptocurrency.

Includes: blockchain; distributed ledger; cryptocurrency; smart contracts

Stablecoins & digital assetsExploratory

Stablecoins, central bank digital currencies and tokenised money.

Includes: stablecoins (USDC, USDT); CBDC; tokenised or virtual assets
Not here: "digital assets" meaning photos and video

Climate, risk & resilience

Climate, environment & energy

Climate adaptation and finance, environmental sustainability and energy access.

Includes: climate adaptation, policy and finance; carbon markets; environmental safeguards and greening; natural resource management; clean energy and energy access
Not here: French "environnement" meaning working environment; "energy" as a personal quality

Disaster risk reduction & early warning

Reducing disaster risk and preparing for hazards.

Includes: DRR; disaster preparedness; early warning systems; contingency planning

Anticipatory action & risk financing

Acting on forecasts before a crisis and pre-arranging the money to do so.

Includes: anticipatory and forecast-based action; crisis modifiers; disaster risk financing; parametric insurance
Not here: general early warning (DRR & early warning); staff insurance

Resilience

Programmes built around strengthening the resilience of people and systems.

Includes: resilience programming and building; resilience measurement
Not here: "resilient" as a personal quality

System & reform

Urban & area-based response

Responding in cities and through settlement or area-based approaches.

Includes: urban response; urban planning; area-based coordination
Not here: "rural and urban" as a passing phrase

Localisation & local leadership

Shifting power and resources to local and national actors.

Includes: localisation; local leadership; shift the power; decolonising aid
Not here: software and language localisation; "localisation du poste" (job location)

Partnerships & partner capacity

Building, brokering and managing partnerships with other organisations, and strengthening the organisational capacity of those partners.

Includes: partnership managers, advisers and officers; identifying, selecting and contracting partners; partnership agreements and partner due diligence; managing partner relationships and sub-grantee portfolios as a named responsibility; organisational capacity assessment and strengthening of partner organisations
Not here: training or capacity building of own staff, beneficiaries, communities or government officials; "capacity building" as a generic skill or duty; "coordinate, liaise or work with partners and stakeholders"; routine oversight of a sub-grant or implementing partner inside a project; donor relations and fundraising; consortium or inter-agency coordination (Humanitarian coordination)

Humanitarian-development-peace nexus

Joining up humanitarian, development and peace work.

Includes: nexus advisers; HDP nexus; triple nexus
Not here: water-energy-food nexus; "nexus" as a product or project name

Peacebuilding & conflict sensitivity

Building peace and making aid sensitive to conflict.

Includes: peacebuilding; social cohesion; conflict analysis; conflict sensitivity; peacekeeping support; DDR; security sector reform
Not here: "do no harm" as a stock principle; "conflict resolution" as a soft skill

Humanitarian coordination

Running the coordination system between agencies.

Includes: cluster and sector coordinators; OCHA coordination roles; inter-agency and HCT support
Not here: cash coordination and CCCM (own topics); NGO roles titled "Humanitarian Coordinator"

Humanitarian reset & reformExploratory

Reform of the humanitarian system.

Includes: humanitarian reset; Grand Bargain; UN80 and efficiency reforms

Humanitarian access & civil-military coordination

Negotiating access and working alongside military actors.

Includes: access advisers; access negotiation; CMCoord
Not here: access to services; database access

Operations & assurance

Compliance, audit & risk

Internal controls, fraud prevention, audit and organisational risk.

Includes: compliance officers; anti-fraud and investigations; internal audit; enterprise risk; counter-terrorism and sanctions compliance; AML/CFT and de-risking
Not here: the standard requirement to follow the fraud policy; disaster and security risk

Safety & security management

Keeping staff and operations safe.

Includes: security managers and advisers; security risk management; security focal points as the role
Not here: food, livelihood and social security; "report to the security focal point"

Remote & third-party monitoring

Monitoring carried out by a contracted third party or at a distance.

Includes: third-party monitoring; remote monitoring; field monitors for TPM firms

Research, studies & evaluation

Research and study roles and evaluation consultancies in general, not only rigorous impact evaluations.

Includes: impact evaluations; RCTs; research leads and principal investigators
Not here: routine M&E (ReliefWeb career category Monitoring and Evaluation)