Brussels, 11/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the European Commission launched, on Monday 10 March, the “UN Civil-Military Coordination Officer Field Handbook”, a manual for the coordination of civil-military intervention on the ground in the event of humanitarian crises. John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the handbook will “provide our field practitioners with the comprehensive, practical guidance they need to help ensure that such coordination is effective and based on internationally recognised principles and guidelines”. A keen supporter of clarifying rules of engagement for military in the humanitarian field, Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, felt the handbook will be useful for “promoting effective coordination between civil and military actors in crisis zones, in full respect of their distinct mandates”. (A.N.)