This Information Sharing Protocol (ISP) is designed to support data responsibility in Syria. Data responsibility in humanitarian action is the safe, ethical, and effective management of personal and non-personal data for operational response, in accordance with established frameworks for personal data protection.

This ISP establishes a common framework and clear approach, standards, terminology, roles, and responsibilities for responsible granular data and information sharing in relation to operational data management activities in Syria. It applies to all humanitarian actors present in and supporting response activities in country; it helps increase the HCT’s visibility of data sharing throughout the response.

The ISP is developed through a collective exercise which will be led by coordination groups (ISCG/ISG/ICCG) and Information Management Working Group (IMWG) in accordance with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility.1 In addition to this ISP, the Principles for Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action presented in the Operational Guidance serves as a normative guide for responsible data management in this context.

This ISP serves as the primary document to guide data and information sharing in Syria. It is designed to complement existing policies and guidelines and does not in any way affect or replace obligations contained in applicable legal and regulatory frameworks, sector specific protocols or organization policies.

It will be reviewed and updated every two years, or sooner if needed given the circumstances of the response, through a collaborative process overseen by inter-sector coordination (ICCG) and IMWG and subject to review and endorsement by the HCT; however, this ISP will be revised one more time after completing the transition and before the end of 2025.