| Acronym | Definition |
| ARC | Action for the rights of children |
| ART | Antiretroviral treatment |
| ARV | Antiretroviral |
| ASEAN | Association of South East Asian Nations |
| AU | African Union |
| AVSI | Associazione Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale |
| AXO | Abandoned explosive ordinance |
| BCC | Behaviour change communication |
| BID guidelines | Guidelines for the formal determination of best interests of the child |
| CAAFAG | Children associated with armed forces or armed groups |
| CAT | Committee Against Torture |
| CBR | Community-based rehabilitation |
| CCW | UN convention on certain conventional weapons |
| CEDAW | Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women |
| CEDC | Community education development centre |
| CERD | Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination |
| CFS | Child-friendly space |
| CHH | Child-headed household |
| CHW | Community health workers |
| CPC | Child protection committee |
| CRBA | Child rights-based approaches |
| CRC | UN convention on the rights of the child |
| CRIN | Child Rights Information Network |
| CRP | Child rights programming |
| CRPD | UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities |
| CRSA | Child rights situation analysis |
| CZOP | Children as zones of peace |
| DESA | Department of Economic and Social Affairs |
| DDR | Formal DDR process refers to an agreed, formal disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process following or as part of a peace process |
| DFID | Department for International Development (UK) |
| DLI | Development through local integration |
| DPKO | UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations |
| DRC | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| DRM | Disaster risk management |
| DRR | Disaster risk reduction |
| ECCD | Early childhood care and development |
| ECD | Early childhood development |
| ECPAT | End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes |
| ERC | Emergency relief coordinator |
| EXCOM | Executive committee |
| ERW | Explosive remnants of war |
| EVI | Extremely vulnerable individual |
| FARC-EP | Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army |
| FGD | Focus group discussion |
| FGM | Female genital mutilation |
| FHI | Family Health International |
| FTRP | Family Tracing and Reunification Programme |
| GBV | Gender-based violence |
| GGE | Group of Governmental Experts |
| GICHD | Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining |
| HI | Handicap International |
| HRIT | Heightened Risk Identification Tool |
| HRW | Human Rights Watch |
| IASC | Inter-agency Standing Committee |
| ICERD | International convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination |
| ICESCR | International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights |
| ICC | International Criminal Court |
| ICPD | Cairo international conference on population and development |
| ICRC | International Committee of the Red Cross |
| IDDRS | Integrated disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration standards |
| IDP | Internally displaced person |
| IDU | Injecting drug user |
| IE | Inclusive education |
| IEC | The International Extension College |
| IED | Improvised explosive device |
| IHL | International humanitarian law |
| ILO | International Labour Organization |
| IMAS | International mine action standards |
| IMSMA | Information management system for mine action |
| INEE | Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies |
| IPFF | International Planned Parenthood Federation |
| IRC | International Rescue Committee |
| IUD | Intra uterine device |
| IWHC | International Women's Health Coalition |
| JRS | Jesuit Refugee Services |
| LTTE | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |
| MA | Mine action |
| MAC | Mine Action Centre |
| MAC | Mine Action Coordination Centre |
| M&E | Monitoring and evaluation |
| MBT | Mine Ban Treaty (sometimes known as the Ottawa Convention) |
| MDG | Millennium development goals |
| MISP | Minimum initial service package |
| MLSWYS | Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare, Youths and Sports |
| MRE | Mine risk education |
| MRM | Monitoring and reporting mechanism |
| MRM SC | Steering committee on MRM |
| MRM TF | Task force on monitoring and reporting |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| NDSA | National Directorate for Social Action |
| NMAA | National Mine Action Authority |
| NPFL | National Patriotic Front of Liberia |
| NGO | Non-governmental organisation |
| OAU | Organisation of African Unity |
| OCHA | Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
| OHCHR | Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights |
| OLS | Operation Lifeline Sudan |
| OP | Optional protocol |
| PEER | Programme for Education in Emergencies and Reconstruction |
| PLA | Participatory learning and action |
| PPPM | UNICEF's Programme, policy and procedures manual |
| PRA | Participatory rural appraisal |
| PTA | Parent-teacher association |
| PTSD | Post-traumatic stress disorder |
| RBA | Rights-based approaches |
| RCMs | Red Cross messages |
| REA | Rapid education assessments |
| RSD | Refugee status determination |
| RSLMF | Republic of Sierrra Leone Military Forces |
| RUF | Revolutionary United Front |
| SADC | South African Development Community |
| SCiSL | Save the Children in Sri Lanka |
| SCOPP | Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process |
| SCUK | Save the Children UK |
| SCWG CAAC | Security Council working group on children and armed conflict |
| SDP | Service delivery point |
| SEA | Sexual exploitation and abuse |
| SGBV | Sexual and gender-based violence |
| SMART | Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound |
| SMC | School management committees |
| SPLA | Sudan People's Liberation Army |
| SPLM | Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement |
| SRH | Sexual and reproductive health |
| SRSG CAAC | Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children Affected by Armed Conflict |
| STI | Sexually transmitted infection |
| STOP | S space and structure; T trust, time and talking; O opportunities for play and self or group expression; P partnership with parents and carers |
| SWOT | Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats |
| SZOP | Schools as zones of peace |
| TBA | Traditional birth attendants |
| TOR | Terms of reference |
| TOT | Training of trainers |
| TRC | Truth and Reconciliation Commission |
| UDHR | Universal declaration of human rights |
| UN | United Nations |
| UNAMA | UN Mission in Afghanistan |
| UNDP | UN Development Programme |
| UNESCO | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| UNHCR | UN High Commissioner for Refugees |
| UNHCR ExCom | UNHCR Executive Committee |
| UNICEF CEE | UNICEF Central and Eastern Europe |
| UNIFEM | UN Development Fund for Women |
| UNMAS | UN Mine Action Service |
| UNOHAC | UN Office for Humanitarian Assistance |
| UNSC | UN Security Council |
| UXO | Unexploded ordinance |
| VCPC | Village child protection committees |
| VCT | Voluntary counselling and testing |
| WFP | World Food Programme |
| WHO | World Health Organisation |
