These IASC guidelines were created in response to Action 1: Services in the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action (CYPHA). Launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016, the CYPHA made a long-term commitment to young people through five key actions that relate to services, participation, capacity, resources and data. UNICEF and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) led the development of the guidelines, co-chairing a task force that includes: ActionAid; CARE; Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises (IAWG); International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Mercy Corps; United Nations Office of the Secretary General's Envoy on Youth (OSGEY); Plan International; RET International; United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); and the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY).

The aim of these guidelines is to serve as the ‘go-to’ guide for working with and for young people in humanitarian settings and protracted crises.