The Economic Recovery Standards address strategies and interventions designed to promote enterprises, employment, and cash flow and asset management among enterprises and livelihoods in environments affected by conflict or disaster. Since a broad range of practitioners are engaged directly or indirectly in strategies to promote economic recovery in crisis environments, these standards were developed with the following three groups in mind:

• Practitioners experienced in emergency situations, but less familiar with economic recovery initiatives
• Practitioners experienced in economic development but unaccustomed to crisis environments
• Practitioners and programs working in multiple interventions or sectors in crisis environments (e.g. health, education, infrastructure, or HIV/AIDS).

The Standards include two overall sections on Common Standards and Assessments & Analysis, plus four distinct technical areas: financial services, assets interventions, employment creation, and enterprise development.