Coordinated Assessments: From Policy to Practice

1. June 2012 Coordinated Assessments:From Policy to Practice

2. Quotes from the Field: Pakistan & Haiti Pakistan • “We have a proliferation of assessments…nearly each organization does its own assessment, often without any coordination even within their respective cluster. Regularly, questionnaires are badly designed with inappropriate, insensitive and/or misleading questions and analysis is not done. Hence there is a lot of work needed to get assessments right. (Manuel Bessler, former OCHA HoO) Haiti • “…a large number of needs assessments of varying scope were carried out…Many assessment teams arrived late and reinforced biased assumptions rather than contributing to a clear picture of the situation and needs. (IARTE)

3. Why Coordinate Assessments? It’s about making the case for humanitarian action • Better articulating needs of people affected by emergencies • Better prioritization of needs to ensure the most vulnerable receive appropriate and timely assistance • Creating a common operational picture on which to carry out strategic planning and development of appeals • Making linkages between assessments and monitoring: are we responding to the needs of the population?

4. IASC NATF Package Operational Guidance • Operational Guidance on Coordinated Assessments in Humanitarian Crises Joint assessment approach for sudden-onset emergencies • MIRA: Multi-cluster Initial Rapid Assessment Data Consolidation • Key Humanitarian Indicators/ Humanitarian Dashboard Capacity building and support • Roster for response and preparedness • Training

5. What is the Operational Guidance? • Promotes information-sharing as a fundamental responsibility of humanitarian actors- for the benefit of those we are serving • Provides suggestions on how to coordinate at the field level- to be adapted to country level specificities • Proposes different assessment approaches for different phases of an emergency (joint assessment in the earliest weeks, and coordination within and between sectors thereafter) • Calls on OCHA to coordinate inter-sectoral assessments, and clusters to coordinate sectoral assessments.

6. Assessment Framework: P 0 • Focus Data and assessment preparedness to ensure ability to undertake timely and quality collection and analysis of needs assessment data. Phase 0: Preparedness • Data preparedness: CODs, FODs, baseline • Agreed roles and responsibilities with standard operating procedures for collecting and collating secondary data, collecting primary data, conducting joint analysis, and communicating findings • Agreed methodology and data collection tool • Existing capacity in-country with required skills and knowledge

7. Assessment Framework: P I/II • Focus Multi-Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) Establishing structures, initial vision of situation, identify priority interventions and next steps. Phase I: First 72 Hours • Establish assessment coordination structure • Collect, collate and analyze pre- and post-crisis secondary data and initial primary data • Develop Preliminary Scenario Definition and initial Flash Appeal Phase II: First 2 weeks • Plan, coordinate and undertake primary data collection • Continue reviewing secondary data • Undertake sectoral and inter-sectoral analysis. Use to inform revised Flash Appeal and MIRA report

8. Assessment Framework: P III/IV • Focus Harmonizing single cluster/sector data collection, Survey of Surveys, aggregation and analysis of data, establishment of monitoring systems, transition to early recovery. Phase III: Week 3+ • Harmonize in-depth sectoral assessments (HH/FGD) • Collect (SoS) and analyze sectoral needs and response data and develop Humanitarian Dashboard. Phase II: Second Month • Continue Phase III efforts • Ensure linkages with PDNA

9. Who does what? HC • Overall responsibility for assessment coordination. • Activates coordination mechanism (AIM WG, ICWG) • Calls for MIRA, Humanitarian Dashboard • Holds actors accountable OCHA • Provides assessment coordination support (i.e. Assessment Coordinator or Focal Point, Data Analyst) • Chairs AIM WG, ICWG • Coordinates and manages MIRA and Humanitarian Dashboard

10. Who does what, continued… Cluster/Sector Leads • Coordinate NA within clusters, including MIRA and Humanitarian Dashboard Cluster/Sector Members • Engage with coordination structures • Utilize methodologies and tools to allow for harmonization of data and information • Share data collected and participate in inter-agency and inter-cluster analytical processes

11. Questions and discussion