Guidelines on Data Issues in Humanitarian Crisis Situations

1. Guidelines on Data Issues inHumanitarian Crisis Situations THE preparedness phase LAMLENN Samson HRB/UNFPA, New York SUVA, SEPTEMBER 2011

2. Introduction • IASC definition of a “Humanitarian Crisis” • “a humanitarian crisis refers to a situation in a country, region or society where there is a total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict (or from natural causes) and which requires an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or ongoing UN country programme”.

3. Main Phases of an Emergency • The Preparedness Phase: The period preceding a humanitarian crisis - use of early warning signals to avert crises and/or to prepare response. • The Acute Phase: Outbreak of a crisis situation -massive destruction of lives and property, massive population displacements. • The Chronic Phase: Due to prolonged crisis - displaced populations (forced migrants) are settled in temporary locations, either in camps or within host communities. • The Post-crisis Phase: Return to (relative) peace and relative security - period of reconciliation, recovery, resettlement and reconstruction. Note: All or most of these phases could be prevalent in different parts of the same country at the same time and there are instances when a chronic or even post-crisis phase could degenerate into an acute phase due to further outbreaks.

5. Main activities of the Preparedness Phase • The main activity of the preparedness phase of any humanitarian crisis is preparedness and contingency planning - a coordinated approach to gather and regularly update relevant data and information to support decision-making and facilitate response planning for identified potential emergencies

6. Components of the Contingency and Preparedness Planning Process • Preparation: Prepare for and organize the inter-agency contingency planning process • Analysis: Analyze hazards and risks, build scenarios and develop planning assumptions • Response Planning : • Define response objectives and strategies. • Define management and coordination arrangements. • Develop and consolidate response plans. • Implementing Preparedness : Simulations; review of scenarios; database creation; tracking of early warning signals; institutional and communal capacity building; pre-positioning of supplies; sensitization; agency-specific preparedness planning ; etc.

7. Data Needs and Sources for Preparedness

8. Data Uses During the Preparatory Phase • For preparation of Preparedness and contingency plans according to various scenarios. • For preparation more realistic and focused estimates for appeals for funding. • To conduct vulnerability analyses in high-risk parts of the country in order to determine the population likely to be displaced in the event of any outbreak and to plan for their evacuation, settlement and upkeep; • To obtain likely early-warning signals of potential crisis • For capacity building of staff of the various agencies on approaches to data collection and use for contingency planning and response planning. • For advocacy among Government Ministries , Civil Society and the general population for the need to take action to avert imminent disasters or to be more prepared to act in the event of such disasters

9. Strengths and Limitations of Data Sources • Population Censuses • Population Projections • Geographic Information Systems • Household Surveys • Administrative Reports

10. Discussions