IASC Needs Assessment Task Force IASC Needs Assessment Task Force NATF Training on Coordinated Assessments Revinge, Sweden October 28, 2010

The Challenge “Needs assessment, is recognised as an area that needed to be prioritised right from the start, however, there were no clear structures, guidance or modalities in place to support this process. The deployment of needs assessment capacity and expertise was done on a last-minute basis and geared towards “planning on the go” and “learning while doing.” After- Action Review, Rapid Multi-cluster Needs Assessment in Haiti, 05 April, 2010 “Needs assessment, is recognised as an area that needed to be prioritised right from the start, however, there were no clear structures, guidance or modalities in place to support this process. The deployment of needs assessment capacity and expertise was done on a last-minute basis and geared towards “planning on the go” and “learning while doing.” After- Action Review, Rapid Multi-cluster Needs Assessment in Haiti, 05 April, 2010 “We have a proliferation of assessments going on in Pakistan. Nearly each organisation does its own assessment, often without any coordination even within their respective cluster. Regularly questionnaires used are badly designed with inappropriate, insensitive and/or misleading questions that do not allow the needed analysis. Hence there is a lot of work needed to get assessments right”- Manuel Bessler, HoO Pakistan “We have a proliferation of assessments going on in Pakistan. Nearly each organisation does its own assessment, often without any coordination even within their respective cluster. Regularly questionnaires used are badly designed with inappropriate, insensitive and/or misleading questions that do not allow the needed analysis. Hence there is a lot of work needed to get assessments right”- Manuel Bessler, HoO Pakistan

IASC Needs Assessment Task Force IASC Needs Assessment Task Force Objective: To harmonise and promote cross-sector needs assessment initiatives for consistent, reliable and timely data on humanitarian needs in complex emergencies and natural disasters to strengthen informed decision-making and improve humanitarian response Outputs: Guidance, tools and capacity designed to lead to common and coordinated assessments and consolidated data for use by humanitarian actors in emergency settings

An integrated approach for evidence- based decision making

Operational Guidance on Coordinated Assessments in Emergencies Operational Guidance on Coordinated Assessments in Emergencies Establishes a common understanding on how to plan and carry out common and coordinated assessments in different phases of an emergency Establishes a common understanding on how to plan and carry out common and coordinated assessments in different phases of an emergency Calls for: Calls for: –Preliminary Scenario Definition (Phase 1) –Joint, multi-cluster rapid assessment (Phase 2) –Common and coordinated cluster/sector assessments and ongoing inter-sectoral coordination (Phases 3 and 4)

Key Humanitarian Indicators Key Humanitarian Indicators Approx. 10 indicators per cluster selected as most representative Approx. 10 indicators per cluster selected as most representative These 132 indicators include Common Operational Datasets and “Top Level Outcome” indicators These 132 indicators include Common Operational Datasets and “Top Level Outcome” indicators To be populated by Clusters/Sectors to create a composite picture of humanitarian needs and status of the affected population To be populated by Clusters/Sectors to create a composite picture of humanitarian needs and status of the affected population Supplemented by guidance indicating the data collection methodology to be used in different phases of an emergency Supplemented by guidance indicating the data collection methodology to be used in different phases of an emergency

NATF Roster and Pool To provide additional support to country teams to coordinate and conduct inter-sectoral assessments To provide additional support to country teams to coordinate and conduct inter-sectoral assessments Roster provided by ACAPS and managed by NRC Roster provided by ACAPS and managed by NRC Pool composed of OCHA and cluster members (NGOS) Pool composed of OCHA and cluster members (NGOS) Both groups trained in NATF guidance and how to lead joint assessments Both groups trained in NATF guidance and how to lead joint assessments Deployable through surge capacity mechanisms of OCHA and clusters Deployable through surge capacity mechanisms of OCHA and clusters

Capacity Building Activities o Focus on multi-sectoral assessments and inter-sectoral analysis o ACAPS to lead training effort. Tools and methodologies agreed by NATF o Assessment modules to be integrated into OCHA/Cluster trainings o NATF orientation sessions/workshops planned in 2011

Humanitarian Dashboard Pakistan example

NATF Information Management o Mainstreamed through the work of the NATF Technical Groups o Close linkages established with the IASC Task Force on Information Management o Areas of progress on information management: o Inclusion of information management recommendations in the Operational Guidance. o Development of web-based toolbox to complement the Operational Guidance. o Linkages established between the definition of indicators (led by NATF) and the definition of operational datasets (led by IMTF) o Inclusion of “information management for needs assessment experts” in training and capacity building (linked closely with IM Training Module).

Activities planned for 2011 Activities planned for 2011 Dissemination and field use of provisional NATF guidance and tools and revisions Dissemination and field use of provisional NATF guidance and tools and revisions Development of additional tools: Development of additional tools: – MIRA: Multi-cluster Initial/Rapid Assessment Ongoing Capacity- building activities Ongoing Capacity- building activities Linkages to PDNA Linkages to PDNA

CONCLUSIONS Work of the NATF steady but still outstanding technical issues that require additional consultations and field inputs Work of the NATF steady but still outstanding technical issues that require additional consultations and field inputs Convergence of outputs between the three technical groups required: ie: Convergence of outputs between the three technical groups required: ie:  Operational Guidance informs Training Package  Indicators required for Humanitarian Dashboard  Humanitarian Dashboard supports components of the Operational Guidance Need to engage more stakeholders particularly in the field- NATF products to become standard practice in new emergencies by 2012 Need to engage more stakeholders particularly in the field- NATF products to become standard practice in new emergencies by 2012 Considerations for the future: How to move from NATF outputs to outcomes? Considerations for the future: How to move from NATF outputs to outcomes?