Coordinated and Common Assessments:
Providing the Evidence-Base for Humanitarian Action
Humanitarian Practice
Network
London, April 4, 2011
Loretta Hieber Girardet- OCHA
On behalf of the IASC Needs Assessment Task Force
IASC Needs Assessment Task ForceMission, Vision, Outputs
• To harmonise and
promote cross-sector
needs assessment
• To achieve consistent,
reliable and timely data on
humanitarian needs
• To strengthen informed
decision-making and
improve humanitarian
response
• Complex emergencies
and natural disasters
• Guidance
Operational Guidance on Coordinated Assessments
• Tools
– Key Humanitarian Indicators
– Multi Cluster/Sector Initial and Rapid Assessment
– Humanitarian Dashboard
• Capacity building
– Coordinated Assessment Pool and Roster
– Training
Key Questions in Humanitarian
AssessmentsHow to get accurate information to decision-makers in the
aftermath of a disaster in a timely manner?
How to engage relevant actors and represent their
information needs without extending the scope/size of
the assessment?
How to avoid duplication of resources and encourage the
sharing of assessment data within the humanitarian
community?
Quotes from the field: Pakistan & Haiti
• Pakistan
“We have a proliferation of assessments going on in Pakistan. Nearly each organization 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, OCHA Head of Office, Pakistan]
• Haiti
In 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.” [Inter‐agency real‐time evaluation in
Haiti: 3 months after]
What are coordinated assessments?
Coordinated assessments
are “assessments which are
planned and carried out in
partnership by humanitarian
actors in order to document the
impact of a particular crisis and
identify the needs of the
affected population, with the
results shared with the broader
humanitarian community”.
Types of Coordinated Assessments
There are two types of coordinated assessments:
• Harmonized Assessment:This is when data collection processing and analysis is undertaken separately, however the data is sufficiently comparable to be compiled into a single database, and to serve as the subject of a shared analysis.
• Joint Assessment:
This is when data collection, processing and analysis form one single process among agencies within and between clusters/sectors. This leads to a single report. (note: also referred to as a 'common assessment‘)
Key Challenges of the
IASC Process
• Defining a coordination structure that would
allow agencies and clusters to come together in
a timely manner to carry out joint and
harmonized assessments
• Developing a technically sound and agreed
common or joint assessment methodology for
use in the early stages of an emergency
• Building capacity to conduct joint and
harmonized assessments in emergencies
Coordinated Assessments & the Program
Cycle
Approaches to Coordination
• Phase 1: During the first 72 hours after a crisis an initial assessment is undertaken to produce a Preliminary Scenario Definition that outlines the severity of the crisis, projects future trends, and informs the initial Flash Appeal. – Supported by the MIRA methodology
• Phase 2: In the first two weeks, a multi-cluster rapid assessment is undertaken jointly by Clusters, in order to support operational planning, and inform the revision of the Flash Appeal.– Supported by the MIRA methodology
• Phase 3: In the second two weeks, Clusters harmonise the in-depth sectoral assessments undertaken by their members, and participate in inter-sectoral analysis.– Supported by Cluster-specific assessment methodologies
• Phase 4: Early recovery considerations will become more explicitly integrated in the Cluster/Sectoral assessments and taken into account in the analysis. – Supported by guidance currently being developed
Approaches to Coordination
• Phase 1: During the first 72 hours after a crisis an initial assessment is undertaken to produce a Preliminary Scenario Definition that outlines the severity of the crisis, projects future trends, and informs the initial Flash Appeal. – Supported by the MIRA methodology
• Phase 2: In the first two weeks, a multi-cluster rapid assessment is undertaken jointly by Clusters, in order to support operational planning, and inform the revision of the Flash Appeal.– Supported by the MIRA methodology
• Phase 3: In the second two weeks, Clusters harmonise the in-depth sectoral assessments undertaken by their members, and participate in inter-sectoral analysis.– Supported by Cluster-specific assessment methodologies
• Phase 4: Early recovery considerations will become more explicitly integrated in the Cluster/Sectoral assessments and taken into account in the analysis. – Supported by guidance currently being developed
Roles & Responsibilities in Coordinating
Assessments
MIRA: The IASC Proposed Approach for Joint
Assessment in the first 72 hours and
2 weeks of an Emergency
Goal:
Provide an evidence-base for humanitarian planning and appeals. Represents agreed understanding of scale of crisis/affected populations/ priority needs and sectors/
Coordination:
• An initial assessment (72 hours) and a rapid assessment (first 2 weeks) is to be undertaken collaboratively by agencies, facilitated by OCHA and with participation of clusters/agencies.
How: Using secondary data (pre-crisis, national authorities, media, crowd sourcing, fact sheets, remote sensing) and primary data (direct observation, and community level assessment).
Needs Assessment Task Force
The Multi-Cluster Initial and
Rapid Assessment Framework
The MIRA methodology understands joint needs
assessments in phases 1 and 2 as the process of
collecting, collating and analysing data from primary and
secondary sources and of interpreting such information
through a judgment process which relies as much on the
collective capacity of the assessors as it does on
evidence.
Timescale 72 hours 1st
week 2nd week
Assessments PHASE 1 PHASE 2 Products 1
st PSD Ad-hoc updates PSD ----> MIRA report
• 1. Start with key questions
• 2. Define which sources to be used to find answers. Each question can be answered using multiple primary and secondary sources
• 3. Analyse the findings: for each question compare different answers from different sources; weigh their validity, interpret them and add judgment and then formulate an answer (for example as a range when it concerns numbers)
• 4. Use the answers to populate the report…
The MIRA process: 4 steps
MIRA Key questions PHASE I–II Legend: SD: Secondary data PD: Primary Data
HEADING
QUESTIONS Phase I
Where to find the information from
Secondary & primary data
Phase II
Where to find the information
from
Secondary & primary data
Situation
Overview
What is the
scale and the
severity of
the disaster?
1.What is the type of crisis?
2.What is the geographical extent of
the affected area?
3.How many people are affected?
SD post disaster:
News, OCHA sitreps, Gvt statement, ...
PD: spot visits, flyovers
SD post disaster:
OCHA/cluster sitreps, Govt. reports, Un
and NGO initial reports, satellite
imagery, media...
SD pre disaster:
Census, demographic data desegregated
by sex, age and admin unit
SD post disaster:
Satellite imagery, Gvt reports, media,
OCHA humanitarian profile, ...
SD post disaster: as in phase I
PD: Community Level Assessment
(CLA)
Needs 1.How does the crisis affect
livelihoods?
2.How does the crisis affect access to
basic services and goods?
PD: spot visits, flyovers
SD pre disaster: Fact Sheets (baseline
information), Disaster summary sheets,
Livelihood profiles, Lessons Learned,
previous flash appeal, WHO
epidemiological profile, EM-DAT,
Prevention web, WFP Seasonal and
hazard calendar, HRW, ICG, etc..
SD post disaster: UN/NGO/clusters initial
reports, media, etc..
PD: Community Level Assessment
(CLA)
SD post disaster: NGO's/UN
assessment reports
Risks 1.What are the risks the population
are exposed to?
2.Which groups (IDPs, residents) are
vulnerable to these risks?
PD: initial assessment
SD pre disaster: Fact Sheets, DSS,
Lessons Learned, previous flash appeal,
WHO epidemiological profile, livelihood
profiles, election agendas, WFP Seasonal
and hazard calendar, HRW, ICG, etc..
SD Post disaster: UN/NGO/clusters
initial reports, media, surveillance
systems, etc..
PD: Community Level Assessment
(CLA)
SD post disaster: NGO's/UN
assessment reports, surveillance
systems
Needs Assessment Task Force
Limitations of the MIRA
Resources, logistics and many other factors related to the
immediate post-emergency context impose limitations on the
overall scope of humanitarian needs assessments.
Secondly, limitations in terms of the quantity and quality of
primary data/information that can be directly collected by an
assessment team in the early phases of an emergency, and that
therefore a considerable amount of information of high
relevance to the assessment of humanitarian needs is drawn
from a range of what will be defined later as secondary sources.
Challenges and Feedback to Date: How do we determine the
“numbers”? Have we identified which secondary data is really
relevant in the early stages of a crisis? What else is required at
the early stages of an emergency to inform good decision-
making?
Distinctive processes or shift in emphasis?
Primary data collection
Phase I Phase II
72 hours 2 weeksEvent
•Addressing similar questions, but answers with shift in precision
•Mostly same sources in phase 1 and 2, but shifts in emphasis
•Consistency in headings of reports: PSD, MIRA, Dashboard
1) Assessment working convened in Cairo, chaired by OCHA
1) Draft MIRA tool adapted to context
1) Access limited
2) Additional categories of analysis (infrastructure)
3) Secondary data review undertaken by sectors in Cairo, using Humanitarian Dashboard as basis for information
4) Questions devised by sectors (generic bank of questions not yet ready)
5) Using experienced investigators from sectors
2) UN agencies, ten sectors/ cross-cutting themes1) Food Security- WFP & FAO
2) Health- WHO
3) WASH- UNICEF
4) Child Protection- UNICEF
5) Logistics- WFP
6) Gender/Psychosocial- UNFPA
7) Migrant Worker issues- IOM
8) Early Recovery- UNDP
9) Protection- UNHCR
10) Coordination- OCHA
The MIRA in Action: Eastern Libya
Needs Assessment Task Force
Phase III – Weeks 3 + 4 -- Single
Cluster/Sector Coordinated In-depth
Assessments
• Each Cluster/Sector coordinates their Assessments.
• Clusters/Sectors should at minimum harmonize their assessments; when possible, conduct them jointly.
• Single Cluster Assessments to be compiled into a Cluster/Sector In-Depth Assessment Reports.
• Assessments are “in-depth”, providing detailed situation and trend analysis, informing the ongoing response, emergency response planning, and revision of response proposals.
• Data collection can occur at household and individual level. The sampling may evolve from purposive to representative
• Analysis occurs within the Cluster but assessments undertaken by each Cluster/Sector should be sufficiently harmonized to allow inter-Cluster/Sector comparison.
Key Humanitarian Indicators
• Indicators are defined as “a characteristic of a population or environment which is subject to measurement (directly or indirectly) and can be used to describe one or more aspects of a humanitarian emergency”
• Indicators are identified by clusters as most representative of their sector. They include needs and output indicators, as well as “top level outcome” indicators
• A database of these indicators is to be maintained on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator. They are to be analysed and tracked using the Dashboard.
Achieving the IASC’s Vision
• What does it mean to have achieved coordination in the area of assessment at the country level?
– The roles and responsibilitiesof OCHA and cluster leads to support the coordination of assessments, analysis and data consolidation have been agreed by the HCT
– A common approach to initial and rapid assessments has been agreed and is supported by the development of data collection tools adapted to the particular setting
– A Humanitarian Dashboard, containing baseline information, is kept up to date with sectoral and inter-sectoral baseline information.
– The capacity of the humanitarian community at the country level has been developed to ensure readiness to carry out a coordinated approach to assessments in the event of an emergency.
– Assessment preparedness is a solid part of the contingency planning and preparedness.
How long will it take?
– A minimum of 4 ongoing emergencies in 2011
– Four preparedness missions
– All new emergencies in 2012
– A 3 to 5 year time frame
