The Needs Assessment Task Force developed this Operational Guidance for Coordinated Assessments in Humanitarian Crises to help realise the goal of better quality and more timely assessments through coordinated processes. It was not developed to fill a lack of assessment guidelines and tools, but rather to provide guidance for those seeking to make informed decisions on the coordination of assessments (harmonized or joint). The Operational Guidance was developed primarily on the basis of experiences gained during the early phases of large-scale quick-onset natural disasters, but it is also applicable to other types of crises. It provides guidance to coordinate assessments as well as technical tools in the annexes.
This Operational Guidance is divided in four sections:
- The first provides background on the purpose, audience and scope of the document.
- The second defines coordinated assessments and describes key actions to be taken, roles and responsibilities, as well as common principles to be considered when undertaking them.
- The third provides recommendations on the types of coordinated assessments that can be carried out during the different phases that follow an emergency, and proposes standard operating procedures for doing so.
- The fourth outlines key preparedness measures to prepare for coordinated assessments.
