Inclusion of Evidence-Based Approach to Humanitarian Needs Assessment in Flash Appeals

Abstract: According to the humanitarian principle of impartiality, decisions on what to fund in humanitarian crises should be based on a clear identification and prioritization of need. However, both the donors and responders have been reported to not act solely based on the needs. Previous studies indicate that skepticism around the quality of humanitarian needs assessments, especially in Flash Appeal documents concerning funding requests for responding to sudden- onset emergencies, is often given as one of the reasons. Adoption of an evidence- based approach to needs assessments is believed to increase credibility of identification and prioritization of needs and create accountability to respond to the needs of the highest priority. By reviewing all Flash Appeals launched in 2017, the purpose of the thesis is to provide a timely snapshot of how the evidence-based approach is applied to needs assessments in Flash Appeals, what are the current challenges and what are the opportunities for developing the concept. To answer the questions, the study utilizes a literature review, a document analysis and a systematizing expert interview with a representative from UN OCHA’s Coordinated Assessment Support Section. The findings indicate that a clear and well-established definition of the evidence-based approach in a humanitarian context remains unconcluded. Based on the results, the author suggests the following definition: “The evidence-based approach in humanitarian action means the use of credible and transparent evidence to support identification and prioritization of needs, arguments for how the needs can be addressed and why the response works in a given context”. The concept is concluded as inclusion of seven components that can be considered as evidence to support claims in Flash Appeals: context analysis, use of baseline data, transparent sourcing and referencing, transparent methodology, clear terminology and definitions, data disaggregation and data triangulation. Using these components as criteria for evaluation, the results reveal that inclusion of evidence is weak in each Flash Appeal. Identified challenges include lack of capacity and knowledge how to integrate evidence in current practices but also lack of incentives to do so. The study concludes that evidence base in Flash Appeals can be enhanced by setting an agreed-upon definition for the evidence- based approach in the humanitarian context, by increasing preparedness among the agencies developing the appeals through training and simply by paying more attention to transparency of the information used to develop and present requests for funding.