MINIMUM SECTORAL DATA C

11.1 Overview and Function

These guidance notes present key information that should be collected for the distribution and monitoring of core relief items (CRI) throughout the first phase of a refugee emergency. The minimum sectoral data presented in these guidance notes are based on the standards and units of measurement set by the UNHCR Core Relief Items Catalogue (Third Edition). These guidance notes work to establish what all staff members, including an Information Manager, needs to know in order to inform operational planning and an information management strategy.

11.2 How-to Guide

The UNHCR supply officer should lead the overall CRI response with support from the programme officer, protection officer, registration officer, and the Information Manager during the needs assessment and the first phase of an initial emergency response, under the overall direction of the UNHCR Representative.

The Information Manager may assist these efforts by setting up information and data management tracking systems, supporting the inclusion of CRI in the overall emergency needs assessment, and including these sectors in the overall information management strategy.

11.2.1 Minimum sectoral data

The UNHCR Core Relief Items Catalogue, included as annex 3, of this section of the Toolkit, specifies the quality requirements for 13 standard life-sustaining items mentioned below. UNHCR has established international Frame Agreements with a number of manufacturers around the world to secure an effective supply of these core items for an emergency response.  UNHCR also maintains these CRI materials in its central emergency stockpiles in several locations throughout the world, in order to ensure their immediate supply in emergency situations.

When considering the minimum sectoral data for emergency CRI, it is important to note that focal points should take into account the local environment and context-specific cultural practices when analyzing needs and establishing an emergency response. Each emergency operation will need to draw up a specific assessment for the quantity of items to be distributed and the frequency of distribution per person or per family, depending on the environment, cultural considerations and actual needs.

11.2.2 Common core relief items

*Source: UNHCR Core Relief Items Catalogue (3rd Edition, Feb 2012), included as an annex to this section. For each of the Core Relief items mentioned above, the catalogue defines the functional specifications, performance requirements technical and physical characteristics of the products. Please refer to the catalogue directly for more details.

11.3 Steps and Information Requirements to Track CRIs

In order to understand context and inform contingency planning, the CRI focal point(s) should work with the Information Manager, registration and protection colleagues to compile a short written analysis that includes findings on the following:

• Baseline population figures and specific needs by location;
• Secondary data review;
• Who’s Doing What, Where information;
• Establishment of an information/database tracking system;
• Emergency needs assessment (include CRI priorities in the overall assessment for the emergency); and
• Tracking of CRI’s in MSRP (receipt, issuance by warehouse location) and FOCUS.

11.3.1 Establish a baseline population figure and identify specific needs

In the absence of emergency registration data, rapid population estimation figures may be used to establish a baseline population figure. Refer to the Rapid Population Estimation Methods section (Section 5) of this Toolkit for additional information.

 If the emergency registration has been conducted, the registration officer should provide the following baseline information, required for shelter, settlement and CRI analysis and planning:

• Rate of population influx and projection figures, based on population movement trends; and
• Population data by location, broken down by UNHCR age, sex and specific needs cohorts, which have been included in the annexes of the Registration in Emergencies section (Section 4).

An analysis of specific needs by location should be undertaken to ensure that CRI needs of vulnerable persons are identified and addressed. If the emergency registration has not been conducted, data sources for specific needs information may include information gathered during the emergency needs assessment, lists of vulnerable persons identified by community leaders, in addition to lists compiled by specialized NGOs working within the refugee community. The Information Manager may assist with the design of a spreadsheet to track the distribution of CRI to vulnerable families, which can be uploaded into the ProGres database when established.

Population displacements should be monitored on a regular basis through the triangulation of registration, estimation, government data and field reports, to ensure that emerging needs are identified and addressed. Naturally, the prioritization and projection of locations or persons in need of additional support will need to adapt to changing population flows over time, and this updated information should be included in the IM strategy.

Due to logistics considerations, it will be important to agree among partners on a monthly projection figure over the course of at least three months (depending on the situation), in order to ensure the prepositioning of items throughout the procurement, supply and distribution chains.

11.3.2 Conduct a secondary data review

A secondary data review and a short written analysis will need to outline the following:

• The local Government and NGO response capacity for CRI;
• Cultural practices in relation to women addressing hygiene and sanitary needs;
• Practices for cooking and fuel sources;
• Specific clothing or CRI items traditionally used by the population or that will be required due to impending seasonal weather changes;
• Existing CRI coping mechanisms within the refugee community;
• Market survey of locally available CRI materials (in coordination with supply and logistics colleagues to determine the availability of local materials for the development of alternative CRI solutions); and
• Situation-specific issues that may affect CRI planning or distribution.

A secondary data review will highlight gaps in coverage and situational knowledge, both in terms of materials by location and needs.

11.3.3 Emergency needs assessment

In the initial stage of an emergency, an emergency needs assessment should be undertaken to understand the dynamics of the crisis and the contextual implications for CRI. A few key considerations for CRI to be included in the overall emergency needs assessment, to be adapted to the specific emergency situation, include the following:

• Identification of immediate life-saving CRI activities and priorities;
• Identification of potential future problems related to CRI, including projections and contingency planning; and
• Identification of self-supported refugees, those with adequate CRIs provided from their own resources.

The outcome of an emergency needs assessment conducted with partners will highlight CRI priority response areas, and will need to be included in the Information Management strategy. Refer to the Emergency Needs Assessment section (Section 7) for additional information.

11.3.4 Who’s Doing What, Where (3W)

The Information Manager will mainly track activities in the 3W that have been defined as priorities in the information management strategy as an outcome of the emergency needs assessment. In order to begin mapping Who’s Doing What, Where information, the Information Manager may reach out to major partners in IM meetings to begin gathering 3W information for CRI assistance and activities.

11.3.5 Establish an information tracking system on distributions

One of the most important Information Management functions that will need to be conducted in a refugee emergency is the establishment of a database for the tracking and regular updating of UNHCR and partner CRI information. The community level CRI tracking tool, included in the annexes of this section, has been provided for this function. This information will need to cover distribution, warehouse and pipeline, and will need to extend to the lowest geographic level – ideally, down to the settlement level.

The spreadsheet will need to be updated to correspond with UNHCR and partner distribution and planning events, and should highlight possible CRI gaps in terms of distribution coverage, the pipeline, and materials in the warehouse. Stockpile and pipeline information should be recorded in the spreadsheet as an inventory of items that have been provided by a certain cut-off date, by partner and by location.

Given the global overview of CRI needs that may be identified in the database, it will be important for the Information Manager to share and receive updates on a weekly basis with partners, while also regularly highlighting strategic operational needs in IM coordination meetings with partners.

11.3.6 Tracking distribution events

 All distributions should take place with reference to a distribution list. If an emergency registration has been conducted, then the registration officer can provide distribution lists by location with specific needs indicated. If an emergency registration has not been conducted, an informal distribution list at the family level may be compiled by community leaders and merged with lists provided by specialized NGOs, which may also be working within the community.

It will also be important to collaborate with WFP and other organizations conducting distributions within the refugee community, and possibly undertake joint food, shelter and CRI distributions which should be negotiated and coordinated with the host government.

A distribution event should be created each time a distribution occurs. Distribution events should be tracked in ProGres by date, item distributed, distributing organization, and family that received the assistance and that family’s location.

If an emergency registration has not been conducted, then distribution events should be tracked in a spreadsheet after an initial distribution list has been established. The physical presence of individuals at distributions should be indicated on the master distribution list when relief items are supplied to families, and distribution cards marked (if supplied at the time of registration).

Sign-in sheets may also be used during the first emergency distribution in order to establish and further verify an initial distribution list. New arrivals may be indicated by community leaders or registration colleagues and included in the distribution list.

After assistance has been distributed to families, it will be important to cross-check distribution lists to identify individuals who are no longer present in the camps. If an individual or family does not appear for three consecutive distributions, they should be removed from the distribution list (or deregistered in the ProGres database). Keeping an up-to-date distribution list will be necessary to correctly calculate emergency food and CRI needs.

Distribution events may also be calculated over time in order to evaluate distribution capacity, which will help the supply officer make decisions regarding the supply chain, and monitor the life-span of items distributed.

The supply, programme and logistics officers/focal points should be able to calculate anticipated delays in ordering and transport that will need to be factored into the overall planning and distribution activities.

11.3.7 Tracking of CRI’s in MSRP and FOCUS

If there is no supply and logistics colleague on the ground than programme colleagues should ensure that CRI information is tracked from the onset of the emergency in the MSRP update warehouse. For additional information please see the SOPs on Inventory or Warehouse Management (chapter 8), included with this section as annex 5, in addition to supporting Warehouse Management forms, included as annex 4.

The programme officer should be responsible for updating the core set of emergency indicators for Supply, if the Supply and logistics officer has not yet been deployed.

11.4 Monitoring

The continued updating, monitoring and analysis of the shelter, settlement and CRI database will inform the overall shelter, settlement and CRI emergency response, and will highlight ongoing and emerging gaps in UNHCR and partner emergency response. Continuous monitoring and evaluation of the situation is needed to ensure up-to-date information on factors such as the following:

• Capacity of the stakeholders involved in CRI distribution;
• Emerging CRI needs;
• Protection issues, which should be closely monitored through colleagues, partners and field reports;
• Updated registration information, broken down by family size and location; and
• Distribution of CRI items to beneficiaries, broken down by types and location.

11.5 Information Management Products

Analysis and summaries of needs by location, vulnerabilities and gaps should be included in the camp profiles, SitReps and mapping at the beginning of a refugee emergency to coincide with any major changes in the population.

The UNHCR emergency web portal also has a feature to illustrate distributions undertaken to date in an operation. However, this application may be turned on or off depending on the information requirements of the UNHCR office responding to the emergency.

11.6 Technical Support

In the event that no CRI expert has been deployed as part of the initial emergency response, consult internally within the operation to gather available information and decide how the Information Manager can assist senior managers with required steps. The UNHCR Supply Management Logistics Service may be contacted for additional advice.