The Needs Assessment Handbook consolidates existing policies, practices and guidance, and represents the first guidance UNHCR has produced on needs assessments that applies to all sectors, situations, methods, and populations of concern.  

Needs assessment practices and requirements evolve over time as new operational environments emerge. For example, the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) will amplify refugee host population voices in needs assessments. In order to respond to and capture changes, ideas and the dialogue, UNHCR has developed this site as a way to access materials, tools, request for field support and introduce a feedback mechanism. While the site is currently in development, it will evolve to serve as the host location for UNHCR needs assessment dialogue, tool exchange and updates.  This is part of our wider commitment to continue to professionalize needs assessment practices in order to improve protection outcomes for the populations we serve.

We look forward to your participation and ongoing feedback. Questions, comments, feel free to let us know! (HQNA@unhcr.org)

UNHCR operations have been conducting collaborative, protection-sensitive needs assessments for years. However, the rigour demanded by donors and formalized over the last few years requires UNHCR to engage in more formal, methodologically sound, and transparent processes for joint assessments and joint analysis. As we aim to improve protection outcomes, we must advance our abilities to prioritize responses based on evidence, established by stronger analysis.

The Needs Assessment Handbook brings to light the importance of having an assessment strategy. By linking various types of assessments to a strategy, to ongoing monitoring, and to regular joint analysis based on a plan, UNHCR can significantly improve response activities and, ultimately, our operational relevance. The Handbook rightfully emphasizes a shift from assessments as an isolated activity at the start of programming to the use of assessments as a practice within an ongoing exploration for evidence and priority. 

The Needs Assessment Handbook changes how we approach data collation, collection and analysis in our assessment activities, and clarifies the relationships between many UNHCR data activities, terms, concepts, and simplifies the UNHCR data environment. Needs assessments are one of the core UNHCR protection information management systems and have important linkages to other data activities such as programme and protection monitoring, population data management and case management tools. The linkages between the systems must be understood to foster a healthy data environment.