Improving needs assessments

This paper is an input to the discussion of how to improve current assessment practice in the humanitarian sector. It is informed by the experience of the Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS). ACAPS is based on the premise that in order for the humanitarian sector to make the best decisions, humanitarian action must be based on an objective and impartial assessment of the needs of the affected populations and they risk they face. The discussion within the humanitarian community of how to achieve this goal is characterized by a good deal of confusion and strongly divergent opinions. There is a tendency for the discussion to be framed as a choice between a) strengthening the capacity of the system to produce impartial or objective assessments and b) an alternative independent assessment setup where the main actors driving the assessment process do not have any operational role.