Participatory Assessment Analytical Framework

Aligned with UNHCR’s Global Results Framework, the Participatory Assessment Analytical Framework/Taxonomy is a tool to define which topics will be covered during the participatory assessment and to tag and systematize information collected during the participatory assessment consultations in a standard and useful way. 

The Participatory Analytical Framework/Taxonomy can be downloaded in Excel. UNHCR colleagues can access an online version alongside guidance and other resources via the Participatory Assessment Toolkit. This toolkit provides resources to assist operations to conduct participatory assessments and systematically make use of the findings for operational decision making.

What is a participatory assessment?

A participatory assessment is a process of engaging with displaced and stateless people of all ages, genders and diverse backgrounds and characteristics by organizing a set of structured consultations on one or more UNHCR programmatic and operational areas.

This typically involves organizing separate discussions with different groups of the population, ideally with women, men, boys, girls, older persons, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions and sex characteristics, as well persons belonging to minority groups and indigenous peoples.

The primary aim of a participatory assessment exercise is to collaboratively identify protection risks faced by the various groups within a community, understand their underlying causes, the existing capacities of communities to mitigate these risks and the communities’ proposed solutions, with the view to inform UNHCR’s decision-making on the design and implementation of programmes and activities.