Needs Assessment Handbook

The UNHCR 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. 

The Handbook is structured in two parts:

Part I is recommended for all audiences, defines need assessments and their different types; describes coordination modalities; outlines the roles and responsibilities of different actors in refugee situations, IDP situations, and mixed situations; provides an overview of the steps to conduct needs assessments and the principles that should guide them; and explains the relationship between needs assessments and other information systems.

Part II provides detailed practical guidance on how to conduct needs assessments in the field. It can be used as a reference text, with readers referring to specific steps and sections as needed based on their role in the operation or the needs assessment, and the type of situation.

The materials in the UNHCR Assessment and Monitoring Resource Centre have been designed to complement the Needs Assessment Handbook with additional resources to help design and implement assessment and monitoring exercises.