Joint Assessment Missions (JAM)

The JAM Practical Guide has been developed to ensure timely planning and to facilitate the overall process of conducting joint UNHCR/WFP assessment missions. Together with the annexes, it outlines the process and tools required to conduct a JAM. The JAM Practical Guide is a condensed update of the JAM guidelines published in 2008, based on feedback by users. It emphasizes the process and design of a JAM with renewed focus on food security and nutrition.

The package includes three documents:

• Joint Assessment Missions - a Practical Guide to Planning and Implementation outlines the standard JAM process and methodology. It provides practical guidance on how to implement each step of a JAM in a brief 45-page step-wise guidance. It also includes practical tools, such as proposed JAM team structures, detailed JAM timeline, templates for and examples of JAM Terms of References, Joint Plan of Action and report, as well as tools to facilitate data collection and analysis.
• Joint Assessment Missions - Technical Guidance Sheets provide additional guidance on selected technical issues. These include: Refugees in urban areas; Market analysis; Protection; Transfer modalities; Environment and energy; Planning for general food aid rations; and Logistics and storage in food aid distributions.
• Joint Assessment Missions - Rapid JAM outlines an abbreviated and rapid JAM methodology, to be used notably when a rapid assessment has to be carried out as a response to a new emergency and/or a new influx of refugees. It also includes a check list of questions and information normally collected in a Rapid JAM.

• Joint Assessment Missions - a Practical Guide to Planning and Implementation
• Joint Assessment Missions - Technical Guidance Sheets
• Joint Assessment Missions - Rapid JAM

Unzip the files below on your local drive to get all the links mentioned in the JAM documents:

• Links, Notes and References
• UNHCR Handbook for Emergencies, Third Edition

Training films, August 2015:

Six short, 5-minute JAM training videos were developed to further facilitate country-led JAM processes. They reflect the JAM Operational Guidance and aim to improve the understanding of the JAMs, targeting different audiences.

• "Joint Assessment Missions" is an overall summary of the JAM purpose and process, intended to be viewed by management and decision-makers.
• The series of five technical videos are intended to be watched by staff who will be involved in a JAM process:
  • "JAM Operational Guidance" gives an overview of available guidance and existing tools.
  • "JAM Process" explains briefly the different steps of a JAM, from planning to reporting and action plan.
  • "Planning and Preparation" describes what is required in order to plan and prepare for a successful JAM.
  • "Information and Data Collection" shows how to collect relevant information and data through quantitative and qualitative methods using secondary and primary sources.
  • "Analysis and Reporting" describes how information is analysed, how a JAM report is written and a Joint Plan of Action developed.

The footage used within the videos was filmed during the Ethiopia 2014 JAM.

See also:

• Joint Assessment Mission Reports [English] - [French - link to the French website]