Acaps (Assessment Capacities) will provide needs assessment data in the early phase of sudden onset disasters. This will be done by setting up and training a global roster of experienced needs assessment specialists. From this roster, ACAPS will then deploy teams to support up to 14 assessment preparedness or needs assessment missions during 2010-2011.

60 members
“NRC is responsible for the recruitment process, deployment and for management of the roster. We aim at developing a roster of 60 members, who be deployed to support the coordination of multi-sectoral needs assessments,” said Benedicte Giæver, director of the NRC Emergency Response Department.

Acaps is being set up under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Standing Committe (IASC) Needs Assessment Task Force (NATF). The project is a joint initiative of the NATF (represented by OCHA) and a consortium of NGOs – HelpAge International, Merlin and NRC. Key partners will include the Overseas Development Institute, Tufts University, the Karolinska Institute, Columbia University and, relating specifically to building in-country capacities, the Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB).

Accessible expertise
Acaps is about providing accessible expertise, timely data and rigorous analysis to inform decision making by national governments and IASC humanitarian country teams in times of crisis. Its strategy is to support in-country capacities, both to prepare for and to respond to crises through better coordinated multi-sectoral needs assessments. A common approach for assessments will be developed by the NATF while acknowledging contextual variations and the need to build on existing strengths of IASC humanitarian teams.