UNHCR-WFP collaboration in Rwanda: Moving to needs based assistance for Refugees

For many years, UNHCR and WFP assistance for food and basic needs in Rwanda had been provided to all refugees living in camps. Both agencies recognized that while there are still high levels of vulnerability, not all refugees in Rwanda are equally vulnerable and in need of long-term humanitarian assistance.

Since May 2021 UNHCR and WFP moved to a needs-based targeting approach for the provision of cash for food assistance to refugees in camps, with support from the UNHCR-WFP Joint Hub with the following objectives:

Identify and support the most vulnerable refugee households in need of humanitarian assistance and less vulnerable refugees with higher capacities who would benefit from livelihoods support, while

Ensuring the greatest protection outcomes through strong community participation, communications with refugee communities, and risk analysis to inform the approach.

UNHCR-WFP staff reflect on progress so far…

In the above video, Ndèye Aissatou M. Ndiaye, UNHCR Representative, Edith Heines, WFP Country Director, Inka Himanen, WFP Head of Programme, and Zahra Mirghani, UNHCR Senior Protection Officer, reflect on the progress made so far.

For more information on UNHCR and WFP move to a needs-based targeting approach in Rwanda, you can read a four-page summary here.

Joint Assessment Mission for Nigerian Refugees in Far North Region in Cameroon

With support from the UNHCR-WFP Joint Programme Excellence and Targeting Hub, UNHCR and WFP undertook a joint assessment mission for Nigerian refugees in the Far North region in Cameroon. The assessment aimed to inform the understanding of household vulnerability and future programme design.

The assessment found that almost half of Nigerian refugee households in Minawao settlement and in the host community of the Far North are highly vulnerable. The assessment also found that while access to basic services is more favourable in Minawao settlement than in the areas in its vicinity, households residing in the host community have relatively better livelihood opportunities. Against the background of high vulnerability levels, more than half of refugee households resort to negative coping strategies to meet essential needs and the economic capacity to meet essential needs using available resources at household level is greatly limited.

The survey was designed to generate statistically representative findings for both the refugee population residing in Minawao settlement and the refugee population living among the local host population in the settlement´s vicinity. Primary data was collected through a structured household questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions.

The full report is available here.

Cameroon: Joint Assessment of Nigerian Refugees

Read the report

Integrating Protection and AAP in Assessments and Monitoring

The UNHCR-WFP Joint Programme Excellence and Targeting Hub have developed a new technical resource on integrating protection and accountability to affected people in assessments and monitoring exercises.

This technical brief provides a selection of suggested core and supplementary questions concerning protection and accountability to affected people (AAP) that can be included in household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews that are carried out as part of UNHCR and WFP joint assessments or monitoring.

The questions presented in this brief have been adapted from UNHCR and WFP surveys and questionnaires in country operations supported by the Joint Hub as well as other available tools.

Read here

Designing and Implementing Joint Feedback Mechanisms

The UNHCR-WFP Joint Programme Excellence and Targeting Hub have developed a new technical resource on Designing and Implementing Joint Feedback Mechanisms.

The document provides a guide for WFP and UNHCR country operations on how to maximise accountability, effectiveness and efficiencies through the design and implementation of joint feedback mechanisms. The guide can also be used to navigate the participation of other UN or NGO partners in any closely coordinated or joint feedback mechanisms.

These documents provide UNHCR and WFP country offices with a set of four different options for joining feedback and complaints mechanisms, from closely coordinated to fully merged, with practical tips on how to implement these.

Alongside the obvious efficiencies in combining feedback mechanisms, joint feedback mechanisms make it easier for people of concern to share feedback and complaints, thereby improving their experiences of communicating with humanitarian and development actors.

By joining feedback mechanisms, a comprehensive overview of feedback and complaints shared by community members, and the follow-up required by relevant actors can be captured through centralised data and referral management. This centralised data and referral management helps to facilitate joint analysis on feedback data (including on key trends), to inform programmatic and strategic decision making so assistance is continuously adapted and improved.

How the UNHCR-WFP Joint Hub is promoting and supporting collaboration in Mauritania

An Interview with Ziad Ayoubi and Paulo Oliveira

Since 2020, UNHCR and WFP have been supported by the UNHCR-WFP Joint Programme Excellence and Targeting Hub in Mauritania, working with the local government to improve refugee self-reliance and resilience by including refugees in national social protection programmes, improving livelihoods, and ensuring access to basic needs and services.

In this Q&A, Ziad Ayoubi, the UNHCR Deputy Representative, and Paulo Oliveira, the WFP Deputy Country Director talk about the support provided by the Joint Hub in Mauritania and reflect on the progress so far.

Paulo Oliveira, WFP Deputy Country Director, and Ziad Ayoubi, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Mauritania twitter.com/ziadayoubi. © UNHCR/ Ziad Ayoubi

1. How did you benefit from the support provided by the Hub?

Ziad: Both our operation in Mauritania and WFP requested support from the Hub for the design and implementation of a joint targeting strategy – which ensures that basic-needs assistance is provided to those most in-need – according to socio-economic aspects to identify the most vulnerable refugees. Together, we leveraged this technical support to connect with the government of Mauritania and the World Bank, aiming to include refugees in national social protection programmes.

Paulo: The Hub provided support on a range of technical aspects – all essential for the development of the targeting strategy – including how we share, use, and analyse data; how we manage risks; and how we involve the community in decision making. Since these exercises are not done very often, as it is difficult to keep technical resources for targeting in-country, having this capability to fill technical gaps was very important.

2. What was the main value the Hub brought to our Mauritania operation?

Paulo: One of the main added values was the neutral role the Hub played. Because of different mandates and approaches, sometimes it can be difficult to reach a consensus – having an interlocutor who represents a joint interest is important. The constant follow-up from the Hub also helped us to keep things moving forward – sticking to timelines in a very technically complex process – ensuring we met the needs of the people we serve in a timely manner, and having two-way discussions through broad consultations.

Ziad: What also worked very well was the good collaboration between WFP and UNHCR, in addition to having an in-country consultant designated by the Hub to assist in the process. The work that was done with support from the Hub was incredibly different from the work that was done before; the Hub prepared the ground for decision making, always providing options – we were then able to make informed decisions because of all the background insight and knowledge.

3. What have you achieved so far through the Hub’s support?

Ziad: We were able to achieve our common objectives to improve refugee self-reliance and resilience – the people we serve continued to be the priority in our collaboration. The technical support provided by the Hub allowed us to have a fair targeting and to identify those who are most vulnerable based on socio-economic aspects. This included secure data sharing processes – following our data protection principles – to determine eligible households; an assessment conducted with refugees to better understand their needs; and the development of a joint targeting strategy to identify those most vulnerable.

Paulo: Thanks to the Hub’s support, we had a very technically sound process based on common agreements – we were able to expand and be quicker in our response, bringing great improvement to the lives of refugees. For example, we are supporting over 1,000 income-generating activities, as well as ensuring the conservation of environmental, soil and water assets through livelihood interventions (relief-based interventions that involve providing food and meeting other essential needs), seeking to reduce the pressure on natural resources.

4. What is your advice to an operation seeking support from the Hub?

Paulo: Be very clear on what your expectations are – it is very tempting to have a 10-page Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Hub with everything that you want. But prioritizing and being pragmatic is very important to create a clear ToR that will be useful in guiding the entire process.

Ziad: Have initial discussions on each step at the beginning of the process, getting full clarity on different roles and responsibilities to ensure all those involved know how and when to engage.

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More information on UNHCR and WFP’s work in collaboration with the Government of Mauritania to support the inclusion of refugees in the national social safety net can be found here.

Community consultations to inform targeting and prioritization

Building on the UNHCR-WFP Joint Guidance on Targeting, the UNHCR-WFP Joint Programme Excellence and Targeting Hub have developed a new technical resource on conducting community consultations to inform targeting and prioritization exercises.

The document highlights key considerations and learning from the Joint Hub’s experience of supporting community consultation exercises in Cameroon, Mauritania, Rwanda, and Uganda and focuses on the use of community consultations during the validation stage of the targeting or prioritization process.

Read here