Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff) including accessing DREF and emergency appeal as funding mechanisms

www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network, reaching 150 million people each year through our 187 member National Societies. Together, we act before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. We do so with impartiality as to nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, class and political opinions. Guided by Strategy 2020 – our collective plan of action to tackle the major humanitarian and development challenges of this decade – we are committed to ‘saving lives and changing minds’. Our strength lies in our volunteer network, our community-based expertise and our independence and neutrality. We work to improve humanitarian standards, as partners in development and in response to disasters. We persuade decision-makers to act at all times in the interests of vulnerable people. The result: we enable healthy and safe communities, reduce vulnerabilities, strengthen resilience and foster a culture of peace around the world.

© International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva, 2012 Copies of all or part of this study may be made for non-commercial use, providing the source is acknowledged The IFRC would appreciate receiving details of its use. Requests for commercial reproduction should be directed to the IFRC at [email protected]. All photos used in this guidelines are copyright of the IFRC unless otherwise indicated. Cover photo: Ngoc Bich/IFRC; Syrian Arab Red Crescent; Victor Lacken/IFRC.

P.O. Box 372 CH-1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Telephone: +41 22 730 4222 Telefax: +41 22 733 0395 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.ifrc.org

Guidance on the management of emergency operations 1260100 E 08/2013

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network, reaching 150 million people each year through our 187 member National Societies. Together, we act before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. We do so with impartiality as to nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, class and political opinions. Guided by Strategy 2020 – our collective plan of action to tackle the major humanitarian and development

challenges of this decade – we are committed to ‘saving lives and changing minds’. Our strength lies in our volunteer network, our community-based expertise and our independence and neutrality. We work to improve humanitarian standards, as partners in development and in response to disasters. We persuade decision-makers to act at all times in the interests of vulnerable people. The result: we enable healthy and safe communities, reduce vulnerabilities, strengthen resilience and foster a culture of peace around the world.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Table of contents Purpose of the guidance What is this guide about? Who is it for? How the guidance for IFRC staff is structured? Emergency plan of action

2 2 3 3 5

The Emergency plan of action steps to develop and update

6

Phase 1 immediately before de disaster Phase 2 immediately afer the disaster Phase 3 two to four weeks after the disaster Phase 4: From one month onwards Phase 5: Last month(s) of the operation Phase 6: Up to three months after the end of the operation

6 8 10 12 13 14

Purpose of the guidance What is this guide about? This step-by-step guide is aimed at guiding the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) secretariat staff to support National Societies in: • going through the planning, monitoring and reporting process for emergency operations • developing and revising an emergency plan of action (EPoA) • making a request for funding from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF), if required • managing and reporting on DREF operations • preparing an emergency appeal, if necessary. This guidance is to be read in conjunction with the step-by-step guide for National Societies which defines the activities to be taken and the information to be provided to the IFRC in preparing an initial or revised EPoA, operation update(s) and the final report. The guidance is developed in a checklist format and is designed to provide the necessary information to prepare an EPoA for both a DREF operation and an emergency appeal. The document is arranged to simulate or mirror the different phases of an operation: from pre-disaster to final reporting. It also provides links to existing procedures, guidelines and tools that can prove useful for needs assessment, planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on emergency operations. If a DREF allocation is required, the EPoA template will be used to present the DREF request and will be used for the DREF bulletin. To revise the DREF operation plan or budget, or to develop a progress report at a later stage, the EPoA

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

update template should be used; for the final report, the EPoA final report template should be used. For DREF-funded operations, these templates will replace the current DREF operation bulletin, update and final report and will be posted on the IFRC’s public website. When an emergency appeal is developed, the initial EPoA should be further elaborated on as the needs and response evolve, including as many revisions as necessary. The initial and revised versions of the EPoA will be considered internal operation management documents, which will be shared on the Disaster Management Information System (DMIS) or FedNet, but will not be shared on the IFRC’s public website. The information in the initial and revised EPoA will be used to develop the emergency appeal and emergency appeal updates. The emergency appeal will summarize the information in the EPoA and market it with prospective donors and the public. It will also be revised as appropriate and reported on through the standard operations update.

Who is it for? This guide is for all the IFRC’s secretariat staff − country or regional representatives, disaster management coordinators, zone disaster management and technical advisors and anyone supporting a National Society in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of a DREF operation. This guidance should be used in conjuction with the guidance for National Societies. The zone approved procedures and processes for developing and approving DREF requests and preparing emergency appeals should be respected and this guidance does not intend to supersede any of these agreed procedures or processes.

How is the guidance for IFRC staff structured? The timeline below shows the different chronological phases of an emergency response operation. This and the National Society guidance document follow these chronological phases and provide step-by-step guidance at each phase. The guidance for supporting a National Society to prepare, revise, monitor and report on an emergency plan is in a checklist format. The EPoA should be revised and developed progressively over each phase, based on on-going assessments, analysis and monitoring and the IFRC guidance provides tips and reminders on how best to support the National Society. If the National Society needs financial support from the IFRC to carry out its operation, please refer to the Guidance on the Emergency Plan of Action for National Societies document. Both these documents provide reminders on what is needed to request a DREF allocation, revise the DREF operation plan of action, the budget and/or timeframe and report on the use of DREF funds, as appropriate for each phase. If the operation calls for a larger-scale response, the Guidance on the emergency plan of acton for National Societies as well as this document will provide guidance on the steps necessary to develop, monitor and report on the EPoA for an operation covered by an emergency appeal.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Operation timeline - Chronological phases

Saving and sustaining lives

Preparing for response

Disaster emergency situation

Before the diaster (3 weeks to 1 day before)

What is happening ? Implementation Assessment Planning & Monitoring

Emergency response preparedness

Review & Evaluation

Monitoring of situation Initial Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA)

Immediately after the disaster (1 day to 2 weeks after)

Immediate response

Initial assessment

2 to 4 weeks after the disaster

Immediate response

Futher assessment

Restoring safe living conditions and livelihoods

Revised EPoA as needed

4

From one month onwards

Implementation of planned activities and if necessary revision of operational strategy activities

Last month of the operation

1-3 months after the end of the operation

Ongoing monitoring of situation and operation Revised EPoA (mainly timeframe extension if necessary)

Real-time evaluation, review, mid-term and final evaluation, lessons learned workshop, beneficiary satisfaction survey

Emergency response preparedness Final report

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Emergency plan of action What is an EPoA? The EPoA is the main operational management tool recommended for all types of emergency operations. It not only supports effective delivery of emergency response, but it is also the basis for mobilizing resources for response activities. It helps in the planning, delivering, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on an operation. It is based on the analysis of disaster impact and damage, needs of the affected populations and the capacities of various actors to address those needs. It is to be considered as a living document that is constantly updated as more information becomes available or as changes in the situation become evident. It follows the structure of a logical framework, defining objectives, activities and inputs. As good practice it should also include the analysis that led to the definition of planned actions. In almost all emergency situations there will be an immediate response to save lives before any kind of formal assessment takes place. This immediate action is often based on limited information that is available regarding the impact of the disaster in the initial days, and is dependent upon the contingency planning carried out by National Societies in coordination with others for a given disaster scenario. At the same time, as the immediate life-saving actions, assessment of damage and needs will start and allow for planning the rest of the response operation. An initial EPoA should be prepared as soon as possible after a disaster so that activities can be carried out in a structured way and tracked against the initial plan. The initial version can be a light document at the outset. Once more information is available on the damage and needs as well as the capacities of other actors to respond, a more detailed plan of action can be prepared for the rest of the operation. This good practice of continuous assessment and subsequent revision of the plan of action is promoted by and necessary when using the global disaster response mechanisms of the IFRC, including the DREF and the emergency appeal mechanisms. Depending on the scale of the response, the operation may be carried out with National Society resources and national funding. If they are not sufficient and a DREF grant is requested, the EPoA will be the basis for requesting, monitoring and reporting on the DREF operation. Similarly, if it is necessary to launch an emergency appeal, the EPoA will provide the basis for planning, monitoring and reporting on the operation.

Who is responsible for the EPoA? The manager of the operation in the National Society, who will be leading the implementation of the operation, should be responsible for preparing and revising the EPoA. The relevant IFRC disaster management delegate can support them in this. In the case of major disasters, where global surge capacity is deployed by the secretariat, the responsibility for preparing an initial plan of action will often be assigned to a Field Coordination and Assessment Team (FACT).

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Steps to develop and update an emergency plan of action Phase 1: Immediately before the disaster – preparing for an imminent disaster or crisis Checklist - Steps for supporting the National Society in developing an EPoA for an imminent disaster or crisis. What is expected at this point:

Recommendations and steps to follow in supporting the National Society to prepare for imminent crisis and to make a DREF request, if necessary • DMIS report • If funding from DREF is needed: DREF request for preparedness for imminent crisis • Initial EPoA and budget to support DREF request. 1) Contact the National Society to find out what it is doing in preparation for the disaster. 2) Inform zone disaster manager (DM) and ask for advice, if needed. Ensure that DMIS is posted. 3) 4) Check early warning sites and information from other agencies to triangulate information on imminent crisis that can be shared to back up DREF application. 5)  Refer to the guidance for National Societies for preparing an EPoA for any early warning and emergency response preparedness activities immediately before the disaster. 6) Encourage the National Society to activate its contingency plan: mobilize and equip staff and volunteers; pre-position human and material resource; review and pre-position their preparedness stocks; review means of transport available; plan emergency activities that will be necessary immediately after the disaster, 7) Provide technical guidance, if needed, in defining the planned activities and find out if the National Society needs any technical support to implement the operation (i.e., assistance in a specific technical sector; or assistance in conducting a needs assessment, market assessment; developing a detailed plan of action, assistance in procurement and logistics; implementing cash transfer programmes, or monitoring and reporting on the operation). If the National Society does not have expertise in any sector in which activities are planned, discuss where technical support could come from (regional/ zone/global level). Discuss with zone DM the possibility of pre-positioning human resources (Regional Disaster Response Teams (RDRTs) or global surge capacity, technical expertise/consultants.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

8) Check with the National Society if the ICRC has been informed of or is participating in the planned activities. If the ICRC is present in the country, inform the ICRC representative and discuss cooperation with them. Also provide information on any present Participating National Society in-country and planning to respond and consider the steps for coordination with Participating National Society partners. 9) Check with the National Society if coordination mechanisms are in place/any cluster activated. 10) Explore with the National Society whether it has access to sufficient funding to carry out this emergency response preparedness and any immediate response activities that will be necessary immediately after the disaster, including an initial needs assessment. 11) If the National Society needs financial support, check the eligibility of the planned response for DREF with the zone DM. 12) Verify if the National Society has any overdue un-cleared working advances or any overdue reports. These should be cleared before further funding can be provided by the DREF. 13) Draft the brief EPoA using the template based on information provided by the National Society and the information available. The likely sectors are early warning, emergency response preparedness, needs assessment and other emergency actions such as emergency health (first aid), shelter (for those evacuated) or emergency food. In case a cash transfer programme is being considered, a market assessment can also be covered by DREF. Select from Annex 1 or define overall goal, outcomes and outputs based on the National Society’s planned activities. Ensure that it reflects what has been agreed to with the National Society. 14) Help the National Society prepare a budget based on planned activities. a. Include the costs of emergency relief items or the replenishment of National Society stocks (through IFRC sources, if appropriate, and requested by the National Society). b. Calculate how much the transport, warehousing and distribution of relief items will cost, monitoring of distributions, etc., or the implementation of a cash transfer programme (cash/voucher fees and distribution costs). c. Calculate the costs of mobilizing volunteers and National Society staff involved in the operation, including: insurance, equipment and visibility items, training, travel costs and per diem. d. Operational support costs (such as human resources, logistics, communications, office costs or financial charges) can be included in the budget. These are costs that have been generated by the emergency situation. These should be reasonable and not include normal National Society running costs. At this stage only include the operational costs essential to carrying out activities during the first days or weeks of the operation. e. Include the costs of providing IFRC technical support to the National Society (but not normal staff or office running costs). 15) Have the budget validated by finance staff at country/regional level. 16) Send EPoA and budget to the zone for validation and preparation of the DREF request. 17) Ensure that all information is available for a DREF request to be approved. 18) Zone DM to submit to Geneva for approval. (Link to DREF procedures – process flowchart). 19) Once approved, share the finalized and validated budget and plan of action with the National Society for their monitoring and reference. 20) Ensure that there is a Memorandum of Understanding/letter of agreement in place for a working advance so that funds can be transferred as soon as they arrive. In the agreement, specify: a. The amounts to be transferred with a breakdown of what costs the IFRC’s secretariat will cover and what National Society costs the working advance will cover. b. The focal points in the National Society and the IFRC secretariat that will be responsible for the operation. c. The details necessary to carry out a bank transfer. d. The dates of the transfer(s) and, if relevant, the date of any intermediate report as a pre-condition for obtaining the remaining part of the working advance. e. The date the National Society needs to make the final financial and narrative report. This should be at least a month before the final DREF report is due. 21) Provide emergency funding to the National Society, if required, once project has been opened, but money not yet transferred (cash request). 22) Post the DREF plan of action on www.ifrc.org.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Phase 2: Immediately after the disaster Checklist - Steps for supporting the National Society in developing an EPoA for immediate response. What is expected at this point:

Recommendations and steps to follow in supporting the National Society in developing an initial EPoA for immediate response and making a DREF request, if necessary • DMIS report • If funding from the DREF is necessary: DREF request for immediate response • Initial EPoA and budget to support the DREF request • If a sizeable disaster, Initial EPoA and preliminary emergency appeal plus start-up DREF request. 1) Contact the National Society immediately after the disaster to offer assistance and to find out what it is doing. 2) Inform zone DM and ask for advice, if needed. 3) Ensure that DMIS is posted. 4) Refer to the guidance for National Societies for preparing an EPoA for immediate response following a disaster. 5) Encourage the National Society to activate its contingency plan and to provide immediate assistance including mobilization and equipment of staff and volunteers, the distribution any appropriate relief items they have in their preparedness stocks as these can be replenished by the DREF or emergency appeal. Also encourage the National Society to consider the possibility of cash/voucher distribution instead of in-kind items if the conditions are suitable. 6) Help the National Society to define the scale of the disaster, assess their realistic capacity to respond and estimate the scope of their response. The National Society should also assess if the response is likely to be viable with national assistance/funding or whether DREF or an emergency appeal will be needed. 7) Provide technical guidance, if needed, in defining the planned activities and find out if the National Society needs any technical support to implement the operation (i.e., assistance in a specific technical sector; or assistance in conducting the needs assessment, a market assessment; developing a detailed plan of action; assistance in procurement and logistics; implementing cash transfer programmes; or monitoring and reporting on the operation). If the National Society does not have expertise in any sector in which activities are planned, discuss where technical support could come from (regional/zone/global level). Discuss with zone DM the need for additional human resources (RDRT or global surge capacity, technical expertise/consultants). 8) Explore with the National Society whether it has access to sufficient funding to carry out this operation, and depending on the scale of the response necessary define if it Is likely to be a smallscale operation for which DREF is used as a grant or a large-scale operation for which DREF is used as a start-up loan and an emergency appeal should be launched. In both cases encourage the National Society to request start-up funding as soon as possible based on available information and to revise it once a more detailed needs assessment has been carried out. If you need advice, contact the zone DM coordinator. 9) Check with the National Society if the ICRC has been informed of or is participating in the planned activities. If the ICRC is present in the country, inform the ICRC representative and discuss cooperation with them. Also provide information on any Participating National Society present in-country and contributing to the response and consider the steps for coordination with Participating National Society partners. 10) Check with the National Society if coordination mechanisms are in place/any cluster activated. If the emergency shelter cluster is being activated inform the zone DM coordinator. Check eligibility for DREF. (Link to DREF procedures – DREF criteria and eligibility). 11)

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

12) Draft the brief EPoA using the planning template based on information provided by the National Society and the information available. Select from Annex 1 or define overall goal, outcomes and outputs based on information on the needs and the National Society’s planned activities. Ensure that it reflects what has been agreed to with the National Society. 13) Help the National Society to prepare a budget based on the planned activities. a. Calculate the cost of procuring or replacing relief items (in-kind/cash/voucher) and discuss with IFRC logistics and finance teams the best way of doing this. b. Calculate how much the transport, warehousing and distribution of relief items will cost, monitoring of distributions, etc., or the implementation of a cash transfer programme (cash/voucher fees and distribution costs). c. Calculate the costs of volunteers and National Society staff involved in the operation, including: insurance, equipment and visibility items, training, travel costs and per diem. d. Include the costs of carrying out a detailed need assessment, including IFRC support, if necessary. Remember that needs assessment can be covered by a DREF allocation, as well as an emergency appeal, when the DREF allocation also meets some of the immediate needs of those affected. e. In case the National Society is implementing a cash transfer programme, also include the costs of carrying out a detailed market assessment, including IFRC support, if necessary. f. Operational support costs (such as human resources, logistics, communications, office costs or financial charges) can be included in the budget. These are costs that have been generated by an emergency situation. These should be reasonable and not include normal National Society running costs. In the case of a relief operation they should be not more than one-third of the total budget. g. Include the costs of providing IFRC technical support to the National Society. h. Remember that all costs incurred and activities carried out since the disaster may be included in the budget. 14) Have the budget validated by finance staff at country/regional level. 15) Send EPoA and budget to the zone for validation and preparation of the DREF request. 16) Ensure that all information is available for a DREF request or emergency appeal to be approved. 17) Zone DM to submit to Geneva for approval. (Link to DREF procedures – process flowchart). 18) Once approved, share the finalized and validated budget and plan of action with the National Society for their monitoring and reference. 19) Ensure that there is a Memorandum of Understanding/letter of agreement in place for a working advance so that funds can be transferred as soon as they arrive. In the agreement, specify: a. The amounts to be transferred with a breakdown of what costs the IFRC’s secretariat will cover and what National Society costs the working advance will cover. b. The focal points in the National Society and the IFRC secretariat that will be responsible for the operation. c. The details necessary to carry out a bank transfer. d. The dates of the transfer(s) and, if relevant, the date of any intermediate report as a pre-condition for getting the remaining part of the working advance. e. The date the National Society needs to make the final financial and narrative report. This should be at least a month before the final DREF report is due. 20) Provide emergency funding to the National Society, if required, once project has been opened, but money not yet transferred (cash request). 21) Post the EPoA for the DREF operation or emergency appeal on www.ifrc.org.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Phase 3: Two to four weeks after the disaster Checklist - Steps for supporting the National Society in undertaking further assessment and analysis and revising their initial plan of action What is expected at this point:

Recommendations and steps to follow in supporting the National Society to continuously assess the impact of the disaster and the needs and revise planned action/DREF/emergency appeal, if necessary • Initial or additional DREF request or emergency appeal revision (if necessary at this stage) • Initial or revised EPoA and budget to support the revised DREF request or emergency appeal. 1) If the National Society has not yet prepared an initial EPoA, refer to the guidance under ‘Immediately after the disaster.’ 2) Encourage the National Society to carry out detailed needs assessment in consultation with affected populations, and revise planned strategy and actions accordingly. This can be done any time during the first month of the operation, and again during the implementation as necessary if the situation and needs change in a significant way (not for minor changes). Encourage them and assist in market monitoring if cash transfer programmmes are being considered. 3) Propose technical support to the National Society, if needed, to carry out detailed needs and market assessments. 4) Provide technical guidance if needed in defining the planned activities and find out if the National Society needs any technical support to implement the operation (for instance assistance in a specific technical sector; developing a detailed EPoA; assistance in procurement and logistics; preparing and implementing cash transfer programmes; or monitoring and reporting on the operation). If yes, discuss with zone DM the possibility of using RDRT or global surge capacity. 5) Discuss with the National Society whether it is necessary and appropriate to revise the DREF or emergency appeal based on the scale of disaster, identified needs and potential funding and contact the zone DM coordinator for advice. The below steps apply whether the operation remains a small-scale operation funded by DREF or whether it becomes a large-scale operation for which an appeal is launched and DREF is used as start-up funding. The difference will be in the scope and content of the EPoA to be developed and the timeframe of the operation. If an emergency appeal is launched, the monitoring and reporting requirements will be according to the emergency appeal procedures. (Link to EPoA - EA reporting procedures and guidelines – under development). 6) If the initial plan of action has changed, draft the revised EPoA based on information provided by the National Society. Copy the initial plan of action and revise any outcomes, outputs or activities based on information on the needs and the activities planned. Ensure that it reflects what has been agreed with the National Society. 7) If the operation remains a DREF operation, use the DREF update template and follow the DREF guidance for reporting and next steps. 8) If an emergency appeal has been, or is going to be launched, the revised and extended EPoA will be the basis for preparing the appeal. There will be a need for more detail in the EPoA drawn up for an emergency appeal. 9) Provide guidance to the National Society on establishing simple indicators in order to monitor the progress of their operation (Annex 2 Indicator monitoring tool for DREF operations). 10) Help the National Society to prepare a revised budget based on planned activities. Remember that all costs incurred and activities carried out since the disaster may be included in the budget, including replenishment of stocks, costs of actions already taken in the response, assessment costs, etc.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

11) Make sure that costs are included for any further needs assessments, market assessment, monitoring activities, any planned evaluation, and beneficiary satisfaction survey or lessons learnt workshop. (Link to DREF M&E framework). 12) If the operation remains a DREF-funded small-scale operation, check eligibility for DREF. (Link to DREF procedures – DREF criteria and eligibility). 13) Check with the National Society if the ICRC has been informed of or is participating in the planned activities. If the ICRC is present in-country, inform the ICRC representative and discuss cooperation with them. Also provide information on any Participating National Society present in-country and responding to the disaster and consider the steps for coordination with Participating National Society partners. 14) If a new or extended DREF request is made or an emergency appeal is launched, get the budget validated by finance staff at country/regional level. 15) Send EPoA and budget to the zone for validation and preparation of the DREF request. 16) Ensure that all information is available for DREF request/launch of an emergency appeal. 17) Zone DM to submit an initial or revised DREF request for the additional amount to Geneva for approval. (Link to DREF procedures – process flowchart, EPoA – emergency appeal reporting procedures and guidelines) or submit revised or initial emergency appeal if the disaster is of the scale that requires it. 18) Once approved, share the validated version of the revised budget and plan of action with the National Society for their monitoring and reference. Remind them that they can only spend the funds on things that have been approved in the budget. Any change that is over +/- 10 per cent per IFRC budget category or which represents a significant change if the outcomes or content of the response operation will have to be approved by IFRC and an operation update prepared before spending the allocated DREF or EA funds on other activities. 19)  Ensure that the Memorandum of Understanding/letter of agreement for a working advance is updated to accommodate the change in the amounts and dates of the transfer as well as reporting requirements. 20) Post the revised EPoA for a DREF operation in the update template or revised emergency appeal on www.ifrc.org.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Phase 4: From one month onwards Checklist - Steps for supporting the National Society in monitoring of an emergency operation What is expected at this point:

Recommendations and steps to follow in supporting the National Society to continuously assess needs, monitor activities and analyse whether response is sufficient • If further funding from the DREF or a revision of the emergency appeal is necessary: additional DREF request and revised EPoA and budget to support the revision • DREF operation update (if not yet prepared) • Monitoring reports and updates for an emergency appeal operation.

1) Has the situation evolved? If yes, does the National Society need to scale up or amend its activities and does it need further financial or technical resources to do so? If yes, support the National Society in revising its EPoA and budget. 2) If the needs can be met by an extension of the DREF grant, prepare a revised EPoA and budget using the update template based on the information provided by the National Society. A DREF request should be prepared by the zone DM for the supplementary amount of funding that is needed. 3) If the scale of the response is increasing and the DREF allocation is no longer sufficient, discuss the possibility of developing an emergency appeal with the National Society and the zone DM coordinator. 4) If an emergency appeal has already been launched, prepare a revision of the EPoA and budget in discussions with the zone DM coordinator, to reflect any major changes in the outcomes or content of the response operation or any change in budget. This should be sent to the zone DM in order to prepare a revised emergency appeal. 5) Is the National Society monitoring the implementation of activities? Are they on track? Are their activities being delayed? Do they need any support in monitoring? If yes, provide guidance to the National Society on establishing simple indicators in order to monitor the progress of their operation (Annex 2 Indicator monitoring tool for DREF operations) and consider conducting a monitoring visit together with National Society key staff, and possibly inviting Participating National Society colleagues to join. 6) How is the National Society consulting with beneficiaries? Encourage them to gather feedback from beneficiaries. 7) Is the National Society tracking expenditure? Remind them that they can only spend the funds on things that have been approved in the budget. In case the National Society would like to change the way they spend the funds, the budget has to be revised and approved, and an operation update prepared. This applies to any change that is over +/- 10 per cent per budget category. 8) Keep in mind: if there is a good reason for a revision, go ahead and prepare it and do not leave it too late. It must be done before the operation timeframe ends (in the DREF or emergency appeal documentation). 9) Even if no revision of the EPoA is necessary, encourage the National Society to prepare a progress report for a DREF or emergency appeal operations update to highlight its achievements and any challenges it is facing.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Phase 5: Last month(s) of the operation Checklist - Steps for supporting the National Society in reviewing pogress in the last month(s) of an emergency operations What is expected at this point:

Recommendations and steps to follow in supporting the National Society to review progress and analyse whether the activities can be completed within the timeframe • Revised EPoA, if necessary (mainly revision of timeframe at this point)

1) Is the National Society on track with the implementation of activities? 2) Is the National Society spending the funds according to the budget? If it needs to spend more than the approved amount on any group of activities, prepare a request for the revision of the EPoA / budget for approval by Geneva for both DREF and emergency appeal funded operations. 3) Will it be able to clear a working advance on time? 4) Ensure that the National Society can finish everything on time. If there is a need, consider requesting an extension of the timeframe latest one month before the end of the operation. Please remember that it is not possible to extend an operation timeframe after the end date. 5) If you or the National Society did not initially plan an evaluation of the operation, a lessons learned workshop or a beneficiary satisfaction survey, would there be a value in evaluating the response? Are there specific challenges or have new or innovative approaches been used that would be interesting to look at and that would benefit the National Society as well as the IFRC’s secretariat? If yes, and it has not been budgeted at the outset, include it in the budget (additional DREF allocation can be requested or it can be included in the emergency appeal). Remember that the evaluation can be carried out after the end of the operation as long as the costs have been provisioned for. (Link to M&E guide and IFRC Evaluation Framework). Participating National Society partners can also be encouraged to join.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Phase 6: Up to three months after the end of the operation Checklist - Steps for supporting the National Society in reviewing achievements and carrying out a final analysis of an emergency operation What is expected at this point:

Recommendations and steps to follow in supporting the National Society to analyse achievements and lessons learned, and prepare final report • DREF operation final report • Optional: lessons learned workshop/beneficiary satisfaction survey/evaluation report.

1) Does the National Society need assistance in preparing the final financial and narrative report? Will it be able to clear the working advance on time? If not, offer to provide them with help. 2) If the National Society is planning to do a lessons learned workshop, provide support if needed. (Link to DREF M&E framework). 3) Use the lessons learned and recommendations to help update the National Society preparedness and contingency plans. It is also a good idea to incorporate lessons and recommendations into planning for future preparedness and to incorporate planned actions and budgets into future annual plans/appeals. 4) If there are any outstanding needs, provide advice to the National Society on how to cover these needs, or on how to access other funds to support further activities in response to those needs. 5) Follow up with the National Society to ensure that all information is available for the DREF and emergency appeal final report. 6) Ensure that all expenditure has been correctly reported on by the National Society and receipts provided. Validate final expenditure report. 7) 8) Freeze the project and make a request to Geneva finance department to return any balance of funds to the DREF for any grant allocation or any loan which has not been reimbursed to the DREF. Contact donors to an emergency appeal to agree utilization of any unused earmarked funds. 9) Revise and edit final narrative report (for a DREF final report in the final report template) ensuring any variances between budget and expenditure are explained. Post the DREF or emergency appeal final report on www.ifrc.org. 10)

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Guidance on Emergency Plan of Action (for IFRC Staff)

Resources - existing procedures, guidance and tools Guidance on the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): IFRC. DREF procedures and guidelines. Geneva, 2011. https://fednet.ifrc.org/PageFiles/125112/031_e_v300_DREF%20Procedures%20 and%20Guidelines.docx DREF https://fednet.ifrc.org/en/resources/disasters disaster-and-crisis-mangement/ disaster-response/dref/ IFRC. Framework for DREF operations monitoring and evaluation. Geneva, 2012 https://fednet.ifrc.org/en/resources/disasters/disaster-and-crisis-mangement/ learning--evaluation/monitoring--evaluating-framework/ Guidance on assessment: 24- and 72-hour assessment templates ICRC and IFRC. Guidelines for assessment in emergencies. Geneva, 2008. www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/disasters/guidelines/ guidelines-for-emergency-en.pdf Information and reference documents on vulnerability and capacity assessment available at: www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/preparing-for-disaster/ disaster-preparedness-tools/disaster-preparedness-tools/ Information and reference documents on vulnerability and capacity assessment available at: www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/preparing-for-disaster/ disaster-preparedness-tools/disaster-preparedness-tools/ Guidance on planning, monitoring and evaluation: IFRC Monitoring and Evaluation web page – www.ifrc.org/MandE maintained by the planning and evaluation department of the IFRC’s secretariat ,this web page on the IFRC’s public web site includes: • IFRC. Project/programme planning guidance manual. Geneva, 2010. Available at: www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/monitoring/PPP-Guidance-Manual-English.pdf • IFRC. Project/programme monitoring and evaluation guide. Geneva, 2011. Available at: www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/monitoring/IFRC-ME-Guide-8-2011.pdf • IFRC. IFRC Framework for Evaluation. Geneva, 2011. Available at: www.ifrc.org/ Global/Publications/monitoring/IFRC-Framework-for-Evaluation.pdf • IFRC. Guide to stakeholder complaints and feedback. Geneva, 2011.

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The Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

Humanity The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.

Independence The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the Movement.

Impartiality It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

Unity There can be only one Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

Neutrality In order to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

Voluntary service It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

Universality The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other, is worldwide.

For more information on this IFRC publication, please contact: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction Department E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +41 22 730 42 22 Fax: +41 22 733 03 95

www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds.