US embassy cable - 04BRUSSELS3358

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 003358 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID - PPC, EGAT, DHCA, GH, AFR 
DEPT FOR E, PRM AND HIU 
GENEVA FOR KYLOH 
ROME FOR FODAG/LAVELLE 
PARIS PASS USOECD FOR CARNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREF, PHUM, PREL, SMIG, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: EXPERT PANEL MEETING ON DEVELOPING A 
STANDARDIZED METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING 
HUMANITARIAN NEEDS, BRUSSELS, JULY 13-15, 2004 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: THE G-8 ACTION PLAN FOR AFRICA FAMINE 
INITIATIVE INCLUDES SUPPORT FOR IMPROVED WORLDWIDE 
EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT AND RESPONSE SYSTEMS.  THE 
MULTI-DONOR STANDARDIZED MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 
OF RELIEF AND TRANSITIONS (SMART) INITIATIVE IS THE 
CENTRAL FOCUS OF G-8 MEMBER SUPPORT.  AN EXPERT 
PANEL MET IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, JULY 13-15, 2004, 
AND AGREED ON THE TECHNICAL PARAMETERS FOR COMBINING 
THE ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN 
UNDER FIVE, CRUDE MORTALITY RATE (CMR) AND FOOD 
SECURITY IN AN INTEGRATED SURVEY PROTOCOL.  A 
PROTOTYPE WINDOWS-BASED ANALYTICAL SOFTWARE WAS 
DEMONSTRATED AND RECEIVED UNANIMOUS ENDORSEMENT FOR 
CONTINUED WORK AS IT SIMPLIFIES DATA ENTRY AND 
ANALYSIS, WITH QUALITY ASSURANCE CHECKS BUILT INTO 
THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM. THE EXPERT PANEL RECOMMENDED 
PILOT COUNTRIES FOR TESTING THE METHODOLOGY UNDER 
VARIOUS FIELD CONDITIONS.  THE PANEL ESTABLISHED THE 
INTER-AGENCY WORKPLAN WHICH IS TO HAVE A DRAFT 
MANUAL READY BY END AUGUST, FINALIZED IN SEPTEMBER 
AND PILOT-TESTED.  A MEETING OF ALL DONORS AND OTHER 
STAKEHOLDERS WILL BE CONVENED BEFORE END 2004 TO 
ROLL-OUT THE SMART METHODOLOGY.  THE STANDARDIZED 
SMART METHODOLOGY WILL HARMONIZE DATA COLLECTION AND 
NEEDS ASSESSMENT ACROSS ALL HUMANITARIAN 
ORGANIZATIONS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
2. THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
(USAID) AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BUREAU OF 
POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION (STATE/PRM) 
PARTICIPATED AT THE EXPERT PANEL MEETING ON THE 
SMART METHODOLOGY, HOSTED BY THE CENTER FOR RESEARCH 
ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DISASTERS (CRED). 
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED: (1) THE HUMANITARIAN 
ASSISTANCE ADVISOR, BUREAU FOR POLICY AND PROGRAM 
COORDINATION (USAID/PPC), (2) THE POLICY ADVISOR FOR 
AGRICULTURE, BUREAU FOR POLICY AND PROGRAM 
COORDINATION (USAID/PPC), (3) THE SENIOR POLICY 
ADVISOR FOR AGRICULTURE, BUREAU FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, 
AGRICULTURE AND TRADE (USAID/EGAT), (4) THE PUBLIC 
HEALTH ADVISOR, OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER 
ASSISTANCE, BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT AND 
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (USAID/DCHA/OFDA), (5) THE 
PROGRAM MANAGER, FEWS NET, OFFICE OF FOOD FOR PEACE, 
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT AND HUMANITARIAN 
ASSISTANCE (USAID/DCHA/FFP), (6) THE HEALTH OFFICER, 
BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION 
(STATE/PRM), AND (7) THE USAID ADVISOR FOR 
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, OFFICE OF THE USAID 
REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION, U.S. MISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN UNION. 
 
3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SMART METHODOLOGY IS 
FUNDED BY THE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
AGENCY (CIDA) AS PART OF A JOINT DONOR EFFORT TO 
DETERMINE NEEDS AND REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF 
HUMANITARIAN AID BASED ON RELIABLE, STANDARDIZED AND 
COMPARABLE DATA. 
 
4. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WAS TO REVIEW 
METHODOLOGY OPTIONS AND THE ANALYTICAL SOFTWARE FOR 
INTEGRATING THE ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF 
CHILDREN UNDER FIVE, CRUDE MORTALITY RATE (CMR) AND 
FOOD SECURITY. 
 
5. THE MEETING WAS ATTENDED BY 33 PARTICIPANTS 
REPRESENTING 17 INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING DONORS (USG, 
DFID, EC-ECHO), UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES (FAO, U.N. 
SYSTEM STANDING COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION (UNS/SCN), 
UNICEF, WFP), UNIVERSITIES (CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF 
LOUVAIN, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, JOHNS HOPKINS 
UNIVERSITY, TULANE UNIVERSITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF 
INDONESIA ), REPRESENTATIVES OF TECHNICAL 
INSTITUTES/NGOS INCLUDING THE FAFO INSTITUTE FOR 
APPLIED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (NORWAY), SAVE THE 
CHILDREN/UK, AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND 
PREVENTION (CDC). 
 
MEETING SUMMARY 
--------------- 
 
6. THE PURPOSE OF THE SMART METHODOLOGY IS TO 
DETERMINE NEEDS, MONITOR AND REPORT ON PROGRESS AND 
TRENDS USING STANDARDIZED DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, 
INTERPRETATION AND REPORTING.  THE TARGET AUDIENCE 
FOR THE SMART METHODOLOGY IS ALL HUMANITARIAN 
ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING HOST GOVERNMENTS.  THE 
SMART METHODOLOGY WILL BALANCE TECHNICAL SOUNDNESS 
AND AMOUNT OF DATA TO BE COLLECTED WITH PRACTICAL 
FIELD CONDITIONS. 
 
7. NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND CRUDE MORTALITY RATE ARE 
QUANTITATIVE, OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF THE BASIC WELL- 
BEING OF A POPULATION GROUP AND THE SEVERITY OF A 
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS. THEY ALSO MONITOR THE EXTENT TO 
WHICH A COORDINATED RELIEF SYSTEM IS MEETING 
EMERGENCY NEEDS AND THUS THE OVERALL IMPACT OF THE 
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE. THE INTEGRATION OF THE 
HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY APPROACH (HEA) WILL HELP EXPLAIN 
THE NUTRITION SURVEY FINDINGS AND MORTALITY, HOW THE 
CRISIS HAS AFFECTED PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOODS AND FOOD 
ACCESS, THEIR ABILITY TO COPE WITH THE CRISIS AND 
COSTS OF COPING, AND WHAT TYPES OF EXTERNAL 
ASSISTANCE ARE REQUIRED. 
 
8. THE SMART METHODOLOGY WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING 
ELEMENTS: (1) IT WILL BE  UPGRADED REGULARLY BASED 
ON LATEST RESEARCH WITH SMART VERSION 1 DEVELOPED 
THIS YEAR AS THE MOST BASIC, ESSENTIAL METHODOLOGY; 
(2) IT WILL INTEGRATE THREE MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS - 
NUTRITIONAL STATUS, MORTALITY RATE AND FOOD SECURITY 
- INTO A SINGLE PROTOCOL WITH A SOFTWARE PROGRAM 
THAT FACILITATES ANALYSIS AND STANDARDIZED REPORTING 
ACROSS ALL ORGANIZATIONS; AND (3) THE MANUAL WILL BE 
LINKED ELECTRONICALLY TO RELATED REFERENCES FOR A 
LAYERING OF GUIDELINES TO MEET DIFFERENT NEEDS. 
 
9. SMART VERSION 1 WILL BE BASED ON ANTHROPOMETRY 
(NUTRITIONAL STATUS ASSESSMENT) WITH THE MOST 
CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF MORTALITY AND FOOD SECURITY 
INTEGRATED.  AS RECOMMENDED AT THE JULY 2002 SMART 
WORKSHOP (WASHINGTON DC) THE EXPERT PANEL AGREED TO 
BASE THE SMART METHODOLOGY ON CURRENT BEST-PRACTICE 
METHODOLOGIES UNTIL FURTHER RESEARCH DETERMINES 
CHANGE.  THE CRITICAL SET OF QUANTITATIVE 
INFORMATION NEEDED INCLUDES WASTING RATES (MEASURED 
BY WEIGHT-FOR-HEIGHT), EDEMA, CRUDE MORTALITY RATE 
(CMR), POPULATION SIZE, AND DEMOGRAPHY. 
 
10. FOR MORTALITY ASSESSMENT, THE RECOMMENDATION IS 
TO USE CURRENT HOUSEHOLD CENSUS METHOD THAT 
DETERMINES THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS ALIVE AT 
THE MOMENT, THE NUMBER OF DEATHS AND BIRTHS WITHIN 
THE HOUSEHOLD DURING THE RECALL PERIOD.  MIGRATION 
IS CRITICAL AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED WITH DEATHS AND 
BIRTHS.  TO KEEP THE PROTOCOL SIMPLE, ONLY A MINIMUM 
SET OF ESSENTIAL DATA ON CAUSE OF DEATH WILL BE 
INCLUDED. SINCE CRED'S COMPLEX EMERGENCIES 
DATABASE(CE-DAT), SUPPORTED BY STATE/PRM, WILL SERVE 
AS DATA SOURCE FOR THE CENTER FOR HUMAN SECURITY IN 
MONITORING THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF WAR ON THE HEALTH OF 
CIVILIANS, CONFLICT-RELATED DEATHS WILL BE INCLUDED 
IN THE MORTALITY PROTOCOL. 
 
11. FOR FOOD SECURITY, THE HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
APPROACH (HEA) IS THE ONLY LIVELIHOOD METHODOLOGY 
THAT LENDS ITSELF TO INTEGRATION TO NUTRITION AND 
MORTALITY ASSESSMENT. THE HEA METHODOLOGY WILL BE 
SIMPLIFIED BY USING KEY INFORMANTS RATHER THAN 
PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION AND REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF 
DETAILED QUANTIFICATION. THE AIM IS TO HAVE MINIMUM 
BUT SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO SET NUTRITION FINDINGS 
IN A CONTEXT, TO ALLOW A PREDICTION ABOUT FUTURE 
CHANGES IN NUTRITION, FOOD NEEDS AND RELIEF ACTION. 
 
12. PILOT COUNTRIES: PARTICIPANTS REVIEWED POTENTIAL 
COUNTRIES FOR PILOT TESTING THE SMART METHODOLOGY. 
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA IS THE COMMITMENT 
OF THE HOST GOVERNMENT TO SUSTAIN THE EFFORT. 
ANGOLA WAS RECOMMENDED AT THE JULY 2002 WORKSHOP 
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE ANGOLAN MINISTRY OF 
HEALTH AT THE WORKSHOP.  AFGHANISTAN AND THE 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO WERE ALSO RECOMMENDED. 
OTHER POTENTIAL COUNTRIES ARE: BURUNDI, CHAD, IVORY 
COAST, LIBERIA, MALAWI, RWANDA, SIERRA LEONE, AND 
SUDAN.  ETHIOPIA IS RECOMMENDED BY USAID/PPC BECAUSE 
OF THE G-8 FOCUS AND ONGOING EFFORT TO UNDERTAKE 
NUTRITION ASSESSMENTS. 
 
13. NEXT STEPS: (1) DEVELOP DRAFT MANUAL BY END 
AUGUST AND FINALIZE BY END SEPTEMBER, (2) SELECT 
PILOT COUNTRY AND FIELD TEST THE METHODOLOGY, AND 
(3) REFINE THE METHODOLOGY AND SOFTWARE PROGRAM AS 
NEEDED AND ROLL OUT SMART VERSION 1 BEFORE END 2004 
AT A DONOR/STAKEHOLDERS MEETING TO BE CONVENED BY 
USAID, STATE/PRM, CIDA AND OTHER PARTNERS. 
STATE/PRM, USAID/PPC AND CRED WILL CONVENE A MEETING 
WITH PVOS/NGOS AND OTHER PARTNERS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER 
(WASHINGTON DC) TO UPDATE ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND 
REVIEW THE DRAFT METHODOLOGY. 
 
SAMMIS