IOM in Afghanistan has successfully trialed a new multi-cluster assessment tool for use in one of world’s most disaster-prone countries. The Rapid Assessment Form (RAF) has now been endorsed by the United Nations system in the country, where over 36,000 families were hit by a variety of natural disasters during last year's harsh winter.

The RAF, based on an earlier model developed under IOM’s Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP) has been refined by IOM over the last three years and now serves as the primary common assessment tool deployed in the field.

The RAF provides an overview of the needs, vulnerabilities and existing capacities of affected populations. A rapid assessment using the RAF is conducted through structured interviews within 24-48 hours after a disaster strikes. The use of RAF countrywide means the humanitarian community will henceforth use a unified data source for stockpile prepositioning, trends analysis, and risk mapping.

More than 70 staff members of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), IOM and UNOCHA from across Afghanistan, are today, (22/10) participating in a joint IOM/UNOCHA two-day training to help them use the form during emergencies.

“The enthusiastic involvement of the humanitarian community in contributing to the development and use of this rapid assessment tool has been heartening,” said IOM Chief of Mission Richard Danziger. “Once in full use throughout the country, it will enable ANDMA and its partners to better assist victims of disaster.”

The training of trainers will be conducted in Dari and Pashto. Participants will then conduct RAF trainings in their respective regional hubs and provincial capitals for the benefit of all humanitarian organizations. It is anticipated that more than 600 humanitarian workers will benefit from training.

This joint IOM/OCHA capacity building training and following trainings in the regions are supported by the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). IOM Humanitarian Assistance Programmes (HAP) have been funded by the office of the US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) since 2008, with additional funding from the government of Germany in September 2013.

Afghanistan is globally ranked 12^th on the seismic risk index, 22nd on the drought risk index and 24th on the flood risk index.

For further information, please contact Ivan Ceko, IOM Afghanistan, Email: iceko@iom.int, Tel: +93 79 065 9574