Overview

What is the Humanitarian Profile-COD?

The Humanitarian Profile Common Operational Dataset (COD-HP) is a dataset that seeks to account for, on an ongoing basis, the number of people having humanitarian needs arising from a given emergency. In other words, it is the “caseload figures”, or a count of the number of affected people in an emergency.

Why is it important?

It can provide information that can facilitate humanitarian planning and needs assessment.

It forms the basis and reference point of any relief operation aiming to deliver aid according to the population’s needs.

It includes and enables the classification of affected persons and victims into many categories, thus facilitating targeted responses.

It can help humanitarian actors, local and national authorities have the same views in case of a crisis.

It is required throughout the HPC and is used in many OCHA products

When is the HP developed and how does it evolve over the course of response?

The Humanitarian Profile COD is unique among the common operational datasets because of the dynamic nature of its data and the way its composition may vary according to the operational context and priorities of a particular group.

Initially developed at the onset of an emergency the COD-HP is focused on the number of people affected and it is based on the COD-AB and PS. As the response evolves the humanitarian community needs to understand how many people are in need of assistance and later on the number of people targeted and reached will be developed.

The numbers identified in the COD-HP

• INCLUDE IMAGES OF response timeline and HP milestones (sudden on-set)

Who is involved in the development of the COD-HP?

Humanitarian Coordination (HC): The HC approves and is responsible to address political concerns regarding the Humanitarian Profile.

Humanitarian Country Team (HCT): Approves the Humanitarian Profile 

Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG): The ICCG facilitates the process of establishing humanitarian population figures, by  1) Defining the humanitarian profile which bests represents the country context by choosing the appropriate categories, 2) Proposing a methodical approach to estimating population figures, 3) Seek implementation of the agreed approach(es), and 4) Review and update population figures, including their definitions and approaches, as humanitarian needs evolve or access to crisis-affected areas increases, and as new information becomes available 

Information Management Working Group (IMWG): At the onset of an emergency response in a  country with existing humanitarian presence, the HCT or cluster lead working group should task the IM Network to  1) choose the humanitarian profile classes that are appropriate to the emergency and adjust definitions if needed, 2) establish geographical reference by deciding which administrative levels or another geographic reference (populated places, IDP camps, etc) will be used to disaggregate the humanitarian profile values, c) endorse methods for estimating humanitarian profile values, and d) actively promote the standard use of the Humanitarian Profile COD across all humanitarian actors 

The first discussions on choosing an appropriate method of estimation, or doing the actual computation of the population figures, normally take place on a technical level between technical experts, specialized agency staff, and Information Managers. It should include and engage the Cluster Coordinators and the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group, where final figures will be validated. An ultimate endorsement is then given by the Humanitarian Country Team. 

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What OCHA products use numbers from the COD-HP?

The Humanitarian Profile COD plays a crucial role into the development of products like the Humanitarian Snapshot, the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), Humanitarian Bulletin, and much more.

Terminology and Key Definitions

Consistent terminologies and definitions are central to establishing a common understanding of the Humanitarian Profile CODs. The definitions of the distinct categories help understand the overall humanitarian profile figures as well as the disaggregated affected populations.

Humanitarian Population Figures Categories

The Humanitarian Population Figures represent the relationship between sets of the total population of a given territory in an emergency response. 

Total Population

Includes all people living within the administrative boundaries of a nation state. Note: there can be a crisis-specific strategic decision to calculate the total population looking only at a sub-national level.

Example: 8 million people live in a country Alpha hit by a crisis. This includes 500,000 refugees who came to the country one year ago. The total population is 8 million people.

People Affected

Includes all those whose lives have been impacted as a direct result of the crisis. This figure is often the first available after a sudden onset emergency and often defines the scope or boundary of a needs assessment. It does not, however, necessarily equate the number of people in need of humanitarian aid; it should not be consumed or interchangeable with the category People in Need. Characteristics of the category People affected must include:

-Being in close geographical proximity to a crisis.

-Physically or emotionally impacted.

-Experiencing personal loss or loss of capital and assets as a direct result of the crisis.

-Being faced with an immediate threat from a crisis.

When a crisis becomes protracted and its effects deepen and spread, the definition of Population Affected may need modification to include populations that may be more geographically distant from the center of the initial shock and not have been physically/emotionally impacted but experiencing secondary effects of a disaster/crisis.

Example: The Country of Genovia has a Total Population of 8 million people. 6 million people living in three provinces were exposed to damages and destruction following an earthquake. The population suffered injuries, damaged to dwellings and lives in areas that are at high risk of aftershocks—they are population affected. 2 million out of the country of Genovia’s 8 million population were not affected.

People in Need (PiN)

People in Need are a subset of the Population Affected and are defined as those members:

-Whose physical security, basic rights, dignity, living conditions or livelihoods are threatened or have been disrupted, AND

-Whose current level of access to basic services, goods, and social protection is inadequate to re-establish normal living conditions with their accustomed means in a timely manner without additional assistance

This category is further broken down into sub-categories or by sector/cluster to provide additional detail about the intensity, severity or type of need.

Example: In the most populous provinces, where 5 million people out of the 6 million People Affected reside, 90% of the buildings and infrastructure were destroyed in the earthquake, and roads rendered inaccessible. Those people are in need of assistance. Out of the 5 million, the number of those who have sustained critical injuries, are inaccessible or living in dwellings at risk of collapsing is estimated at 2 million. They are in need of immediate assistance.

People Targeted

People Targeted is a sub-set of People In Need and represents the number of people humanitarian actors aim or plan to assist. This projected number is typically smaller than the number of People in Need, given: a) it is rare that international humanitarian actors can meet all needs; b) needs are also being addressed by actors not participating in the joint plan, including national Governments; and c) people in need are not always accessible.

Example: 2 million out of the 5 million people in need will be targeted for the delivery of tents and shelter material as well as health assistance.

People Covered

People Covered includes those who have received some form of assistance. The estimate of people covered seeks to clarify the type and duration of assistance received.

Example: 1.5 million people have received family tents and shelter material as well as access to medical services. 1 million people have access to materials to repair their housing fully within the next three seeks and their shelter needs are thus covered.

Humanitarian Population Classification of Affected Population

The most important data characteristic is the scheme of categories into which the affected population is disaggregated. These categories must be mutually exclusive within the same level of the hierarchy such that the sum of all people in each category at a given level in the hierarchy equals the number of affected people or casualties.

1. Affected- the sum of displaced and non-displaced persons.
   1. Non-displaced- the sum of Host and Non-Host persons.
      1. Host- persons who are part of a host community or family receiving affected people. Due to the stress placed on the host families and communities, they are considered part of the humanitarian caseload.
      2. Non-Host- People requiring immediate assistance during a period of emergency who have not moved from their homes or places of habitual residence
   2. Displaced- the sum of Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and Others of Concern.
      1. Internally Displaced Persons- persons or groups who have been forced to flee or leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State Border.
      2. Refugees and Asylum Seekers- A refugee is someone who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside of the country of his or her nationality. An Asylum Seeker is someone who says he or she is a refugee but whose claim has not yet been definitely evaluated.
   3.  Others of Concern- persons who have been displaced by the emergency and form part of the humanitarian profile, but do not fall on any of the above categories.

Each of the above 3 sub-classes of Displaced has the following potential sub-categories

i. Camp or Camplike- the sum of Planned Camp or Settlement, Self-settled Camp, or Collective Centre, and Reception or Transit Site.

ii. Planned Camps- Planned camps are places where displaced populations find accommodation on purpose-built sites, and a full-service infrastructure is provided, including water supply, food distribution, non-food item distribution, education, and healthcare, usually exclusive for the population of the site.

iii. Self-settled camps- A displaced community or displaced groups may settle in camps, independent of assistance from the local government or the aid community. Self-settled camps are often sited on state-owned, private or communal land, usually after limited negotiations with the local population or private owners overuse and access.

iv. Collective Centers- This type of settlement is where displaced persons find accommodation in pre-existing public buildings and community facilities, for example, in schools, barracks, community centers, town halls gymnasiums, hotels, warehouses, disused factories, and unfinished buildings. They are often used when displacement occurs inside a city itself of when there are significant flows of displaced people into a city or town often, a mass shelter is intended as temporary or transit accommodation.

v. Reception and Transit Camps- Oftentimes, it is necessary to provide temporary accommodation for displaced persons. These camps might be necessary at the beginning of an emergency as a temporary accommodation pending transfer to a suitable, safe, longer-term holding camp, or at the end of an operation as a staging point of return. Reception and transit camps are therefore usually either intermediate or short-term installations.

d. Private or individual accommodation- the sum of Privately Hosted or Non-hosted.

i. Hosted- living in someone’s else home with them, sharing resources and a heart with another household group.

ii. Non-hosted- living in one’s own home.

2. Casualties- the sum of Dead, Missing, and Injured

a. Dead- persons confirmed as dead and persons missing and presumed dead.

b. Missing- persons whose status during or after an emergency is not known.

c. Injured- persons suffering from physical injuries, trauma or an illness requiring medical treatment.

Outputs/Resources

https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/Humanitarian%20Caseloads%20Definitions%20Standards_20141209_UNICEF.pdf

Guidance

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