The Constraints and Complexities of Information and Analysis in Humanitarian Emergencies 2

January – December 2017. Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria

This study considers the constraints on data collection and analysis in humanitarian emergencies and the effects this has on outcome recommendations. The reports uses four cases, Yemen, Somali , Nigeria and South Sudan, and suggests means of ensuring the independence and objectivity of data collection and analysis.

The international community has agreed on the technical definition of famine and food security/ nutrition emergencies of lesser severity. Yet major constraints continue to limit the linkage between information, analysis, and action. Analysis procedures have built-in processes for ensuring the validity and reliability of data. However, there is relatively little emphasis on analysing; what data is missing, why is data missing, what to do about missing data, and how to best manage political influences on data collection and analysis. This is especially the case in the most extreme of crises: conflict-induced famine.

This study has two main components:
1. Data mapping to understand the technical constraints and funding gaps that lead to poor quality or missing data in the analysis of extreme emergencies.

2. A series of comparative case studies in four currently famine-affected or at-risk countries: Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen that examine:
a. The availability and quality of information,
b. The external influences on data collection and analysis.