Common standard 4: targeting
Humanitarian assistance or services are provided equitably and impartially, based on the vulnerability and needs of individuals or groups affected by disaster. |
Key indicators (to be read in conjunction with the guidance notes)
Targeting criteria must be based on a thorough analysis of vulnerability (see guidance note 1).
Targeting mechanisms are agreed among the affected population (including representatives of vulnerable groups) and other appropriate actors. Targeting criteria are clearly defined and widely disseminated (see guidance notes 2-3).
Targeting mechanisms and criteria should not undermine the dignity and security of individuals, or increase their vulnerability to exploitation (see guidance notes 2-3).
Distribution systems are monitored to ensure that targeting criteria are respected and that timely corrective action is taken when necessary (see guidance notes 4-5).
Guidance notes
1. The purpose of targeting is to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, while providing aid efficiently and in a way that minimises dependency.
2. Targeting mechanisms are the ways in which assistance is made available impartially and without discrimination, according to need. Options include community-based targeting, administrative targeting, self-targeting, and combinations of these methods. Agency workers should be aware that self-targeting can sometimes exclude certain vulnerable groups. To ensure that the disaster-affected population is consulted and is in agreement with the targeting decisions, a representative group of women and men, boys and girls and people from vulnerable groups should be included in the consultation process. In conflict situations, it is essential to understand the nature and source of the conflict and how this might influence administrative and community decisions about targeting assistance.
3. Targeting criteria are usually linked to the level or degree of vulnerability of a community, household or individual, which in turn are determined by the risks presented by the disaster and the coping capacity of the recipients. Individual dignity may be unintentionally undermined by improper targeting criteria and mechanisms and appropriate measures must be taken to avoid this. Some examples include:
- administrative and community-based targeting mechanisms may ask for information about an individual's assets. Such questions may be perceived as intrusive and can potentially undermine social structures.
- households with malnourished children are often targeted for selective food assistance. This may undermine people's dignity since it may encourage parents to keep their children thin so that they continue to receive selective rations. This can also apply when general rations are provided.
- where assistance is targeted through local clan systems, people who fall outside such systems (e.g. displaced individuals) are likely to be excluded.
- displaced women, girls and boys may be exposed to sexual coercion.
- people suffering from HIV/AIDS may be exposed to stigma. Confidentiality should be observed at all times.
4. Access to and use of facilities and services: people's use of facilities and goods provided are affected by many factors, such as access, security, convenience, quality and whether they are appropriate to needs and customs. Access may be particularly constrained in situations of armed conflict, and by factors such as corruption, intimidation and exploitation (including for sex). Wherever possible, factors that limit the use of facilities should be dealt with through community mobilisation or revisions to the programme. It is essential to ensure that consultation before and during programme implementation includes adequate discussion with women, children and other vulnerable groups, for whom the constraints on use are likely to be greatest.
5. Monitoring errors of exclusion and inclusion: when a targeting system fails to reach all of the vulnerable people in need following a disaster, individuals or groups can quickly develop critical needs. Provision should be made for updating and refining targeting and distribution systems to achieve more effective coverage.
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