National Shelter NFI Cluster Meeting Minutes 011014

National Shelter/NFI Cluster Meeting - 1 October 2014, Jouhayna Hotel, Erbil – Minutes

Participants

Chair – Dag Sigurdson – National Shelter/NFI Cluster Coordinator

ACTED, Assemblies of God Church Ankawa, DFID, ERC Erbil, Handicap International, IOM, IVY Japan, Mercy Corps, OCHA, PMU Sweden, Qandil, SNAP, UNHCR and World Vision

Agenda

· Welcome and introductions

· Opening remarks

· Update on SRP process

· Winterization

o Cluster Strategy Outline – Winterization

o Update from Shelter Partners

o Action Plan and follow up

· AOB

Opening remarks

· Apologies to participants via Skype, presentations will be shared after the meeting.

Update on SRP process

· As a result of the final meeting between the UN and the government of KR-I regarding the IDP Immediate Response Plan, the Shelter and NFI part of the Strategic Response Plan has been adjusted accordingly. The new requirement is 888.69 million; the biggest proportion is shelter assistance (635.40 million), followed by winterization (97.89 million), return (83 million), NFIs (45.60 million) and summer kits (26.80 million).

· Shelter assistance is broken down in the following way; 455 million is allocated to camps in KR-I, 77 million is allocated to shelter repairs, camps in the South and Centre of the country are allocated 70 million, tents are allocated 21 million (which includes replacement due to the timespan of the SRP and the harsh weather conditions), repair of collective centers repair is allocated 10 million while 2.5 million is allocated to stabilize people outside of camps with cash grants.

· In the budget 540.000 IDPs are targeted with shelter assistance in KR-I, costing 501.70 million, while 260.000 IDPs are being targeted in the rest of Iraq, costing 133.7 million. The IDP Immediate Response Plan for KR-I reflects the work done to date by including the number of people already hosted in camps, its budget requested is part of the SRP submission. The SRP planning scenario also divides winterization interventions based on urgency, winter clothing for instance requires special attention, as most IDPs could not take any clothes with them.

Winterization

· There is a need to come up with a strategy based on input from Cluster members. The strategy needs to address issues such as standardization of kit contents, prioritization of types of assistance (targeting based on vulnerability), coordination with other clusters to ensure adequate coverage, establishment of a pipeline and funding overview and ensuring a countrywide approach.

Cluster Strategy Outline – Winterization

· The planning scenario for winterization targets 480.000 IDPs in KR-I and 120.000 IDPs in the South and Centre. Assessments are ongoing in KR-I to get more detail on the different shelter categories and the amount of IDPs living in them. The central government has announced that it will fund an additional 5-6 camps in Dahuk. The timeline for implementation is before the end of November 2014.

· The coldest areas are in KR-I and in Anbar. In these areas, there is a need to intervene according to shelter priorities: most people have shelter, but these are usually not insulated or weatherproof.

· It is suggested to divide winterization kits between NFI kits for keeping people warm (through clothing, high thermal blankets etc.) and shelter kits for sealing off, insulating and heating. The various kits are interdependent and should be mixed depending on the situation.

· The winterization strategy should be a product of interagency discussions and provide technical guidance in terms of using NFI and shelter interventions to provide adequate winterization. It will complement rather than replace existing strategies. A ToR is available for the Working Group that will develop the strategy; the first meeting will be held on 8 October 2014.

Feedback

· DFID expresses concern over the limited use of cash assistance and points out that UNHCR’s winterization strategy for refugees from last year should inform this strategy.

· The Cluster Coordinator assures DFID that cash assistance is considered as an option and that UNHCR’s winterization experience will be taken into account.

· UNHCR is worried about the lack of a clear timeline in the strategy. Some winterization items have been ordered in August and will only arrive in November, the strategy therefore needs to take the time for procurement into account. December to February are crucial months, so agencies and donors need to be alerted to the urgent need for procurement around winterization. UNHCR has funding for winterization assistance to 30.000 IDP families, but the total need in KR-I is 80.000 IDP families, this gap needs to be filled by other agencies. The winterization map also needs to be read more carefully, not only areas in blue are in need of winterization assistance; yellow areas also will get cold.

· The Cluster Coordinator acknowledges that procurement time is indeed an important factor, and all viable options therefore need to be considered, cash assistance being one of them. All projects in the SRP add up to 680 million, but the total Cluster budget requested is 888 million, this means that there is still a shortfall even if all projects would be fully funded.

· The Assemblies of God Church Ankawa wants to know if camps that are being built right now already winterized, who is in charge of winterization and whether or not it is worth shipping clothes in from Europe.

· The Cluster Coordinator clarifies that camps are built without winterization, which will be done later. However, concrete slabs are added in some cases, which helps in terms of insulation but does not constitute winterization. Winterization is coordinated at a local level. Winter clothes are a good option for in-kind donations, if they are of sufficient quality. Clothes and boots are important, especially for children.

· The Cluster Coordinator also mentions that the IDP Immediate Response Plan for KR-I has been presented and well received by the central government in Baghdad; a similar plan needs to be developed for the rest of the country. Extra camps being funded is a good sign of the government’s response, this momentum needs to be maintained and expanded.

· Prioritization is raised as a concern, especially in the face of a potential lack of funding. If IDPs have no shelter, winterization obviously does not make sense.

· The Cluster Coordinator mentions that out of the 860.000 registered IDPs in KR-I, 390.000 are in urgent need; this is captured in the planning scenario figures. All schools in Sulaymaniyah have for instance been vacated, this means that prioritization is working.

· DFID wants to know what would be realistic to achieve if all funding was committed. Prioritization is still important, the fact that schools were vacated does not mean that prioritization has worked, as in terms of vulnerability people living in the open should be a priority.

· The Cluster Coordinator re-assured DFID that people residing in the open and in substandard accommodation are given due first priority.

· UNHCR clarified that the governments’ perspective is obviously present in terms of prioritizing schools. There is a lot of displacement from the previous months, but also from before, so there is a potential for host community fatigue.

Update from Shelter Partners

UN-HABITAT

· People in tents, substandard accommodation, certain geographic areas and those that are socially/economically vulnerable are in most need of winterization. UN-HABITAT provides winterized caravans that improve living conditions and safety. Guidelines for winterization indicate that items such as clothes, bedding and blankets are most important, followed by shelter improvements. In camps, waterproofing, drainage, reducing the effects of draught and rain, increasing internal comfort and improving pathways are important considerations. In terms of implementation, a participatory approach is preferred and the most vulnerable groups are targeted, including IDPs living outside of camps. It is important to ensure that IDPs are allowed to upgrade their shelters and that they have access to the necessary tools.

IOM

· IOM supports winterization through the provision of winterized NFI kits (using full and supplementary kits), winterized tent liners, kerosene (through vouchers), prefabricated shelter units (in partnership with UN-HABITAT), rental support and collective center support. It also upgrades unfinished buildings through sealing off and partitioning and improves sites through drainage, graveling of access roads and building of plinths for tented sites. IOM uses a mix of local and international procurement, it has a new warehouse in Basra that will be operational soon, proposals for additional NFI kits have been submitted for Erbil. Tents that have been procured are winterized already. Owners of unfinished buildings need to be involved in any shelter interventions, which will be most likely small scale. All distributions are approved by the government to prevent overlap or gaps, IDPs in camp and non-camp situation are targeted throughout Iraq.

UNHCR

· UNHCR’s aim is to provide people from the harsh winter climate, which is only possible when proper shelter is in place. The winterization strategy follows UNHCR’s Shelter and NFI strategy and targets the most vulnerable IDPs. Winterization kits are supplementary to previously distributed CRIs and are based on shelter type and climatic conditions. UNHCR is targeting 40.000 IDP families throughout KR-I, IDPs in UNHCR camps and informal settlements will receive winterized relief items and shelter kits, while IDPs in other camps will receive only winterized relief items. Female headed households, elderly people, people with disabilities, people with chronic diseases and people with low income are targeted. In the first phase, starting on 1 October, blankets, quilts, plastic sheeting and jerry cans will be distributed. In the second phase, from 1 November, stoves, jerry cans for fuel, kerosene and shelter kits will be distributed. Challenges and constraints revolve around the mobility of IDPs, fire risks in camps, limited capacity of the local market and high price of unsubsidized fuel. The issue of fuel subsidies is decided by the central government, the Cluster Coordinator will travel to Baghdad as soon as possible to discuss this priority issue, amongst other things.

NRC

· Camps are well covered in terms of winterization; this makes people living in vulnerable shelters outside of camps a priority. However, winterization in urban areas and informal settlements is difficult, as it depends on what the government will allow in terms of assessments and distributions. Consultation with the authorities is therefore important; targeting based on vulnerability should be clearly communicated.

Action Plan and follow up

· A dedicated half-day workshop to work on winterization strategy would be good to discuss kit harmonization, cash assistance to address time for procurement and coordination of activities. The timing of the workshop needs to take into consideration the Eid holidays to ensure the necessary participation from the Government.

AOB

· Distributing cash to allow IDPs to buy clothes could be explored.

Action points

· UN-HABITAT to provide an overview of camps planned based on winterized caravans.

· All presentations to be shared and consolidated in the minutes of the meeting.

· All Cluster partners are asked to keep the Cluster up to date in terms of pipeline, stocks and distributions in order to facilitate coordination.

· The Cluster, taking into account the upcoming holidays, will organize a winterization workshop as soon as possible. The relevant authorities should be represented as well, ensuring a national approach.