Guidelines for Estimating Food and Nutritional Needs in Emergencies (UNHCR, 1997, 10 p.): (introduction...)

Guidelines for Estimating Food and Nutritional Needs in Emergencies (UNHCR, 1997, 10 p.)

		*(introduction...)*
		BACKGROUND
		BASIC PRINCIPLES
		NEED FOR AN INITIAL REFERENCE VALUE FOR EMERGENCY FEEDING
		ADJUSTMENT OF INITIAL REFERENCE VALUE
		MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
		THE FOOD BASKET
		ANNEX I
		ANNEX II
		ANNEX III
		ANNEX IV

(introduction...)

World Food
Programme

United Nations
High Commission
For Refugees

December 1997

___________________________________________________________

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
World Food Programme

Date: 19 December 1997

To:	All UNHCR Directors and Heads of Desks/Chiefs of Sections in Headquarters;
	All UNHCR Representatives/Chiefs of Missions in the Field;
	All WFP Division Directors, Regional Directors and Regional Managers;
	All WFP Country Directors.
From:	Manuel Aranda da Silva, Chief, Technical Support Service, OD, WFP
	Nicholas Morris, Director, DOS, UNHCR

Joint WFP/UNHCR Guidelines for Estimating Food and Nutritional Needs in Emergencies.

1. We are pleased to share with you the attached revised Guidelines for Estimating Food and Nutritional Needs in Emergencies, which have been jointly formulated by WFP and UNHCR. For general feeding programmes, these are the guidelines referred to in the revised Memorandum of Understanding between WFP and UNHCR (March 1997), under paragraph 3.2.

2. The purpose of these guidelines is to assist Headquarters and Field staff of both organizations in calculating food rations for refugees.

3. The main difference with previous guidelines is the increase in the minimum planning figure for energy requirements for populations entirely dependent on external food aid from 1900 to 2100 Kcal. This revised figure is based on scientific evidence and in particular the work carried out by WHO and the Committee for International Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Washington DC (USA).

4. You are kindly requested to share these Guidelines with implementing partners at the field level.

5. These guidelines will take effect as from 1 January 1998 for new EMOPs and PROs, as well as for revisions of existing projects. Presently implemented EMOPs and PROs will remain unchanged with respect to ration size and composition.

6. If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please do not hesitate to contact the Technical Support Section, Operations Department at WFP or the Programme and Technical Support Section at UNHCR.

__________________________________________________
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
World Food Programme