Guidelines for Flash Appeals 2009

Published Date

Flash Appeals are issued in response to new crises. It is a tool for structuring a coordinated humanitarian response for the first three to six months of a new emergency. The Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator triggers the process in consultation with major stakeholders within two days of a major disaster or in response to an ongoing or slow-onset crisis. It contains an analysis of the context and of humanitarian needs, response plans, and information on roles and responsibilities.  

The guidelines consist of three parts:

1) The first part describes the Flash Appeal as a concept providing background, policy and practice on key substantive issues, such as revising Flash Appeals, timelines and deadlines

2) The second part provides technical guidelines for writing Flash Appeals and Flash Appeal revisions

3) The third part lists further resources, such as selected guidance documents, threshold for triggering flash appeals, examples of prioritisations, NGOs and Flash Appeals and financial tracking tips and guidelines for OCHA focal points and cluster leads