IASC Flash Appeal Overhaul, 2008

2007 saw a sharp increase in the number of flash appeals compared to previous years, due in part to a greater frequency of weather-related disasters (which have climbed steadily in recent years), but also to the fact that more small-scale disasters generated flash appeals in 2007.  A key related fact is that more disasters and flash appeals are happening in countries with low humanitarian capacity among the international organizations present.  This paper reviews the flash appeal mechanism in light of other developments in humanitarian policy and response tools, including the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the cluster approach, the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) function, and current efforts to improve contingency planning, rapid needs assessment and surge capacity.