Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)

  • Guidelines for Flash Appeals 2009

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
    Published Date: 
    March 30, 2009
    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 

  • IASC Guidance for CAP Project Selection and Prioritisation, 2004

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
    Published Date: 
    June 1, 2004

    To strengthen coordinated humanitarian response and to convince donors to give generously and according to needs and priorities, the humanitarian community developed a Consolidated Appeal (CAP) to respond to a specific crisis. A consolidated appeal document is produced once a year for major on-going emergencies. The following Guidance, endorsed by the IASC Working Group in 2004, addresses the issue of prioritisation and selection, which refers to the process of focusing the collective efforts of the humanitarian community on the most urgent assistance and protection needs in a crisis. This process should result in agreement on which projects are required to respond to humanitarian need.

    At the time the guidance was published, donors had been calling for a rigorous process of prioritisation, based on needs assessment and led by UN Humanitarian Coordinators. They have welcomed examples of good practice in the field, such as clear criteria for prioritisation and the establishment of technical-level project peer reviews, to examine organisations’ projects during the preparation of consolidated appeal documents and their revisions or mid-year reviews. In 2004, the Emergency Relief Coordinator committed to strengthening prioritisation in the CAP. This note, based on precedent and good practice from a number of countries, provides guidance on how criteria and an inter-agency project peer review approach can be applied for future Consolidated Appeals.

  • IASC Consolidated Appeal Process Guidelines, 1994

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
    Published Date: 
    April 13, 1994

    To strengthen coordinated humanitarian response and to convince donors to give generously and according to needs and priorities, the humanitarian community develops a Consolidated Appeal (CAP) to respond to a specific crisis. A consolidated appeal document is produced once a year for major on-going emergencies. Flash Appeals are usually issued in response to new crises. The CAP, more than a mere fundraising tool, touches on the whole programme cycle of humanitarian action: needs assessment and analysis, joint planning and strategy, resource mobilization and allocation, monitoring, and evaluation.


    The guidelines are for humanitarian partners participating in the CAP and consist of four parts:
    1) The first part introduces consolidated appeal guidelines
    2) The second part briefs on assumptions and definitions in the consolidated appeal guidelines
    3) The third part outlines the five main stages of the CAP: pre-disaster planning, assessment of needs, strategic planning, appeal formulation and post appeal activities
    4) The fourth part provides the principles of prioritization in the consolidated appeal process

Product Catalog