Post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA): Lessons from a decade of experience

This Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) review is the first instance of the participating institutions assessing the demonstrated effectiveness of PDNAs as the practice has evolved over the 55 post-disaster assessments conducted since 2008.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) of the World Bank Group have undertaken the present review with support from the European Union between March and June 2017. The UN and GFDRR each engaged a consultant with coordinated terms of reference (TOR) to work together as a team, with the following objectives:

• To assess the relevance, impact, effectiveness, sustainability, and value of the PDNA as a mechanism and tool to support national governments in developing practical and useful post-disaster recovery plans; and
• To propose recommendations for the improvement of the PDNA methodology and its implementation with an objective to better respond to the needs of the clients.