Integrated Food Insecurity Phase Classification (IPC) trainings were held in Islamabad recently.
The first of the two trainings was a 5 day IPC Chronic training called Evidence Preparation for IPC Chronic Analysis. It was held in Islamabad from 8th -12th August 2016.
Evidence Preparation for IPC Chronic Analysis is the second step in the IPC Chronic Implementation Process. The first step on Awareness Raising, Feasibility Assessment and Planning was held in April 2016.
The objective of the training was to carry out preparatory work for IPC Chronic Analysis including:
• Setting up and managing and/or using Information Support System (ISS) country Portal for IPC Chronic Analysis
• Identifying, preparing/re-analyzing and organizing evidence for IPC Chronic Analysis
• Conducting context analyses at Area Level
• Identifying times with impacts of nationally relevant exceptional shocks during previous 10 years
• Identifying next steps and coordination channels
IPC Senior Food Security Officer , Ms. Kaija Korpi, and Ms. Barbara Frattaruolo led the training while Mr. Firas Nadim Yassin from FAO Rome Office, IPC Regional Coordinator ,Ms. Nusha Choudoury, IPC Regional Data Analyst , Mr. Feroz Ahmed and IPC National Coordinator , Ms. Mehnaz Ajmal co-facilitated the various sessions during the training. 30 food security professionals from Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, National Agriculture Research Centre, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Department of Agriculture-Government of Sindh, Bureau of Statistics Sindh, ACF, Oxfam, ACF, Save the Children, IFPRI, FAO and WFP participated in this training.
IPC Technical Working Group agreed to focus on one province for IPC Chronic Rollout rather than several for comprehensive food security analysis in a province. Sindh Province is identified as priority province for IPC Chronic Analysis. Initially 15-20 districts out of 25 from Sindh are prioritized for Chronic Analysis.
A comprehensive plan for statistical data re-analysis and context analysis was put together during the planning session on the last day of the training. The plan also highlights the data source and administrative level of representativeness of data, along with the agency and the departments who is the custodian of the information. All participants were assigned responsibilities related to their departments. The data availability will be completed by September 09, 2016 and data re-analysis will be completed by end of October 2016.
A hands-on training on IPC Information Support System (ISS) was also delivered to the participants.The ISS is a country-based, internet application for Food Security and Nutrition stakeholders to use in building an IPC Acute or Chronic analysis.
The second training titled IPC Acute Level 1 Training was held from the 15th-19th August 2016 in Islamabad.
This training aimed at refreshing and enhancing the capacities of multi-stakeholders and food security professionals on IPC, especially from the perspective of decision making in order to deal with the sensitive and complex issue of food security in Pakistan.
IPC played an important role in facilitating the food security analysis work in the country based on secondary data sources obtained from the various food security stakeholders. During the training and working sessions it was identified that availability of data on food security indicators is very patchy and underestimates the actual situation in the areas.
IPC Regional Coordinator, Ms. Nusha Choudoury , the lead trainer with her co-facilitators IPC Regional Data Analyst , Mr. Feroz Ahmed , IPC National Coordinator, Ms. Mehnaz Ajmal, IPC Regional Trainer and Assistant Coordinator , Ms. Duaa Sayed and VAM Policy Officer , Mr. Amanur Rehman Khan successfully completed the training sessions and group work. Food security professionals/experts from Rome, Bangkok, Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippine and Cambodia also participated in these training sessions.
Efforts to advocate for institutionalization of IPC as a standard tool for integrated food security analysis were discussed. There is a certified pool of at least 50-55 food security experts fully trained in IPC level 1 and 2 who are able to conduct further IPC trainings and analysis independently.
This trained pool of experts has planned to conduct IPC acute food security analysis of vulnerable districts in Pakistan in by January 2017.

Background
The Integrated Food Insecurity Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Analysis is being carried out in Pakistan since 2012, jointly by FAO and WFP in collaboration with IPC Global partners and national and provincial governments under the leadership of Ministry of National Food Security and Research. After the successful launch of IPC Acute Analysis which primarily focuses on short term strategic objectives only, the need and demand to plan and execute the IPC Chronic Food Insecurity Classification (abbreviated as IPC-Chronic) was raised to provide crucial information for strategic and interlinked food security programming and policies. The IPC chronic has been designed to complement the IPC Acute Food Insecurity Classification and provides invaluable information for decision makers that focus on medium and long term objectives.