themselves from participating in the process. And thirdly, even if capturing data on minorities is recognized as a priority, designing appropriate methodologies for this is often a challenge due to incomplete pre-existing information on them for example in pre-crisis statistics.  Nonetheless, JIPS is convinced that improving the practice of collecting and analyzing data in a way that captures minority populations’ distinct situations, is at the core of overcoming humanitarian challenges, finding durable solutions to displacement, and building and sustaining peace.  Profiling as a process has a lot of potential to address the challenge of providing this type of evidence. It is not a standard methodology, but a mixture of different data collection tools aiming to capture both statistical and narrative data. It aims to provide a comprehensive profile of the populations of concern, disaggregated by age, sex and diversity, complemented by thematic analysis and qualitative data that can highlight diverse perspectives also within minority groups.  But as much as profiling is about developing the most suitable technical tools and methodologies for each context, it is also about the process through which it is carried out: Through a collaborative approach that involves relevant government, humanitarian and development actors, profiling aims to build consensus around the results from the start. Through a continuous dialogue by different partners from the development of objectives and methodologies to analysis and the formulation of joint recommendations, the aim is to make sure that sensitive issues are explicitly discussed from the start, and that data that is collected will be accepted and used. In JIPS’ experience this type of dialogue can help make important advances on political issues through technical solutions.  Through a combination of different methods profiling aims to give a voice to various groups affected by a humanitarian crisis, and aims to move away from generalized assumptions on people’s vulnerabilities, needs, strengths and priorities. In this way it can also be used to complement assessments and other data collection that is used to inform immediate programmatic responses, by including minority populations’ concerns, and assessing the effectiveness and impacts of humanitarian assistance on different groups.  Finally, profiling aims to establish a two-way communication with communities by presenting findings and conclusions to them, and receiving feedback and suggestions. This validation can also help highlight the distinct concerns of minorities even when they may not