Transcript Introductions

Evaluating Humanitarian
Action (EHA)
Introductions
Introductions
 Welcome
 The Trainers
 Participant Introductions
 Administration
 The Materials
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The course
 Origin and Objectives
 Daily Schedule and Sessions
 Pre-course Preparation
 Activities
 Possible follow-up course
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Locating EHA
What is EHA?
 Defining, describing evaluation
 Defining, describing Humanitarian Action
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Defining EHA: Exercise
Without referring to the course manual, please write, on
individual cards, a short:
 Definition of Evaluation
 Definition of Humanitarian Action
 List of types of Humanitarian Action (i.e. scenarios or
contexts in which HA is provided, as opposed to specific
activities or sectors)
You may work in pairs or threes. You have 10 minutes
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Defining EHA
What is evaluation of humanitarian
action? The ALNAP definition
 A systematic and impartial examination
of humanitarian action intended to
draw lessons to improve policy and
practice and enhance accountability.
(ALNAP EHA Guide, 2005)
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Project Cycle
Jan Davis and Robert Lambert, Engineering in Emergencies, p.63.
A S S E S S M E NT
& P LA NNING
IM P LE M E NTA TIO N
A S S E S S M E NT
& P LA NNING
E V A LUA TIO N
& M O NITO RING
& A DA P TA TIO N
IM P LE M E NTA TIO N
E V A LUA TIO N
& M O NITO RING
& A DA P TA TIO N
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Evaluation Logic
Tool for knowledge creation & management based on
logical questions:
•
What (facts, findings)?
•
Why (questioning and understanding)?
•
So what (analysis and conclusions)?
•
Now what (recommendations)?
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Project Management - a scale
Facilitated/internal
MONITORING
 Routine, trends, lessons,
 Systematic , including
Lessons & Accountability
EVALUATION
 Controlling
 Compliance oriented
Investigative/External
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INSPECTION, AUDIT
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Describing Evaluation
 Origins, Methods and Approaches
 Other learning and accountability approaches
This course is about the ‘classical model’: A team
of independent consultants; mission to the ‘field’;
report as an output. Other approaches to
evaluation, learning and accountability exist
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EHA ‘Types’
Mainly descriptions are based on a salient aspect, rather than a
defining quality. Can be categorised by:
 Who? Actors: Multi or single agency; donor; beneficiary-based, etc.
 When? Timing: RTE; ex-post; ex-ante, etc.
 How? Methods: Participatory, etc.
 Why? Aims: Learning; Accountability
 What? Focus: Programme, Project, Policy, Thematic, Sector
 Other?
Often differences are neither substantive nor mutually exclusive
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Describing Humanitarian Action
Exercise:
 Please list types of Humanitarian Action
that you have experienced or know about
Please work in pairs or threes and you have
5 minutes
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Defining Humanitarian Action
 Visions of HA differ by:
 Cause (famine and war)
 Actor (mandate and opportunistic)
 Needs, action & phase (emergency and recovery; protection,
advocacy, blankets and seeds & tools)
 Formal HA policies are ‘all things to all people’, from
sudden or chronic crises to early recovery and risk
reduction (see INGO; UN; Donor; network policies)
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HA Definition
Humanitarian Action: Assistance, protection and
advocacy actions undertaken on an impartial basis in
response to human needs resulting from complex
political emergencies and natural hazards.
Source: ALNAP evaluation training materials, module 1, 2003
Note: Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction activities do not
necessarily ‘result from … emergencies and natural hazards’ . They
may take place prior to their becoming real.
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HA: All things to all people
 Good Humanitarian Donorship, (GHD), ECHO, Sphere
and the RC Code of Conduct include in HA a range of
activities such as human rights advocacy and protection,
early recovery and disaster preparedness and risk
reduction (DRR)
 The objectives of humanitarian action are to save
lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity
during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and
natural disasters, as well as to prevent and
strengthen preparedness for the occurrence of such
situations. (GHD 2003)
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Locating HA
Graphic of types of HA
An ‘x and y’ axes graph
Time on one axis and
Objectives or type of aid on the other (from
relief to solutions)
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HA Origins
 From religions
 To IHL and other international law
 To artificial administrative, budgetary, timerelated definitions
Remember: For affected people (and the
general public) definitions don’t matter.
They just want action to save and
improve lives!
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Frameworks: link between ‘E’
and ‘HA’
 To measure and judge different HA activities, require
specific definitions or ‘Frameworks’ (see later session)
 Can be statements of principle; legal obligation; aims;
policy; process and/or good practice, etc.
 Examples … IHL; Int. Refugee & other HR Law; Sphere;
poverty reduction guidelines (e.g. for recovery); agency
manuals; etc.
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Constraints Facing EHA
 EHA often complicated by crisis, disruption
 Conflicts polarise perspectives,
complicating ‘objective’ evaluation
 Data, information difficult to collect (e.g.
high turnover of staff)
 Original plans, documentation may not
exist or be poor
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Evaluation Myths and Realities
Please analyse the synthesized media articles:
1.
2.
3.
Global Warming

What observations can you make about evaluation as a tool for
learning and accountability from the articles?
World Bank report on use and abuse of evaluations
Sudden closure of a major corruption investigation
You may work in pairs or threes. You have 10 minutes
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Observations on EHA
 We are ignorant on most matters (e.g. Global
Warming)
 EHA’s can be used; ignored; abused (WB)
 Or discredited, even stopped (corruption)
EHA is neither an exact science, nor a ‘magic
bullet’, nor immune from vested interests and
human realities
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Caminante, no hay camino …
el camino se hace al andar...
(Wanderer, there is no path … the path you shall forge as
you wander)
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EHA and Professionalism
While approaches, tools, methods and ‘knowledge’ are often crude;
‘agendas’ abound; and abuse of EHA is frequent, we can narrow the
‘ignorance-gap’ and limit avoidance of accountability through:
 Training
 Appropriate methods and tools (e.g. criteria and frameworks)
 Professional diligence
 Insight and experience
And, Above all, through intellectual honesty and courage!
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Evaluation as a project
The course will look at it as a set of project-like
steps. See diagram:
1. Scoping, Designing and Planning
2. Doing: ‘Knowledge’ Collection, Analysis and
Presentation
3. Communicating, Using and Follow-up
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Situating EHA: Conclusion
 Dispel the myths; show breadth and variability of terms
 Potentially useful tool for learning and accountability
 To be applied with modesty
 Professionalism & commitment: Let’s do and use it well!
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EHA Purposes
Learning
 What is it?
 Learning methods and approaches
 Research & Development; Training; Mentoring; Facilitating sharing
of ‘knowledge’; Technical Assistance; etc.
 Evaluation as one method
Accountability
 What and how: accountability aims, methods, approaches
 Audit; Inspection; Self regulation/assessment as for income tax, etc.
 Evaluation as one method
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Learning & Accountability Graph
 The ‘accountability/learning’ scale (make
‘axes’ diagram)
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