Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan: Learning Paper
The evaluation was commissioned and funded by the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation Steering Group (IAHE SG), an associated body of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). The KonTerra Group and Itad Ltd. were contracted to conduct the evaluation.
Purpose of the evaluation
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The Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation (IAHE) of the COVID-19 Humanitarian Response seeks to assess the collective preparedness and response of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) member agencies at the global, regional, and country level in meeting the humanitarian needs of people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has three objectives:
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Determine the extent to which the IASC member agencies’ collective preparedness and response actions, including its existing and adapted special measures, were relevant to addressing humanitarian needs in the context of the pandemic.
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Assess the results achieved from these actions at the global, regional and country level in support of people, and with governments and local actors.
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Identify best practices, opportunities and lessons learnt that will help to improve ongoing and future humanitarian responses, including through wider and accelerated adaptation of certain humanitarian policies, approaches, and practices.
Purpose of the Learning Paper
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The ToR for the evaluation proposed a series of learning papers, the topics of which were to be selected during the inception phase. The Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) Learning Paper is the first of these learning papers and meets the third objective of the evaluation, that of learning. It is intended to inform future humanitarian policy and practice, specifically the development of any dedicated, ad-hoc GHRPs that may be considered in response to future global emergencies.
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In July 2020, the IASC Principals tasked the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with leading and sharing “lessons learned from the GHRP process that can be applied to and strengthen the annual the development of the 2021 GHO”.1 Thereafter, OCHA conducted a light lesson learning exercise, which concluded in October 2020. This learning paper builds on the OCHA-led exercise and the findings and recommendations that were documented during that process.