[EQ] The State of the Humanitarian System: assessing performance and progress

The State of the Humanitarian System: assessing performance and progress

A pilot study

Paul Harvey, Team Leader; Abby Stoddard; Adele Harmer; Glyn Taylor

Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action, 2009

Available online PDF [76p.] at: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/4743.pdf

“…..The report aims to provide a system-level mapping and assessment of international humanitarian assistance.
To this end, the report

1)defines key criteria for assessing system performance and progress,
2) assesses the system’s performance over the past two years against these criteria,
3) presents new, previously unavailable descriptive statistics and
4) highlights some new initiatives in policy and practice.

 

The study was necessarily limited to assessing operational performance of the international humanitarian system rather than taking the measure of beneficiary-level impacts. Focusing on emergencies for which an appeal for international assistance was made and in which international aid agencies were involved, the review examined three main categories of humanitarian actor: the major providers (non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement); the programme conveners/coordinators (the main role of UN humanitarian agencies and offices); and the official donors.

 

The scope of the mapping exercise was limited to the ‘formal international system’, as time and resource constraints did not adequately allow for a comprehensive survey of national, local and community-based organisations that play such critical roles in relief efforts, or an in-depth examination of the evolving engagement of militaries and the private sector…..”

Content

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Scope and methodology

2 COMPOSITION OF THE HUMANITARIAN SYSTEM

2.1.1 The international humanitarian footprint

2.1.2 Global humanitarian resources

2.2 NGOs and the Red Cross Movement

2.2.1 INGOs

2.2.2 LNGOs and CBOs

2.2.3 International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

2.3 UN agencies

2.4 Donors

3 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

3.1 Coverage/sufficiency

3.1.1 Funding against needs

3.1.2 Access and operational coverage

3.2 Relevance/appropriateness

3.2.1 Needs assessment

3.2.2 Prioritisation of needs and appropriate allocation of resources

3.3 Effectiveness

3.3.1 Preparedness/timeliness

3.3.2 Growing emphasis on DRR

3.3.3 Coordination and partnerships

3.3.4 Monitoring and evaluation

3.3.5 Human resources and organisational capacity

3.4 Connectedness and local capacity building

3.4.1 Accountability and participation

3.5 Efficiency

3.6 Coherence

3.6.1 Are key humanitarian principles, IHL and refugee law being respected?

3.6.2 Is there consistency in objectives and actions for protection and for advancing the crosscutting issues?

Notes

4  CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL NEXT STEPS

4.1 Taking forward the State of the System Review

 

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