Evaluating the response to Pakistan’s 2009 displacement crisis

DARA is carrying out an Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation (IA-RTE) of the humanitarian response to Pakistan´s displacement crisis for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

Returned child in school in Islampur SWAT©DARA, Riccardo Polastro.

 The evaluation is groundbreaking on three counts, one being that it is the first time a real-time evaluation of a complex emergency is undertaken. The second one being the scale and speed of the displacement, one of the largest of the XXI Century. Finally, the third is the joint funding from key stakeholders is unprecedented. These include United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), DFID (UK Department for International Development), OCHA (Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Pakistan and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). 

Real Time Evaluation in Mozambique

Real Time Evaluation in the Philippines 

ALNAP Guide to Real-time Evaluations of Humanitarian Action

Report: Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation (IA-RTE) of the Humanitarian Response to Typhoons Ketsana and Parma in the Philippines

This RTE sets to obtain real-time analysis and feedback of the humanitarian community’s response to the massive displacement crisis that took place in 2009 after a military offensive by the Pakistani army against pro-Taliban militants. The need for an impartial review is critical as the number of aid organizations working within the area increase during 2010 to assist returnees, those who have remained in conflict zones during operations, IDPs who remain in camps or with host families, and host families providing food and shelter to IDPs. 

RTE group discussion with returnees in Tangu Band lower SWAT valley©DARA, Riccardo Polastro.

 The evaluation will provide insight on the main successes and shortcomings of the response, assessing if the current response is adequate. For this purpose, stayees, displaced and IDPs will be involved in the collection of data. 

The team is composed of experienced consultants, including John Cosgrave, a senior evaluations consultant, and Riccardo Polastro, Head of Evaluation at DARA, and Farwa Zafar, a national consultant. The evaluation began in late May and will last approximately one month. 

DARA has recently participated in the IA-RTE of the humanitarian response to the 2009 typhoons Ketsana and Parma in the Philippines.