December 17, 2019

DARA recently conducted the interim evaluation of IOM’s Regional Response to the flows of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. This evaluation was both summative, as it provides an overall judgement of the Regional Response to date, as well as formative, as it looked at good practices and learning from the Regional Response to inform future projects and interventions, particularly in line with the RMRP 2020.

The overall objectives of the evaluation were: 1) to determine the extent to which the response has contributed towards national and international efforts in managing Venezuelan flows; and 2) assess the overall performance of IOM’s regional response through the contribution of each project’s results.

The scope of the evaluation was from May 2018 to December 2019, focusing on the global, regional response and country level response through the six regional projects funded by the CERF, PRM (responsible for two of the six projects), and the Government of the Netherlands, SIDA and Canada. A desk analysis of the performance of the regional response informs the development of the inception report.

The analysis of the regional documentation was the main source of information for the regional response and informed the analysis regarding the strategic positioning of IOM at a regional level. To collect in-depth learning (challenges and opportunities), good practices and anecdotal evidence of results in each of the areas of intervention, the evaluation team carried out three field visits to the following countries: Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, using a case study approach.

The purpose of the evaluation was to gather reliable information to improve ongoing and future IOM activities within the response to Venezuelan flows. Externally, it will promote accountability and transparency, which, in turn, will assist governments and other donors in their decision-making about future project funding.

The final report can be viewed here, with a 2-page summary also available.