Active Learning Network on Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance
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Active Learning Network on Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance Record of the Second Meeting 21-22 October 1997 Secretariat: Humanitarian Policy Programme, Overseas Development Institute Portland House Stag Place London SW1E 5DP Record of the Second ALNAP Meeting 21-22 October 1997, ODI, London In Attendance Katherine Alley Evaluation Department, UNICEF, New York Eva Asplund Head of Division for Humanitarian Assistance, SIDA, Stockholm Helen Awan Administrator, Humanitarian Policy Programme, ODI. Richard Blewitt Emergencies Unit, ActionAid (currently on secondment to UN DHA) Sue Birchmore Head of Evaluation, World Vision UK, Milton Keynes. John Borton Coordinator, Humanitarian Policy Programme, ODI. Polly Byers Policy and Planning Adviser, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID, Washington DC. Matthew Carter Programme Officer, CAFOD, London. Louisa Chan Office of the Director, Emergency and Humanitarian Aid, WHO, Geneva. Jacqueline Coeffard Head of Evaluation Unit, ECHO, Brussels. Sara Davidson Inter-Agency Coordinator, People in Aid, London. Dominique Desvignes Internal Audit Department, ICRC, Geneva. Antonio Donini Chief, Lessons Learned Unit, UN DHA, New York. Claude Forthomme Senior Evaluation Officer, FAO, Rome. Laura Gibbons Coordinator, Relief and Rehabilitation Network, ODI. Andre Griekspoor Head, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, MSF-Holland, Amsterdam. Alistair Hallam Research Fellow, Humanitarian Policy Programme, ODI. Caroline Harper Head of Research and Development, SCF, London. Sonja Hyland Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin. Mukesh Kapila Senior Humanitarian Advisor, Emergency Aid Department, DFID, London. John Kirkby Senior Consultant, ETC, North Shields, UK. Natalia Langlais Programme Officer, Emergency Aid Department, DFID, London. Bernard Lemaire Emergency Programme Officer, Belgian Administration Development Cooperation, Brussels. Joanna Macrae Research Fellow, Humanitarian Policy Programme, ODI. John Mitchell Emergency Advisor, International Division, British Red Cross Society, London. Stephan Moll Controller, Humanitarian Aid and Swiss Disaster Relief, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Berne. Susan Purdin Project Manager, The Sphere Project, Geneva. David Riley Chief, Programme Coordination Section, UNHCR, Geneva. Ian Shaw Director of Graduate Studies, School of Social and 1 Administrative Studies, University of Wales, Cardiff. Paul Smith-Lomas Deputy Director, Emergency Department, OXFAM, Oxford. John Telford Consultant, EMMA, Mountrath, Republic of Ireland. Koenraad van Brabant Research Fellow, Humanitarian Policy Programme, ODI. Unable to Attend Raymond Apthorpe Independent Consultant, Australian National University, Canberra Mikael Barfod European Community Humanitarian Office, Brussels Tony Beck Interchange Claes Bennedich Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Stockholm Eric Berg Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway Jim Bishop Interaction, Washington Margie Buchanan-Smith Actionaid, London Edmund Cain United Nations Development Programme, New York William Carlos Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland Vincent Coultan CARE UK Niels Dabelstein DANIDA, Copenhagen Sean Doyle DGVIII, Brussels John Eriksson Independent Consultant, Washington DC Marika Fahlen Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden Marco Ferrari Humanitarian Aid and Swiss Disaster Relief, Berne Stephen Green World Food Programme, Rome Nils Gussing Gussing Consulting, Geneva Peter Hawkins Save the Children Fund, London Paul Hebert Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Geneva Ian Hopwood United Nations Children’s Fund, New York Kari Karanko Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland Chris Kaye Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Geneva Werner Kiene World Food Programme, Rome Ted Kliest Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands Alcira Kreimer World Bank, Washington Louise Lavigne Canadian International Development Agency, Geneva Hans Lundgren Organisation for Economic Development Cooperation, Paris Wayne MacDonald Canadian International Development Agency, Quebec Peter McDermott United Nations Children’s Fund, Geneva Joel McLellan Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, Geneva Ole Moesby DANIDA, Copenhagen Juan Francisco Montalban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Spain Xavier Ortegat VOICE Andy Pugh CARE, Atlanta 2 A Riberio-Vanderauwera Belgian Administration for Development Cooperation, Brussels John Rogge United Nations Development Programme, New York Bernard Sexe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France Nick Stockton OXFAM, Oxford Klaus Streicher Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany Jacques Stroun International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva Laurent Thomas Food and Agricultural Organisation, Rome Joeren Verheul Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands Mr Von Rom Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany Elizabeth Wade-Brown Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, UK Peter Walker International Federation of Red Cross, Geneva 3 DAY 1: 21st October Welcome Address Simon Maxwell, who took up his post as Director of ODI at the beginning of October, commended ALNAP members for their initiative in establishing the network and their evident support for and interest in it. He spoke about accountability initiatives over a broad front of development and humanitarian activities, drawing attention to the Charter for Food Security prepared for the World Food Summit, and the exciting linkages to be made between the accountability issues and the growing interest in a rights-based approach to development and poverty reduction. Introduction and Review of Agenda Those present introduced themselves. John Borton explained that whereas the focus of the first ALNAP meeting had, of necessity, been on conceptual and procedural issues that the intention was for this second meeting to focus on more practical issues. The programme was a full one that would begin with a lateral look to approaches towards accountability and performance issues in the UK social services sector which would then be followed by presentations by OFDA and MSF- Holland on their recent experiences in introducing, respectively, monitoring and performance monitoring systems. The second day would focus on ALNAP management issues, with feedback from the newly elected Steering Committee. This would be followed by presentations from Alistair Hallam on his study of best practice in the evaluation of humanitarian assistance programs and Koenraad Van Brabant’s discussion paper on institutional learning. Tour de Table SIDA: In collaboration with DGI of the European Commission, SIDA is undertaking an evaluation of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. It is also undertaking a programme of 'capacity studies' of selected organisations which have received substantial support from SIDA over an extended period. The Life and Peace Institute, the Mines Advisory Group and the African Housing Fund are among those organisations included in the programme. DHA: The Lessons Learned Unit has been undertaking a study on indigenous mine action programmes in Afghanistan, Mozambique, Cambodia and Angola. The country reports and a synthesis report will be available soon. A study on humanitarian coordination in Angola which includes coordination in relation to the demobilisation programme and a study on strategic coordination in the Great Lakes region during 1996-97 are also underway. A draft report will be available by the end of the year and a workshop is planned to be held in Stockholm early next year. Antonio Donini also outlined the Strategic Framework exercise which was being carried out under the auspices of the UNACC (Administrative Coordination Committee). Afghanistan had been selected as being representative of a country in 4 crisis and during October a number of senior UN officials and NGO personnel had engaged in a programme of activities with UN personnel working in Afghanistan to explore ways in which coordination could be improved between UN agencies involved in peacebuilding. Richard Blewitt outlined the current process aimed at improving the strategic planning and monitoring functions within the UN Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP). A paper was in preparation which would examine the principal elements of 'good strategy' and strategic monitoring. A next phase would test the outcomes in relation to two countries, with Sudan being one and either Afghanistan or Tadjikistan being the other. WHO: WHO has commissioned CRED (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters) at the Catholic University of Louvain to undertake an evaluation of health sector interventions in the Great Lakes Region. WHO is collaborating with OFDA and CDC Atlanta to review health sector interventions in Afghanistan. As part of a study on the extent to which support to the health sector can support the peace building process, case studies are being undertaken in Slovenia and Angola. A meeting is being held at WHO at the end of October to prioritise WHO research agenda and examine best practice issues in the health sector. ICRC: Between late 1997 and early 1998 the ICRC will be reviewing its policies on evaluation. Because of the differences in perspective and use of terms within the organisation an ICRC evaluation terminology has been prepared. In July 1997 ICRC and ECHO auditors undertook a joint audit of ICRC programmes in Afghanistan. UNICEF: UNICEF is participating in the tripartite WFP/UNHCR/UNICEF evaluation of operational coordination in the Great Lakes Region (complementing the DHA study which is focusing on strategic coordination). UNICEF is