Assessing UNFPA’s Humanitarian Response in Nepal FINAL REPORT May 8, 2009 A Joint Initiative of Columbia University and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Evaluation Team: Lydia Allen, Kristen Cox Mehling, Mohammad Hasnain, Amanda Ree, Nadia Selim, Aki Yoshino School for International and Public Affairs (SIPA) Columbia University New York, NY Acknowledgements This project and final report have been made possible thanks to the significant efforts of a great number of people. First, the Columbia University (CU) team would like to thank Pamela DeLargy, Priya Marwah, and Cecile Mazzacurati of the UNFPA Humanitarian Response Branch (HRB) in New York City for their tireless support and dedicated commitment to the CU team. The team is exceedingly thankful for the resources and overwhelming energy that UNFPA staff commits to this endeavor. The team would also like to thank the staff of the UNFPA Nepal Country Office in Kathmandu, led by UNFPA Country Representative Ian McFarlane and Deputy Representative Ugochi Daniels. The UNFPA Nepal staff was tremendously supportive and generous with their time and expertise. The CU team was one of three evaluation teams working simultaneously in Nepal in March 2009. As evaluators, we not only deeply appreciate the generosity that UNFPA staff in Nepal exhibited with their time and resources, but also the willingness that the staff demonstrated in opening up their books and programs for evaluation. This enthusiasm speaks volumes about UNFPA Nepal’s dedication to improving their humanitarian response. The staff provided not only logistical support, but also the substantial and critical local knowledge that was invaluable in the production of this report. We offer a very special thanks to all Kathmandu staff that supported our mission; namely, Silla Ristimaki, Vandana Shrestha, Hom Raj Sharma, Michiyo Yamada, Sujata Tuladhar, and the drivers of UNFPA Nepal. In the field, the team was also supported by Chiranjeeb Sah and Bal Krishna Sharma, as well as Dr. Niraj Kumar Sinha, Ganesh Shahi, and Salina Khatoon. We also benefited greatly from the assistance and cooperation of multiple officials within the Government of Nepal as well as staff within UN agencies and NGOs who were exceedingly generous with their time and resources in support of this project. Professor Dirk Salomons of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) has been an integral component of the graduate student workshop from the beginning and it is to his credit that projects such as this are undertaken. More specifically, Professor Salomons provided invaluable guidance and counsel throughout the project. Finally, the team would like to offer sincere thanks to the patient and hard-working staff and faculty of the Economic and Political Development (EPD) Department at SIPA through which this workshop project was organized. Namely, the team would like to thank Eugenia McGill and Melissa Giblock who dedicated themselves tirelessly to the students undertaking these projects. For your constant support and dedication, thank you. Table of Contents List of Acronyms Page 4 Executive Summary Page 5 Summary of Findings and Recommendations Page 6 Introduction Page 7 Methodology Page 10 Background Page 9 Findings Page 28 Recommendations Page 47 Appendices Page 55 I. Explanation of Methodology II. Table of Interviews III. Partnership Matrix IV. Table of UNFPA Response V. Survey Guides/Research Instruments VI. Bibliography LIST OF ACRONYMS ADRA Adventist Development and Relief Agency ALNAP Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action CAP Common Appeals Process CDO Chief Development Officer CERF Central Emergency Relief Fund CU Columbia University DDRC District Disaster Relief Committee EHA Evaluation of Humanitarian Action GBV Gender-Based Violence GoN Government of Nepal HAWG Humanitarian Assistance Working Group (UNFPA Nepal) HC Humanitarian Coordinator HRB Humanitarian Response Branch (UNFPA HQ) IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee ICPD International Conference on Population and Development IRA Initial Rapid Assessment KYC Kirat Yakthung Chumlung LDO Local Development Officer MISP Minimum Initial Service Package NFI Non-food item NGO Non-Governmental Organization NHSP-IP Nepal Health Sector Programme Implementation Plan NSRC Nepal Red Cross Society OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights RH Reproductive health RRT Rapid Response Team SIPA School of International and Public Affairs STI Sexually Transmitted Infections UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNFPA-CU United Nations Population Fund - Columbia University Joint Initiative VDC Village Development Committee WDO Women’s Development Officer WFP World Food Programme Executive Summary Nepal is simultaneously a developing country, a country in transition, and a country in humanitarian crisis. The fact that Nepal is vulnerable to natural disasters only further compounds the country’s challenge for social, economic, and political development. Nepal is ranked as the 11th most at-risk country to earthquakes, the 30th most vulnerable to floods, and remains one of 20 of the most multi- hazard prone countries in the world.1 The unremitting rains in 2008 flooded large swaths of the heavily populated southern plains, known as the Terai. As a result, between 70,000 and 100,000 persons were affected and 40,000 persons were displaced.2 Because of the country’s susceptibility to natural disasters and given that the newly democratic state remains relatively untested at this early stage, the populations of Nepal are especially vulnerable. As a result of recent humanitarian situations, the United Nations (UN) set up an Inter-Agency Standing Committee in Nepal (IASC) to coordinate UN, donor, and non-governmental organization (NGO) humanitarian response with the Government of Nepal (GoN). UNFPA’s work is imperative in humanitarian relief in Nepal due to significant unmet need in the areas of reproductive health (RH) and gender-based violence (GBV). In order to better respond to humanitarian emergencies, the Country Office of UNFPA Nepal recently established a Humanitarian Assistance Working Group (HAWG). The objective of this joint UNFPA- Columbia University (UNFPA-CU) initiative was to conduct an assessment of UNFPA’s response to the 2008 floods in Nepal using the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations3 as the guiding framework, and to provide recommendations on what steps UNFPA Nepal’s HAWG should take in order to ensure service delivery and coordination in emergencies. The team of six students from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University (CU) formed its recommendations based on findings from a comprehensive literature review and from interviews with stakeholders in New York and in Nepal during a two-week field visit in March 2009. The CU team’s fieldwork focused on the collection of qualitative data through interviews with staff of government ministries, the UN, UNFPA staff, implementing partners and community-based organizations, as well as focus group discussions with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) communities, and other key stakeholders. The findings of this assessment revolved around issues of UNFPA Nepal’s presence in the field during the floods, preparedness and timeliness of response, participation in UN agency wide response networks, collaboration with humanitarian partners, and monitoring and evaluation of on-going efforts. The findings also focused on operational and logistical issues of financial procedures, reporting requirements, human resource managements and non-food item(NFI) distributions. Lastly, the assessment also examined the degree to which UNFPA is engaged in returning communities through early recovery work. The findings are analyzed through the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP) framework criteria of efficiency, effectiveness and coordination, impact, relevance and appropriateness, sustainability and connectedness, and coverage. The findings from this research and the CU team’s recommendations are presented within this final report. 1 OCHA. “Nepal IASC Contingency Plan.” 2008. 2 United Nations. “Nepal Common Appeal for Transition Support.” 2008. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations of the evaluation aim to strengthen UNFPA Nepal’s emergency response capacity, and are prioritized into immediate, medium- and long-term categories. Immediate priority recommendations are listed below. Priority 1: Conduct a brainstorming session on the findings and recommendations of the CU evaluation. Priority 2: Institute mandatory training for all Country Office and district-level staff on the MISP. Priority 3: Continue ADRA’s work in the Koshi flood region as an interim measure to fill significant gaps in RH service delivery. Priority 4: Identify personnel who could serve as RH Coordinators in the event of a humanitarian crisis to implement the MISP. At a minimum, identify two persons in the Koshi region and two persons in the Far Western region. Arrangements should be made to address any gaps in training for these personnel. Priority 5: Continue coordination with UNICEF to identify the contents of a basic hygiene kit that can be assembled jointly and prepositioned in vulnerable districts. Simultaneously, communicate to district offices that they will