Link to final report available at: https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/syria_evaluation_final_report.pdf
The purpose of this independent evaluation was to help shape
the EU’s future humanitarian approach to the ongoing crisis inside Syria.
The evaluation intended to be forward-looking, and the Final Report made
prospective, strategic recommendations which were further broken down into more
detailed operational recommendations.
The evaluation takes account of the shifting
territorial control and access dynamics in Syria during the period and
presented findings and prospective recommendations around three key
issues:
Humanitarian
access and coordination - the extent to which DG ECHO’s approach
was responsive and innovative in the face of access challenges, and the
effectiveness of the Whole of Syria approach in reaching and serving the most
vulnerable
Protection
- the extent to which civilians were protected by DG ECHO’s response and a protection
approach was mainstreamed in a conflict sensitive way
The
Humanitarian-Development Nexus - the extent to which the
response adapted to the changing needs of people in Syria, and was able to
enhance resilience, reduce aid dependency and support longer-term outcomes
The analysis and recommendations combined programmatic
improvements (to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity)
with strategic or systemic recommendations (to reinforce the “aid continuum”)
adapted to the specifics of the different situations in the different regions
of Syria and the constant evolution of the conflict and territorial control.
In terms of scope, this evaluation was
executed within the following parameters:
Evaluation criteria:
Relevance
to the needs of the most vulnerable population groups and
individuals, to the specificities of the context; and the evolving needs;
Coherence
with humanitarian principles, the ‘Do No Harm’ approach and DG ECHO’s
thematic/sector policies, the response of other humanitarian donors (including
Member States of the EU), alignment with HRP/HNO and humanitarian-development
nexus approaches;
EU
added-value compared to Member States and other donors acting
alone;
Effectiveness
in relation to the general goals of the HAR and Consensus, the specific goals
of the HIPs, but also with regard to advocacy and communication activities
which are of crucial importance in this context;
Efficiency
in terms of cost-effectiveness and appropriate and proportionate budget
allocation; and
Sustainability
in terms of longer term planning, nexus linkages, exit strategies and
resilience building
Period covered: the evaluation examined DG ECHO’s response between 2016 and 2018.
The main trend of the conflict during this period was the expansion of
government-controlled territory and Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF)/Kurdish-controlled territory north of the Euphrates and the major
retraction of territory held by moderate and more radical opposition groups and
Daesh. Lines of territorial control moved steadily and significantly during the
period.
Programmatic and sectoral coverage: the evaluation covered all DG ECHO-funded interventions
approved under Humanitarian
Implementation Plans (HIPs) for 2016, 2017 and 2018 in all
supported sectors.
Target population: the evaluation focused on how DG ECHO responded to the
needs of up to 13.5 million people in need of
humanitarian assistance in Syria between 2016 and 2018, giving
specific attention to specifically vulnerable groups described by UN
Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs) and Humanitarian Needs Overviews (HNOs) and
individuals within and across these groups such as women, children, elderly and
disabled people.
Stakeholders: a wide
range of actors were consulted, including DG ECHO staff,
partners (UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs), member state (MS) staff, local
authorities, EU staff managing other instruments (i.e. EUTF), and other donors.
The evaluation team designed specific processes to consult with beneficiaries
and to engage with partners, in hard to reach areas of Syria, where access is
constrained.
Geographic coverage: humanitarian assistance is coordinated under the WoS approach, with
operational hubs in Damascus, Gaziantep and Amman (and cross-border actions
also coordinated from Iraq and Lebanon). The evaluation assessed how support
was provided across the three regions of Syria and made visits to the
operational hubs and further locations in Syria to gather primary data from a
wide range of stakeholders.
Use
and users:
the key users of the evaluation report include inter alia DG ECHO staff at HQ,
regional and country levels, national stakeholders, the participating
implementing partners (both international and national), and other humanitarian
and development donors and agencies working in response to the Syria crisis