UNHCR Evaluation Management Response (2018−2021)

This evaluation tracks pertinent interventions and results of an ongoing longitudinal study of UNHCR’s engagement in humanitarian – development cooperation from 2018 – 2021. The focus on Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Niger provided an ideal microcosm for a meaningful review, which resulted in 6 recommendations.

Recommendation 1

Clarify UNHCR’s objectives and priorities on humanitarian-development cooperation in the organization’s updated Strategic Directions, in the upcoming Development Action strategy paper, guidance on Multi Year Strategic Plans, and global partnership and sector strategies. In clarifying UNHCR’s objectives and priorities, UNHCR should specifically set out how it will strengthen engagement with the UN development system, expand cooperation with development actors on the rule of law and access to justice, more systematically cooperate with development actors on internal displacement, and describe how UNHCR will prepare and invest for its facilitation, supervision, monitoring, reporting, and advocacy roles.

Recommendation 2

Systematically pursue the integration of services for refugees (IDPs and other persons of concern) with national and local service systems throughout UNHCR’s own programs, focusing the ongoing introduction of multiyear planning on this objective and strengthening incentives.

Recommendation 3

Ensure that UNHCR core budgets that country operations are authorized to spend and standard job descriptions include the time and resources to engage with development actors and processes. Clarify under what conditions UNHCR seeks funding for its own activities from development actors and makes these contributions additional to regular core budgets.

Recommendation 4

Make UNHCR’s support structure for humanitarian-development cooperation more effective by clarifying the role of the Regional Bureaux and strengthening the focus of staff members dedicated to humanitarian-development cooperation on internal change processes.

Recommendation 5

Accelerate efforts to strengthen UNHCR’s capacity for and practice of collecting, analyzing and sharing data.

Recommendation 6

Make the role of protection in humanitarian-development cooperation more explicit and exercise this role more actively, specifically in terms of planning and analysis, providing operational protection advice, monitoring the situation of persons of concern, and cooperating directly with development actors.

Download the UNHCR Evaluation Management Response here.