United Nations member states discuss GPPi and Groupe URD’s evaluation of the cluster approach

On December 6, GPPi Associate Director Julia Steets presented the results of the global evaluation of the cluster approach during a briefing session in Geneva for representatives of UN member states. During the session, organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Julia Steets presented the main findings, conclusions and recommendations of the cluster approach evaluation phase II, which GPPi implemented together with Groupe URD between 2009-10.

In addition to the presentation, the current co-chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee task team on the cluster approach, Ruven Mendikdiwela, outlined the steps taken by the task team to ensure implementation of the evaluation’s recommendations. To this end, the task team has created a management response plan and, on this basis, will prioritize a limited number of intervention areas to be addressed during 2011.

Over 30 representatives of the UN member states attended the session and discussed the evaluation’s results and the follow-up process. During the conversation, they stressed in particular the responsibilities of governments in emergency affected countries, the importance of including local actors in international aid coordination mechanisms like the cluster approach, and steps that donor governments could take to improve the cluster approach.