ALNAP: Where to Now? Agency Expulsions in Sudan: Consequences and Next Steps

On 4 March, the government of Sudan expelled 13 international NGOs and revoked the licences of three national NGOs. In all, 7,610 aid workers have been directly affected in Northern Sudan (including Darfur), where these agencies accounted for 40% of aid workers, delivering more than half the total amount of aid. NGO services – access to water, health and medical services, food rations – have been jeopardised. Assistance to Darfur 's 2.7 million-plus displaced people has been severely compromised, and a number of health-related crisis are already emerging. In the Three Areas, the repercussions of these expulsions could undermine the gains made in realising the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). In Eastern Sudan , the expulsion of these agencies has deprived the region of critical food, livelihoods and medical assistance.

This joint ALNAP-HPG paper focuses on the recent expulsion of NGOs from Sudan. The paper provides a snapshot of what expelled aid agencies were doing at the time of their departure; where they were based and the type of assistance they were providing. It outlines the immediate implications of the expulsions including issues around contingency plans, remote working capacities and the challenge of scaling up operations to make up for the shortfall in services. The paper then suggests ways forward for the UN system, donors and international NGOs.

You can download the paper from the ALNAP website.

An experience of cash transfer programming in Somalia

From Vasco Pyjama.

'...in theory, our method for selecting beneficiaries was picture perfect. Theoretically speaking, we should have got the poorest third of households in each village. ... The donor loved our beneficiary selection methodology. They even told other NGOS to use the same methodology.

In practice, I'm not sure what happened. Last October, during my final trip to Somalia, I went out to talk to beneficiaries the day before the cash payment was due. "What will you do with the money you earnt?", I asked. Invariably, they told me that they would share it with another three to five households. Typically, four others. Apparently, people said that the amount of money was so large (EUR50) and the need within the community was great. They did not feel that one family should be entitled to the grant. So they would share it five ways. Each family receiving a measley sum of EUR10. Just enough to buy a sack of sorghum, and that's all.

I was furious! Our careful targeting was a waste of time! Plus, I was convinced that the elders were placing pressure on the poor to share their money. But a colleague pointed out a few valuable points to me. Somali culture, she said, was sophisticated and nuanced in its coping mechanisms and sharing of resources. The fact that the poor families shared this precious cash probably meant that, later on, they could call on the other four households to support them in lean times. And perhaps, this way, even though they 'gave away' EUR40, they essentially leverage much more in future support. Or perhaps, they were just bullied and their money taken away.'

Tufts: Afghanistan: Humanitarianism under Threat

by Antonio Donini

This briefing paper is an update of a 2006 study on perceptions of humanitarian action in Afghanistan, which was part of the Humanitarian Agenda 2015 research program. The paper highlights critical issues affecting the provision of humanitarian action and suggests how they could, at least partially, be redressed.

Building on data collected through interviews in the aid community as well as with ordinary Afghans, the briefing paper finds that humanitarianism is under deep threat in Afghanistan because of the perceived association of aid agencies with the US-led intervention. Humanitarian actors and the principles they profess are under attack. The ability of humanitarian agencies to address urgent need is compromised by internal and external factors, i.e., both by the organization and modus operandi of aid agencies on the ground, and by an extremely volatile and dangerous operating environment.

The aid community in Afghanistan faces severe challenges that need to be urgently addressed so that civilians in need can be protected and assisted and the credibility of the humanitarian enterprise restored. Opportunities for more principled humanitarian action, by separating or insulating it from political and military agendas, should not be missed. Failure to do so will have dire consequences for Afghans and for the future of humanitarianism worldwide.

View or download the report from the Tufts website.

MICROCON Working paper: Migration, Displacement and Refugees

RWP10: Consumption Growth, Household Splits and Civil War - Ana María Ibáñez and Andrés Moya

Internal conflicts entail large asset losses for certain segments in the civilian population. Asset losses may compromise the future welfare of households, thus leaving a legacy of structural poverty that is difficult to overcome. The purpose of this article is to analyze how asset losses occur during internal conflicts and the process of asset accumulation following the initial shock. To do this, we concentrate on a particularly vulnerable group of victims of war—the displaced population in Colombia.

The results indicate that recuperating asset losses or accumulating new assets is a rare event; only 25 percent of households are able to recover their original asset base, while asset ownership still seems insufficient for overcoming poverty. In addition, displaced households do not catch up even as settlement at destination sites consolidates. Therefore, unless a positive intervention is implemented, displaced households become locked in a low income trajectory, and are unlikely to leap forward to a high return asset level.

Download the Paper as a pdf from the Microcon website.

BRC Sierra Leone Child Advocacy Programme

BRC Bangladesh DP Programme

BRC video: Bangladesh Recovery programme

BRC Global Price update (February 2009)

Here is the latest British RC update on the global price and financial crisis....

1. BRCS
- Discussions ongoing with BRC Learning & Development about funding BRC research proposal on global price & financial crisis. This research may link into research planned by UK Hunger Alliance and ODI (see below)

2. Global update
- Crisis increasingly referred to "triple F" crisis - i.e. Food, Fuel and Financial
- FAO warn that food price crisis of 2008 will continue into 2009 and may get worse

- Despite decline in international food prices in second half of 2008, prices remain high in most countries, with some countries continuing to experience very high prices...so affecting access to food of most vulnerable low income groups in these countries(FAO)
- In Southern Africa and Central America - prices of main food commodities have continued to rise or have not decreased in recent months
- In West and East Africa countries - prices have fallen significantly since start of harvest in Sept-Oct 08 but by Jan 09 they were well above their levels of a year ago. Imported rice and wheat, important staples, are still rising.
- Prices of rice and wheat still remain high in several poor countries in Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

- Bumper record global harvest in 2008 means global cereal stocks at highest level since 2002.....BUT reduction in global cereal output in 2009 is predicted by FAO despite favourable climate. Areas planted declined, particularly in "low income food deficit" countries due to a reduction in expected returns and high input cost (the price of agric inputs more than doubled since 2006...poor farmers unable to afford). This means further likely hikes in food prices in 2009.

Global economic crisis may reverse recent employment gains for workers in poorest nations (ILO)

Some experts believe that financial trading in basic food commodities was the biggest factor in recent food price hikes. Global trading in futures and options in food has more than doubled in the last 5 years - with such trade increasing 30% in first 9 months of 2007

Fluctuations in US dollar has had devastating results for the poor as value of remittances fell at same time that cost of living went up, e.g. Bangladesh usually receives $4billion in remittances US annually

Other facts & figures
- There are "food crisis" in 32 countries, in addition Gaza is of particular concern (FAO)
- 18 m in the Horn and 8.7m in Southern Africa facing serious food insecurity BUT nearly 2/3rd of those living in hunger live in Asia. 65% of worlds undernourished live in India, China, DRC, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia (FAO)

3. Agency & Policy activities
- High level UN meeting on Food Security for All (Madrid 26/27 Jan) - agreement on need for co-ordinated collective response to global crisis - Global Partnership for Agriculture & Food Security (GPFAFS).
- ODI planning research "High world food prices & their implications". UK Hunger Alliance may link into this research, and take recommendations and outcomes forward from an INGO perspective
- ODI & DFID supporting a network of organisations..."to inform research, advocacy, policy and action related to high and volatile food commodity prices"...IFRC a member. BRC may want to consider joining this too.- ACF published - "Feeding Hunger & insecurity: Field analysis of volatile global commodity food prices, food security & childhood malnutrition" - presented at ODI seminar in January.
- OGB - Briefing paper - "A Billion Hungry People. Governments and aid agencies must rise to challenge" released to coincide with Madrid conference
- IFPRI - Food Policy report - Food and Financial Crisis. Implications for Agriculture and the Poor - calls for reform of financial and agricultural commodity markets to reduce volatility, avoid price bubbles and respond to emergencies cause by price crisis


4. Regional/Country updates

East Africa
- High prices of key staples eased off in most areas in late Dec 2008 but prices still well above 5 year average in most countries, particularly Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
- In Kenya, significant harvest shortfall in 2008 and expected poor harvest this June/July mean that prices expected to rise in 2009 in addition, financial crisis led to 40% decline in remittances, 30% decline in stock prices and 30% decline in tourism bookings


West Africa
- generally good rains, harvest and pasture in 2008. Although food prices increasing since Jan 2008, prices generally still under the record prices reported during the 2005 crisis, although Sept prices of rice reached new records for that time of year. Livestock prices on rise and still above 5 year average (due to good market demand, favourable condition), so despite high price of grain, terms of trade (livestock for grain) still favouring pastoralists.
- Burkino Faso - despite a cereal surplus in 2008, price of maize in capital has increased 20% in Jan 2009 raising fears of rioting again. High prices due to traders from neighbouring countries buying up grain and local farmers and traders with holding cereal

Southern Africa
- Zambia - may face food crisis in 2009 as price of staples are rising due to physical shortages from lower harvest & ineffective government price controls. Also economy badly affected by large mining job losses as a result of copper prices falling by 50% over the last few months
- Malawi- food prices at historical high and may face food crisis in early 2009 due to an underestimation of 2008 harvest that led to over exportation of food and consequent current shortfall. Private traders now hoarding food.
- Swaziland - prices of essential food risen 10-40% in 2008. Food inflation 17.9%
- South Africa - tens of 1,000s facing unemployment from automotor sector as a result of reduced demand and increased costs of materials.
- Botswana - thousands of mining jobs in jeopardy as diamond and other mineral sales dwindle. Diamonds sales expected to reduce by 50%, production by 35%

Chatham House: The Feeding of the Nine Billion: Global Food Security for the 21st Century

This Chatham House Report argues that together with competition for land and higher demand resulting from increasing affluence and a growing global population represent a major challenge for global food security.This report - a longer follow-up to an April 2008 Chatham House Briefing Paper entitled Rising Food Prices: Drivers and Implications for Development - sets out to look beyond the immediate causes and impacts of the global food price crisis of recent months, towards the medium and longer term.

Download the report from Reliefweb.

ALNAP: Deepening Crisis in Gaza: Lessons for Operational Agencies

This lessons paper aims to distil key lessons for senior and mid-level managers in operational settings, as well as those staff working to support relief efforts from a regional /HQ level. It draws on the findings of a desk review, including evaluation reports in the ALNAP Evaluation Reports Database, and an extensive telephone-based research process with key international and national actors working in Gaza and Jerusalem.

While attempts were made to look at other comparable crises, the point was made at numerous times that there was no comparable situation. However, there are some partial parallels to the conditions facing agencies – for example, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Lebanon - and wherever possible, these have been drawn upon.

The fifteen lessons covered in this paper are divided into four sections. These sections each relate to specific areas of agency work, and while they have been separated for ease of reading, it is important to highlight that in complex settings, each of these areas are interconnected and, done effectively, should be mutually reinforcing.

The majority of these lessons focus on humanitarian concerns, although attention is also paid to recovery and reconstruction issues.

Download the paper from the ALNAP website.

ALNAP: Real-time Evaluations of Humanitarian Action - A guide

Real-time evaluation (RTE) is probably one of the most demanding types of evaluation practice, requiring not only a wide range of skills from evaluators but also a tightly focused professional approach in order to meet the time demands of an RTE. However, RTEs are not about doing regular evaluation work faster. Approaches in RTEs must be different from those in regular evaluations because of the limited time available to make an evaluative judgement.

This pilot guide is intended to help both evaluation managers and team leaders in commissioning, overseeing and conducting real-time evaluations of humanitarian operational responses. Drawing on a synthesis of existing good practices, it is intended as a flexible resource that can be adapted to a variety of contexts.

Download the guide from the ALNAP website.