Aid Responses to Afghanistan: Lessons from Previous Evaluations

Whilst Afghanistan is a larger and more populous country than many previous major crisis zones and certain aspects of the current situation are unique, many elements and their likely evolution bear direct comparison with previous crises and the international response to them. Evaluations of responses to earlier crises conducted by DAC members and other development and humanitarian organisations constitute an important and valuable body of lessons for the international community as it attempts to respond effectively to the evolving situation.

The DAC Working Party on Aid Evaluation meeting on 14-15 November 2001 suggested that the Chair distil key lessons from previous evaluations which may have direct or potential relevance to the current, highly fluid, context in Afghanistan.

The following nine lessons are based on a review of more than 50 formal evaluation reports supplemented by key evaluative studies - the most important of which are listed in the annex. They were compiled with the support of the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP) and an expert group.