Evaluation of FAO Operational Capacity in Emergencies

In June 2007, the FAO Council asked that a process evaluation be undertaken to analyse the Organization?s managerial, administrative and operational constraints in carrying out its emergency operations. Unlike the great majority of FAO?s evaluations that concentrate on the Organization?s relevance, effectiveness and impact, this evaluation deals with operational processes and their efficiency and is as much a management study as an evaluation. To be useful, this study had to feed into the ongoing reform process, including the IEE, the Immediate Plan of Action and the Root and Branch Review. Some initial work was carried out by an inter-disciplinary team during 2008, which was complemented by further studies and discussions in 2009, resulting in this report to management and to the FAO Council through the Programme and Finance Committees. The study report does not provide extensive description of FAO?s present systems but explores issues and possible paths forward, concentrating on the more significant questions and recognizing that the FAO units concerned are the most qualified to address the specifics of procedure.