Evaluation of the UNICEF L3 response in Afghanistan (August 2021–March 2023)

On 8 September 2021, the UNICEF Executive Director approved the activation of the UNICEF Corporate Emergency Level 3 Scale-up Procedure (CEAP) for Afghanistan. The L3 was initially declared until 8 March 2022 and subsequently extended twice until its deactivation (and transition to a L2 CEAP) on 13 June 2023.

The evaluation of UNICEF’s L3 response in Afghanistan has both an accountability and learning purpose. It fulfils the requirement of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy (2018) whereby all L3 emergencies must be evaluated, and it is also expected to help the UNICEF ACO, the regional and HQ levels, generate learning to support programming strategy and operational planning, while shaping the on-going response in Afghanistan. The evaluation is additionally expected to capture learning and make actionable recommendations to inform UNICEF efforts across future L3 emergencies (for instance, with respect to policies, guidance and systems).

The general objective of the evaluation is to provide a comprehensive assessment of UNICEF’s overall response in Afghanistan since the L3 activation in 2021, measured against its own mandate, corporate commitments, stated objectives and standard evaluation criteria, including: relevance/appropriateness, effectiveness, connectedness, coverage and coordination. To the extent possible, some of the key outcomes of the response will also be gauged. The temporal scope of the evaluation will span from August 2021 until the time of data collection, while also gauging the preparedness and programming activities undertaken to support the response prior to the L3 activation.