MAKING THE RESULTS OF HUMANITARIAN EVALUATION ACCESSIBLE TO COMMUNITIES: Why it frequently fails and what to do about it

This report is part of a series of interlinked investigations of the politics of humanitarian knowledge and what changes can help bring about more inclusive and equitable approaches to research, analysis and decision-making. The series is the product of a collaboration of research groups and individuals based in Asia and the Pacific, under the Humanitarian Horizons 2021-2024 research program. Working within the Power, People and Local Leadership stream of that program, we examine inequalities embedded in the humanitarian system, the conditions that perpetuate them, and avenues for change. In this series, we turn the lens onto knowledge production, using a range of methods that offer varying ways of conceptualising challenges and opportunities.

The purpose of this research is to contribute to an improved follow-through on the humanitarian sector’s stated commitment to sharing evaluation findings with affected communities in a meaningful and participatory manner. It sought to review the challenges and opportunities in sharing evaluation findings with affected communities through consultations with M&E practitioners across Asia and the Pacific and consultations with crisis-affected communities in Pakistan and the Philippines. For us at Humanitarian Advisory Group, this paper also presents an opportunity to inform our own practices and can be used to have conversations with commissioning agencies on how to plan for making the results of our evaluation studies accessible to crisis-affected communities.