Real-Time Evaluation of UNICEF’s Response to the Sa’ada Conflict in Northern Yemen

The Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) conducted an evaluation of UNICEF’s relief activities in Northern Yemen to assess the agency’s performance during an ongoing conflict there since 2004. UNICEF contracted GPPi in cooperation with the Yemeni organization Interaction in Development to assess the agency’s relief activities to date by exploring what works, what does not and why. From July-September 2010, the Real-Time Evaluation (RTE) exercise provided feedback in a participatory manner and in real time to those executing and managing the humanitarian response.

 
This report contains the main findings and recommendations of an evaluation of UNICEF’s response to the emergency in Northern Yemen following the outbreak of the sixth round of fighting in the Sa’ada conflict in August 2009. The evaluation was conducted between July and August 2010 and was designed as a Real-Time Evaluation. As such, the main purpose of this evaluation was to support a process of organisational learning of UNICEF’s country office in Yemen.

To reach this goal, the evaluation team included a strong participatory component in the evaluation exercise and implemented several learning workshops. The focus, composition and design of these workshops were defined in response to the demand of
different stakeholders. They included learning exercises for two cluster groups and aworkshop for members of UNICEF’s emergency team in Yemen that refined, supplemented, and prioritised suggested recommendations. In addition, this exercise
clarified who would be responsible for implementation, what successful implementation would mean and by when actions should be taken.