Process evaluation of three donor agencies’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia during the period March–December 2020

This process evaluation concerns the response of three donor agencies (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), and the Global Affairs Canada (GAC)) to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia. The evaluation assesses in a comparative manner how well the three agencies have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons are drawn for future crises. Focus is on internal procedures within the agencies as well as on the reprogramming process. It is concluded that all three donor agencies have demonstrated a strong responsiveness towards project partners in Bolivia and that decentralised decision-making and adaptive capacity have been critical assets. It is recommended that more thorough assessments of headquarters’ “fit for fragility” preparedness are conducted, and that headquarters’ “duty of care” procedures are reviewed to address critical family issues and protection of national staff. Embassies are recommended to expand their virtual toolbox for communication and monitoring and to serve as a hub for exchange among partner’s during crises. More contextualised gender and vulnerability assessment tools should also be developed.