Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation of the Response to Cyclone Nargis

This IA RTE afforded the opportunity for the international humanitarian community to reflect collectively upon the systems in place, taking into consideration the individual capacities of agencies on the ground, as well as their unique strengths and challenges. It also provided an opportunity for UN and non-UN actors to see their considerable efforts recognized and placed in the context of the overall response.

The evaluation reviewed current operations and provides real time feedback on the factors and determinants of the provision of aid and accountability to affected communities, as well as the effectiveness and relevance of international agencies efforts to facilitate the humanitarian response. Findings and recommendations will inform and improve ongoing decision-making, serve as an input to the planning of recovery and rehabilitation efforts, and provide preliminary feedback on results to date, while at the same time gaining lessons learned experiences for future activities.

In accordance with the humanitarian reform agenda, this IA RTE focused on three themes: accountability, predictability, and coordination and partnership. Following preliminary research and briefings in New York, Geneva and Bangkok, the IA RTE team spent three weeks in Myanmar, including one week in some of the worst-affected areas. The evaluation was managed by ESS.