UNHCR Country Portfolio Evaluations: Afghanistan, Angola, Iraq, Morocco Synthesis Report

UNHCR had shown strong leadership in the refugee protection space, and its technical expertise in this area is widely recognised. In responses aimed at internally displaced persons (IDPs), it has invested considerable resources in protection cluster leadership and coordination. This area of activity is time- and personnel-intensive and may have implied a trade-off with more strategic-level engagement and the achievement of a catalyst role on durable solutions.

• Across the four countries examined, UNHCR’s advocacy activities have had variable results. In some instances, its extensive presence across the cluster system has given it a platform to relay its advocacy messages. In others, the complexity of inter-cluster decision-making processes, as well as humanitarian country team (HCT) governance practice and the fact that UNHCR does not have a mandate for IDPs, have all contributed to dampening the thrust of its advocacy messaging. This has caused a number of external stakeholders, including some donors, to view some UNHCR advocacy efforts as lacking in drive and determination.