The Cluster Approach is one of several pillars of the humanitarian reform aiming to improve the effectiveness of international humanitarian response. First implemented in 2006, the Cluster Approach seeks to clarify the division of labor, roles and responsibilities, as well as the coordination among humanitarian organizations in eleven different sectors or “clusters” of humanitarian response. Moreover, it aims to strengthen partnerships between UN agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, international organizations and international as well as local NGOs.

At the beginning of the reform, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) decided to conduct an evaluation of the Cluster Approach in two phases. The Global Public Policy Institute in cooperation with Groupe URD was selected to conduct the Phase II evaluation, concentrating on the results and effects of the Cluster Approach at the country level. This assessment followed a Phase I evaluation, carried out by the Overseas Development Institute, which focused on processes at the global level.

Project Objectives

The Cluster Evaluation Phase II assessed the operational effectiveness and the main outcomes of the Cluster Approach in order to propose concrete recommendations for improving the approach, its interaction with other pillars of humanitarian reform and its contribution to an appropriate and coordinated delivery of humanitarian assistance. The evaluation focused on the analysis of common country-level findings and aims to bring the reality in the field back to decision makers at the global level. It also informs the wider humanitarian community and contributed to the creation of a baseline for future evaluations of the cluster approach.

The evaluation was based on six country case studies as well as information gathered at the global level. The case studies were conducted in:

Uganda (early September 2009) EN, FR
Myanmar (early September 2009) EN, FR
Haiti (end September–early October 2009) EN, FR
Chad (late October-early November 2009) EN, FR
Gaza / oPt (early November 2009) EN, FR
Democratic Republic of the Congo (mid-November 2009) EN, FR

Six stand-alone reports present findings and country-specific recommendations of these field visits. Overall conclusions and lessons learned were published in a synthesis report.

The evaluation management at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) produced a video in which GPPi Associate Director Julia Steets and Groupe URD co-team leader Francois Grünewald explain the main messages of the evaluation in two minutes.

The Framework for the Evaluation (in French) and the Terms of Reference (in French) provide more details about the evaluation.

For more information, please contact Julia Steets or Andrea Binder