Final report expected: Autumn 2023

Following the activation of the system-wide Scale-Up Protocols (an inter-agency mobilisation mechanism in response to a sudden onset and/or rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation) in April 2021, HERE has been contracted by OCHA on behalf of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation Steering Group to undertake the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation of the collective response to the crisis in Northern Ethiopia. IAHEs evaluate the extent to which planned collective results have been achieved and help the humanitarian community to improve aid effectiveness to ultimately better assist affected people. IAHEs are independent assessments of the collective humanitarian response to the crisis, not an in-depth evaluation of any one sector or of the performance of a specific organisation. They are automatically triggered within 9 to 12 months following Scale-Up Activation.

This inception report contextualises the evaluation, lays out its purpose, approach and design, and the way it is organised. In keeping with the ToR, its focus is the collective response in northern Ethiopia following the Scale-Up declaration until 1 April 2023. It also looks at the preparedness, planning and actions in the six months prior to the Scale-Up activation.

Substantively, the evaluation examines the results of the collective action to meet the humanitarian needs of people affected by the conflict in Northern Ethiopia. But given the circumstances of the response with regard to access restrictions, this evaluation goes beyond simply contrasting activities, outputs and outcomes against targets and objectives. It will explore five key lines of inquiry: Scale-up; Needs & Data; Access; Delivery; Coordination.