Evaluation summary
In January 2007, UNHCR issued a document entitled 'Policy Framework and Implementation Strategy: UNHCR's role in support of an enhanced humanitarian response to situations of internal displacement'. The primary purpose of this document was to set out the key considerations and principles guiding UNHCR's engagement with IDPs in the context of the UN's humanitarian reform process, and in particular, within the new institutional arrangements known as the 'cluster approach'. This evaluation report is one of a series which seeks to analyse UNHCR's initial experience in the implementation of the cluster approach as part of the humanitarian reform process, with the aim of identifying lessons learned and effective practices which may be drawn upon as the cluster approach is rolled out to other operations. The evaluation process also provided an early opportunity to review field operations in the light of the IDP policy framework referred to above, together with UNHCR's paper on "The Protection of IDPs and the Role of UNHCR", issued in February 2007. The countries selected for evaluation were those in which the cluster approach was initially rolled out (DRC, Uganda, Somalia and Liberia), together with Chad.
This evaluation report is based on a mission to Liberia undertaken from 16 to 23 May 2007. The evaluation team comprised three UNHCR staff members: Neill Wright (Senior Coordinator IDP Operations), Enda Savage (IDP Advisory Team) and Vicky Tennant (Senior Policy Officer, Policy Development and Evaluation Service). The team visited former IDP camps and returnee communities in Bong, Bomi and Montserrado counties and held a series of meetings with (former) IDPs, returnees, host communities, government interlocutors and field-based staff of UN agencies and NGOs. In Monrovia, the team met with the Deputy Minister for Gender and Development, the Deputy Minister of Justice, representatives of LRRRC, national human rights NGOs, the Deputy SRSG/Humanitarian Coordinator, UNMIL, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, IRC, CCF, ARC, USAID, ECHO and UNHCR staff.
A workshop on the humanitarian reform process was conducted for UNHCR staff, and initial evaluation findings were presented to UNHCR and other members of the IASC Country Team in Monrovia on 23 May 2007. Key findings were also shared in a series of presentations to UNHCR Headquarters staff, EXCOM members and Standing Committee observers in the week following completion of the mission.
Key findings
General
The cluster approach was activated in Liberia in January 2006, at a time when the emergency phase was already drawing to a close, and the return of more than 300,000 individuals from IDP camps to their home areas was almost complete. As a result, there was a widespread feeling that the cluster approach came too late in Liberia and was largely superimposed on existing structures. The evaluation team nonetheless found that the introduction of the cluster approach enhanced the legitimacy and effectiveness of the coordination structures, and brought added clarity and accountability to the role of the cluster leads. It also enabled important insights into the functioning of the cluster approach in transitional contexts.
UNHCR performed well in its leadership of the protection cluster and the camp coordination and camp management cluster. The effective leadership by senior staff and commitment of UNHCR staff at all levels were important factors in this success.
The Liberia operation provided important insight into the functioning of the cluster approach in IDP return and reintegration operations. It highlighted the need for tools which cover all stages of the displacement process, together with guidance on how to restructure and eventually deactivate clusters.
Partnerships
The engagement of the government from the outset was an important factor in the successful implementation of the cluster approach in Liberia, despite the government's limited capacity and uneven involvement in practice.
The participation of donors in the ICF and the IASC CT facilitated better partnerships and effective decision-making.
The Liberia experience nonetheless demonstrated the difficulty in finding a balance between inclusiveness and effectiveness in determining who should participate in cluster working groups. The ability to take collective decisions and implement these was found to be crucial to cluster effectiveness. However, some national NGOs did not feel themselves to be fully engaged as equal partners in the cluster approach.
Funding
Strong donor support for UNHCR was crucial, enhancing the organization's authority as cluster lead and enabling gap-filling. As a result, UNHCR was able to step in when other service providers were unable to deliver.
The release of CERF funding to the water and sanitation, health, and food security clusters led to increased cohesion and enhanced the leadership role of the cluster leads, despite initial difficulties with financial mechanisms for distributing pooled funding.
Human resources
The timely deployment of suitably-qualified staff was extremely important. Additional staff were deployed relatively quickly, and NRC secondees also made an important contribution. The establishment of a Protection Core Group secretariat headed by a UNHCR Protection Officer within the Branch Office, and the placement of UNHCR staff within the UNMIL IDP Unit, were particularly valuable initiatives.
Staff at all levels would have benefited from earlier training on cluster lead responsibilities.
Impact on refugee programmes
There was a high level of complementarity between the IDP and refugee return programmes. UNHCR's increased involvement with IDPs enabled the development of a more coherent and comprehensive protection strategy and reintegration programme which ultimately benefited both IDP and refugee returnees. This might not have been the case had the IDP programme not been fully funded.
In general, UNHCR staff felt that, apart from in the early stages of activation (before additional staff arrived), there was no negative impact on the refugee operation. It was nonetheless noted that the number of refugees in Liberia is relatively small.
Inter-cluster coordination
The Liberia experience showed that the function of inter-cluster coordination requires further definition and refinement. Mechanisms are required for the identification of overlapping issues and for enabling information exchange and joint planning between clusters. Intra-cluster coordination
The relationship between clusters and sub-clusters also needs to be carefully defined, with responsibilities and information-sharing mechanisms established from the outset.
Durable solutions
A policy decision was taken by the government to consider as 'IDPs' only those who had been registered by WFP in the camps for food distribution purposes, and to provide return assistance only to this group. Whilst this was a pragmatic approach, it nonetheless left a residual group in the camps who still perceived themselves as IDPs who have been somehow disenfranchised and wrongfully excluded from return assistance.
The decision by the government to classify only those who were camp-based as IDPs led to a lack of information on the profile and needs of urban IDPs. This resulted in a significant ongoing protection gap and a lack of durable solutions for this group.
Cluster restructuring
The humanitarian situation in Liberia has evolved since the cluster approach was activated some eighteen months ago. The IASC CT, facilitated by HCS, has already initiated a process to re-examine the cluster approach mechanisms in order to restructure them to meet current gaps and ultimately to fold it into national frameworks. The transition from humanitarian to development action is beginning to take shape, with an interim Poverty Reduction Strategy already in place and the UNDAF process under way. Nonetheless, the indications are that this is likely to be a complex process.