Observations and recommendations following
second visit - 9 January to 10 February 2005
In August 2004, the United Nations
(UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs/Emergency Relief
Coordinator (USG/ERC), in a joint effort with agencies of the Inter-Agency
Standing Committee (IASC), commissioned a real-time evaluation to strengthen
the humanitarian response in Darfur and future crises of a similar nature.
The evaluation team conducted the first of three field visits in September 2004. This resulted in a working paper including performance benchmarks in several key areas, which was presented to the UN Country Team in Khartoum. Subsequent discussions with key stakeholders were carried out at the capital/headquarters level in October 2004. In its second visit, conducted from 9 January to 10 February 2005, the team1 consulted with UN, non-governmental organisation (NGO) and international organisation (IO) responders to the crisis, donors and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khartoum, Geneina, Zalingei, Garsila, Nyala, El Fasher and Um Kadada. The team's aim was to deepen its understanding of the challenges facing frontline responders and gain insight into beneficiary perspectives. The third and final visit will focus more on institutional arrangements at the Khartoum and HQ level.
Key findings were discussed with UN and NGO Darfur managers and the UN Country Team on 6 February 2005 and donors on 9 February 2005. A draft report, which built on these consultations, was circulated on 10 February 2005. Recipients were then given until 15 February 2005 - extended to the 25th - to point out factual errors, misconceptions or omissions. These contributions, in addition to comments provided by the inter-agency evaluation Core Learning Group on 28 February 2005, were taken into consideration in the finalisation of the report. Any further correspondence pertaining to the report should be directed to Kelly David-Toweh (david-toweh@un.org).
The team recognises that all responders have been constrained by external factors, and stresses that these will be elaborated on in the final evaluation report.
Overview of progress since September 2004
The crisis in Darfur is recognised by the international community as an ongoing crisis of the protection of human rights within the context of an internal armed conflict and thus subject to international humanitarian law. This recognition has resulted in attention and some resources being paid to finding ways, albeit belatedly, to protect the civilians of Darfur from egregious human rights violations, including the deployment of African Union (AU) cease-fire monitors and the broadening of their mandate. The presence of humanitarian and human rights workers and the AU monitors has inhibited violations, but to a limited extent. The limitations are evident in the upsurge in military activity and displacement in December 2004, and the fact that women continue to be subject to sexual violence in the vicinity of IDP camps. 'Protection by presence' complements but cannot substitute for directed, informed action based on the rights and needs of the affected population.
Humanitarian and human rights agencies and organisations are cooperating to implement a strategy that aims at practical protective actions. But the over-riding imperative remains the need for effective international engagement to ensure that the parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians in conflict. At the same time, the international community must continue to facilitate a political resolution aimed at sustainable peace, development and justice for the people of Darfur.
Humanitarian agencies and organizations have been more successful in providing lifesaving assistance to the affected population where they can be accessed (88% of the affected population in December 2004). The tables below summarize the percentage of the population receiving assistance as of the end of September 2004 and the end of December 2004.2 The number of people directly affected by the conflict increased by 16 percent, from an estimated 2.02 to 2.40 million, over the last quarter of 2004. As a result, more people had to be reached to maintain the same coverage percentage. This should be borne in mind when comparing the tables below.
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