ECHO Evaluation - Introduction
Background
Photo : EC/ECHO/Robert Watkins
The Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid – ECHO has an evaluation function which is responsible for evaluating the activities it funds, mostly using independent evaluators. The legal basis for this activity is set out under Article 18 of the Humanitarian Regulation: the Commission is required to "regularly assess humanitarian aid operations financed by the Community in order to establish whether they have achieved their objectives and to produce guidelines for improving the effectiveness of subsequent operations." Further, under Article 27, paragraph 4 of the Financial Regulation, EU Institutions are required to undertake evaluations in line with guidance provided by the Commission.
Evaluation Programme
Each year, an indicative Evaluation Programme 
is established after a consultative process with the EU Humanitarian Aid Committee. This programme is flexible and can be adapted to include evaluations not foreseen in the initial programme, in response to particular events or changing circumstances.
Reports
Evaluations can cover not only reviews of ECHO funded operations, but also thematic issues and partnership. It is intended to increase the level of coordination with other Commission services, EU Member States and other major donors.
Useful external links
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www.alnap.org (Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action) |
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www.odihpn.org (Humanitarian Practice Network) |
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www.odi.org.uk (Overseas Development Institute) |
Contact
To contact the Evaluation sector, please use the following address: ECHO-EVAL@ec.europa.eu
