Evaluating protection in humanitarian action: Issues and challenges

This paper attempts to identify the issues and challenges relating to the evaluation of protection work carried out by humanitarian actors, including those both with and without a specific protection mandate. It excludes literature and practice on the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and work carried out specifically in the context of human rights, legal or prosecutory actions (including the work of the International Criminal Court), and security and military actions (such as peacekeeping missions) with protection components.

The paper is written primarily for staff in evaluation, protection, and programme-advising roles whose effectiveness in commissioning and using evaluations is essential to improving the quality and use of evaluative evidence. Such staff include evaluators; members of operational agencies and donor offices who commission, lead and support evaluations; and evaluation researchers and consultants. The paper is also relevant to staff working in protection programming, advisory, and policymaking positions in both headquarters and field offices, who are often called on to comment on evaluation terms of reference and inception reports and to host evaluation missions.