Evaluation of FAOs response to the Ukraine crisis
Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, FAO implements the Ukraine Rapid Response Plan (RRP), which represents a multidimensional and innovative strategy to sustain and restore agrifood systems at scale. FAO’s strategic approach is centred on three pillars that capitalized on the organization’s technical expertise and in-country experience that aims to:
- respond to the urgent needs of rural communities
- protect upcoming agricultural campaigns
- support the continued functioning of productive food systems (i.e. the national and global food security).
The evaluation of the RRP feeds into a programmatic assessment of the emergency response portfolio and intends to respond to the following main questions:
- Needs assessment and prioritisation: What information was used, how were needs identified both for FAO and partners (as it was a global food security implications)?
- Surge response: How efficient, appropriate, and effective was the FAO surge to the Ukraine crisis?
- Relevance and mitigation: How relevant and adapting to changing needs was the response?
- Progress towards results and humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus: What is the actual situation of the response, and what were the project results and their implications to moving towards longer-term perspectives (i.e. the country’s needs and priorities that aim to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts)?
The objective of the evaluation is to systematically assess the interventions in the frame of the RRP, their utility, accountability, practicality, replicability, as well as impact at outcome levels. In particular, the evaluation will assess the project results, their value relevant to target beneficiaries, national needs and priorities, as well as document important lessons for potential scaling and replication. The results and lessons learned will enable FAO to become more adaptive to refine its multidimensional strategy, including a strong focus on an effective, context-driven, accountable, conflict-sensitive humanitarian response programme that is guided by a HDP nexus approach.
While FAO also continues to sustain and expand its critical emergency assistance to rural households and small farmers in 2024, the organisation delivered its statement on programme activities in Ukraine during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2023, emphasizing to support recovery and transition from the earliest possible moments.