This guide was developed after discussions within the evaluationcommunity, and within ALNAP in particular, about how to strengthenevaluation of humanitarian practice, and how to foster more effectiveuse of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) evaluationcriteria. The DAC evaluation criteria are currently at the heart of theevaluation of humanitarian action (EHA) “ including within evaluationsthemselves and as part of agency guidance. However, several criteriaare not well understood; their use is often mechanistic, and excludesmore creative evaluation processes.
The objective of this guide is to provide practical support on how touse theDAC criteria in EHA. In order to maintain focus, the guide doesnot include significant detail on wider issues such as evaluationmanagement, choice of methodologies or evaluation approaches. Also, the guide is not intended to provide in-depth details on the DACcriteria but rather to introduce the criteria to the reader, who can thenfollow up as appropriate.
This guide is intended primarily for:
evaluators of humanitarian action;
agency staff involved in designing and managing EHA; and
participants in training courses on EHA.