This workshop showcased the work of the SID Knowledge Management Working Group and presented examples of practical applications of knowlede management and learning (KML) approach, showing how selected KML practices have been implemented in existing projects and initiatives.

Combined presentation from an InterAction Forum 2012 workshop on Measuring Agency-Level Results. The desire for "agency-level" results has been expressed and explored by international NGOs for many years, but it is frequently still unclear how such results can be used in a meaningful - and nonpromotional - way.

This is the second guidance note in a four-part series of notes related to impact evaluation developed by InterAction with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation.This second guidance note, Linking Monitoring and Evaluation to Impact Evaluation, illustrates the relationship between routine M&E and impact evaluation – in particular, how both monit

This week's update includes:

• An analysis of the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2012 in the House;
• A list of upcoming hearings;
• Summaries of Senate hearings on Sudan and South Sudan, and on the USAID FY2013 budget request; and
• A list of recommended articles from this week.

This is the first guidance note in a four-part series of notes related to impact evaluation developed by InterAction with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation.This first guidance note, Introduction to Impact Evaluation, provides an overview of impact evaluation, explaining how impact evaluation differs from – and complements – other types of eva

With the completion of the U.S. military mission in Iraq, an estimated 1.5 million Iraqis remain displaced within their own country and continue to face serious challenges in restarting their lives. The overall security situation remains unstable, with several violent attacks in recent months.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 over 40 members of the international humanitarian NGO community gathered to discuss impact evaluation in humanitarian action. This is a short summary of the presentations and discussions.

Los Angeles, CA – International Medical Corps’ team in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preparing to respond if violence breaks out following the presidential elections. The country’s electoral commission has confirmed President Joseph Kabila as the winner.

After a week of rumor and innuendo, amendments and points of order, the FY2012 Senate State, Foreign Operations (SFOps) bill appears headed for inclusion in a nine-bill omnibus that leadership will attempt to push through by mid-December.

InterAction continues to monitor the situation in the Horn of Africa and advocate for the needs of the over 12 million people who have been affected by the drought that has engulfed the region.

A statement by the Somalia NGO Consortium from July 20, 2011, on the UN's declaration of the first famine of the 21st century, in two regions in southern Somalia.

On Capitol Hill next week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a markup hearing of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2012 on Wednesday, July 20 at 10:00am in room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Check for other upcoming hearings in the Update below.

InterAction News Release: Members of InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations working abroad, are responding to the massive humanitarian crisis occurring in the Horn of Africa. The UN is estimating that as many as 10 million people are struggling with food and water shortages, acute malnutrition and mass displacement.

This week, House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY) announced a disappointing FY2012 subcommittee allocation for State, Foreign Operations that continues the radically downward trend in spending for international affairs begun in FY2011.

Facts and figures to support the 2011 Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.

InterAction is continuing to monitor the humanitarian situation in West Africa resulting from post-electoral violence in the Ivory Coast.

Last week, General David Petraeus and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michéle Flournoy testified before the Armed Services Committee in both chambers about recent developments in Afghanistan. Find a summary of these hearings below, as well as information about legislation on Haiti recently introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and a list of upcoming hearings and articles of interest.

InterAction statement on crisis in Libya, March 1, 2011

UNICEF report six months after the 2010 floods in Pakistan.

Discussions about evaluation methods have increasingly focused on the need to choose methods to suit each particular situation – the type of intervention, the timing of the evaluation, and the availability of resources, including existing information, skills and time.

Blog on AlertNet on the media's criticism of the humanitarian response in Haiti, and why it's simultaneously incomplete, appropriate and constructive.

Transcript of an interview of InterAction's president and CEO, Sam Worthington, and the State Department's Special Coordinator for Haiti, Thomas Adams, on the way forward in Haiti after the one year anniversary of the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

Joint press statement released by InterAction and 38 of its members on January 10, 2011, regarding the reconstruction in Haiti leading up to the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince.

One year progress report from InterAction member the International Rescue Committee (IRC) after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

InterAction member EDC's one year progress report after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

As the January 9 referenda in south Sudan and Abyei approach, so do the possibilities for violence and humanitarian crises. The United Nations has mapped out potential flashpoints for conflict and drawn up detailed contingency plans, but many critical challenges remain unresolved.

African leaders have recently expressed concern that the possible division of Sudan may lead to a domino effect of other secessions on the continent—but closer analysis questions how likely this may be.

Africa’s borders are largely accepted; it is only a distinct few cases (including Sudan) in which
they could be reconsidered.

This report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 11 of Security Council resolution 1590 (2005), in which the Council requested that it be kept regularly informed of progress made in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the Sudan.

As Southern Sudan prepares for a referendum that will determine whether it will become a separate country, public opinion research by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) shows significant support for independence and a strong desire for the referendum to be held on time.

•Since its establishment five years ago under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) has struggled to create a justice system that reflects the values and requirements for justice among the people of Southern Sudan. For both political and practical reasons, chiefs’ courts and customary law are central to this endeavor.

•With Southern Sudan’s referendum on whether to remain part of Sudan or secede approaching, it is vital that the international community encourage and support negotiations on postreferendum arrangements, which include issues ranging from wealth sharing to citizenship rights to security arrangements. Good coordination among the international community will be essential.

Not long before the UN-run popular consultation in East Timor in 1999, an Indonesian general told me that if the East Timorese voted for independence, Indonesia would surely break apart. He cited the centrifugal forces at work that would pull the diverse country to pieces. In effect, East Timor’s departure would set the dominos in motion.

An International Rescue Committee (IRC) medical team is delivering health care services to more than 3,500 newly displaced people, mostly women and children, who took refuge in Northern Bahr el Ghazal after their villages along the north-south border were hit by Sudanese army bombers.

In about two months, Africa may have a new country, the first since the end of the colonial era. On Jan. 9, the people of southern Sudan are expected to vote in a referendum to determine whether their region will become an independent nation.

The Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE), a coalition of over 75 non-partisan civil society organizations located in all ten states of Southern Sudan, developed and released a set of recommendations on September 8, 2010 to ensure a timely, transparent, peaceful, and fair referendum process.

President Barack Obama's presence at a high-level meeting on Sudan at the United Nations on September 24 was the most recent sign of his administration's intensified diplomatic efforts to avert a catastrophic return to war in Africa's largest state. On January 9, southern Sudan is scheduled to vote in two referenda.

Testimony of Michel Gabaudan
President of Refugees International
September 30, 2010
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives

This report makes several recommendations for Sudanese leaders and international actors:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the final report of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). The report provides a blueprint for elevating American "civilian power" to better advance national interests and to be a better partner to the U.S. military.

Originally developed as part of InterAction's Africa Liaison Program Inititiative (ALPI) to foster relationships between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and nongovernmental organizations in the U.S.

The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 was devastating. As with most crises, women and girls were among both the most vulnerable and the most overlooked. Within the first week, reports of sexual violence emerged, as did stories of women and girls struggling to access assistance and living in crowded and unsafe camps.

Six months after an earthquake devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, Handicap International has made a provisional assessment of the situation, which you can find below along with an outline of its plans for the future. The association has a team of 480 people in Haiti, including 70 expatriate staff. It is the association’s largest ever deployment.

4:53pm: A 7.0 earthquake hits Haiti. 17 minutes later International Medical Corps is preparing our Emergency Response Team. Within 5 hours, medical volunteers are deploying. 22 hours after the earthquake, we are saving lives on the ground in Port-au-Prince, working side-by-side with our Haitian medical counterparts.

Since January 12, WHI has launched an emergency response program that mobilizes its extraordinary capacity in the most severely affected areas focusing on health, psychosocial care, sensitization, potable water, sanitation, food, income-generating activities and workforce employment.

On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake—the worst natural disaster to hit the Western Hemisphere in two centuries—struck Haiti, killing approximately 300,000 people and leaving as many as one million homeless.

Full resolution quicktime movie (766mb)

High web quality quicktime movie (55mb)

Low quality WMV (9mb)

Six months after Haiti’s devastating 7.0 earthquake, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) remains hard at work assisting those who are still dealing with its aftermath and will be for years to come. LWR, with a 14-year history in Haiti, is focusing the majority of its efforts on underserved rural populations.

Since the earthquake, BWAid has been helping in Haiti through a network of agencies. Immediately following the earthquake the two Haitian member bodies of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) were contacted and assistance offered. This close link with the two bodies remains as we work together.

From the immediate hours after the quake and ongoing, in all, CWS efforts - including the distribution of hygiene, school and baby kits, tents, wheelchairs, medical kits and other supplies -- have directly assisted at least 41,750 individuals so far; CWS is also working as a member of the global ACT Alliance, which has provided assistance to 341,000 Haitians.
 

During the half-year since an earthquake unleashed massive destruction in Haiti, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has been devoted to both providing immediate assistance to survivors and laying the groundwork for a large-scale, long-term recovery effort.  Haiti is not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot.

As members of the international community gather in Kabul for the International Conference on Afghanistan, InterAction is pleased that the expected focus of the conference is “Afghan priorities for the Afghan people”.

To continue supporting Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, Giving Children Hope is transitioning from an immediate recovery response to a season of long-term reconstruction.  To date, Giving Children Hope has distributed over $7 million worth of life-saving medicines, medical supplies and other relief items.

Long before the crippling earthquake of January 12, 2010, Jesuit Refugee
Service had a grassroots presence in Haiti, providing humanitarian assistance
to displaced Haitians both in the town of Ouanaminthe on the northeastern
border with the Dominican Republic, and in the Dominican Republic itself. JRS

Agencies and donors participating in the ongoing recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Haiti are in need of current information about where assistance is needed and which areas of response are already being addressed. The U.S.

This is a step-by-step guide to assist InterAction members in developing and implementing policies to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of beneficiaries and vulnerable members of the community in countries where members work.

In the aftermath of the January earthquake, the massive displacement of over a million people and the profound disruption of every aspect of daily life have greatly exacerbated the protection risks for women and girls in Haiti.

Letter from InterAction's President & CEO Samuel A.

The April 2010 issue of Monday Developments Magazine

The March 2010 issue of Monday Developments Magazine

In response to the administration’s December 2009 Pakistan Assistance Strategy Report, InterAction members applaud the U.S.

The December 2009 issue of Monday Developments

A progress report on Sudan and engaging international partners in the Darfur conflict since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report on Democratic Republic of the Congo: Asserting U.S. Leadership since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

Report of InterAction member organizations' activities in Afghanistan for 2009.

The October 2009 issue of Monday Developments

To learn more about the Best Practices and Innovations (BPI) Initiative, please visit: www.interaction.org/best-practices-innovations.

International development actors actors confront two challenging demands: the need to respond to complex development problems with multi-faceted interventions and, at the same time, to demonstrateimpact. In response, InterAction’s Evaluation and Program Effectiveness

As part of InterAction’s effort to help its member organizations increase their accountability to a variety of stakeholders including program participants, partners and donors, InterAction's Evaluation and Program Effectiveness Working Group (EPEWG) recently submitted evaluation standards to InterAction’s Standards Committee.

InterAction asked its Evaluation and Program Effectiveness Working Group (EPEWG) to contribute an article to Monday Developments on the evaluation issues of greatest concern to us today. We received input from a range of program area and context perspectives.

Approximately one-third of InterAction's members identify themselves as "faith-based" or "faith-founded." Along with faith communities around the world, these organizations play important roles in advancing development, alleviating suffering and promoting peace. This issue recognizes the unique perspectives and contributions these organizations bring to this work.

In this issue of Monday Developments, we have allowed ourselves the luxury of a deliberately ambitious goal: to invite practitioners from within and outside our community to share with us their take on happenings that are consistent and frequent enough to be considered trends.

We’ve all heard it before: "Americans don’t care about foreign affairs." "Politicians aren’t concerned with the developing world—they’re more interested in getting re-elected, so they only care about local issues." Those in the development community know that these statements aren’t true, and are increasingly proving that fighting poverty and injustice everywhere is an American ideal.