The evaluation covered WFP’s country portfolio in Cambodia between 2011–2017, assessing the standard questions for Country Portfolio Evaluations: strategic positioning and alignment, the influencing factors and quality of strategic decision-making, and portfolio performance and results; including WFP's application of humanitarian principles and a comparative cost analysis of cash-based transfers. The evaluation was timed to inform the Cambodia Country Strategic Plan due in November 2018. It was conducted by the Office of Evaluation with an external team of 5 evaluators.
The portfolio covers operations under corporate WFP Strategic Plans 2008-2013 and 2014-2017. WFP’s interventions consisted of a Country Programme, two emergency operations, a trust fund activity to develop a Humanitarian Response Forum, and bilateral research on rice fortification.
The evaluation made two operational and four strategic recommendations:
Operational recommendations:
- Organise a sense-making workshop to consolidate results of numerous assessments/studies to integrate into the Strategic Review/CSP process;
- Develop a range of information products and knowledge management strategies that consolidate the Country Office’s technical and financial contributions;
Strategic recommendations:
- Strengthen support to the decentralisation process by examining a variety of models to strengthen sub-national capacities;
- Rationalise and right-size Country Office staff capacity for its new institutional role;
- Right-size the portfolio to fit Country Office capacity and resource outlook; and
- Define required support from Headquarters and the Regional Bureau for the CO’s programmatic and institutional transition process.