This guide provides updated and detailed definitions and practical guidance on applying the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) evaluation criteria specifically adapted for humanitarian action.
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Acknowledgements
This section thanks the dedication and hard work of numerous people over several years who made this guide possible.
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Foreward
A message from ALNAP's Director, Juliet Parker.
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Acronyms
A list of abbreviations and acronyms that appear frequently in the guide. It serves as a quick reference to help readers understand the shortened terms and their full meanings, ensuring clarity and consistency throughout the document.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter looks that what has been updated, expanded and clarified the definitions to reflect changes in evaluation practice, shifts in the humanitarian system and feedback from evaluation practitioners.
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Chapter 2
Getting started – definitions and key terms
This chapter provides definitions, which are adapted from the OECD criteria and their methodological implications and key terms.
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Chapter 3
Ensuring evaluation is useful – how to apply the criteria
This chapter offers an overview of the role of evaluation and ways to use the criteria flexibly and selectively to ensure they fit the purpose of the evaluation.
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Chapter 4
Relevance
This chapter covers the criterion - Relevance, which refers to whether humanitarian action is in line with the needs and priorities of people affected by crisis in each specific context, and with the needs and priorities of institutions and partners at macro and micro levels.
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Chapter 5
Coverage and inclusion
This chapter dives into the criteria - Coverage means exploring which members and groups within the affected population have been reached through humanitarian action, and how this relates to humanitarian need, including protection, in terms of focusing on those most affected by crisis. Inclusion means humanitarian action without discrimination (e.g. on the basis of nationality, race or ethnicity, gender, religious belief, class, disability, sexual identity and orientation), while also addressing the specific and diverse needs of different groups/individuals.
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Chapter 6
Effectiveness
This chapter focuses on the criterion - Effectiveness, which measures the results achieved by humanitarian action across different groups, and the quality of humanitarian assistance.
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Chapter 7
Efficiency
This chapter dives into the criterion - Efficiency, which measures the extent to which humanitarian action delivers, or is likely to deliver, results in an economic and timely way.
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Chapter 8
Inter-connection
This chapter looks at the criterion - Inter-connection, which refers to the need to ensure that: a) short-term humanitarian action is designed, planned and implemented to take into account medium- and longer-term considerations; and b) humanitarian action connects appropriately to development and peacebuilding.
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Chapter 9
Coherence
This chapter focuses on the criterion - Coherence, which refers to: a) complementarity and coordination of humanitarian action between actors engaged in humanitarian work; and b) alignment with, and consistency between policies and standards, both at organisational and system-wide levels.
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Chapter 10
Impact
This chapter focuses on the criterion- Impact, which examines the effects of humanitarian action from individual and household levels, through to macro and systemic changes to societies.
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Chapter 11
Priority themes
This chapter presents three priority themes and how to intentionally include them in evaluation of humanitarian action - putting people affected by crisis at the centre, locally led humanitarian action and environment and climate crisis.
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Annex 1
Glossary
An alphabetical list of words and phrases used in this guide.
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Annex 2
Cross-cutting issues
Cross-cutting issues intersect with various criteria and can be integrated into all stages of the evaluation process.
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Annex 3
Evaluation criteria and the CHS
This section provides guidance on how the CHS can be integrated with the evaluation criteria.
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Bibliography
List of references used in this guide
About the authors
Margie is a Senior Research Associate at the Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Global, with over 30 years of experience in humanitarian policy, practice, and evaluation. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, and a Fellow of the Rift Valley Institute. Margie has led numerous complex evaluations for UN agencies, NGOs, and governments, and co-authored the 2016 ALNAP Evaluation of Humanitarian Action Guide and the 2024 UNEG Guidance on Integrating Humanitarian Principles into Evaluation.
Pamela is a Leader at Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG) with over a decade of experience in the humanitarian and academic sectors, focusing on locally led action, disaster risk reduction, and diversity and inclusion. At HAG, she leads research and evaluation to bridge evidence and practice, producing accessible insights and challenging inequalities in knowledge and evidence production.
Sarah is a Research Fellow at ALNAP with nearly 20 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. She has worked with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, several international INGOs, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as an evaluation advisor, researcher, and evaluator.
Suggested citation
ALNAP (2025) Adapting the OECD criteria for the evaluation of humanitarian action. An ALNAP guide. London: ALNAP/ODI Global.