The evaluation took a retrospective view of WFP’s portfolio of activities between 1999 and 2003, in particular the emergency–recovery–development linkages. It found that the built-in flexibility of the Great Lakes regional protracted relief and recovery operations facilitated the shift from emergency relief to recovery activities. With the human resources and infrastructure of the regional operations in place, WFP was able rapidly to adjust programming and training of national and international staff. The shift from general to targeted food distributions under the recovery component, mainly food-for-asset activities, was one of the best initiatives of the country office and the Government in favour of affected populations who had no other means of sustaining themselves. It minimized the risk of perpetuating dependency on emergency relief distributions while paving the way for sustainable development; it also helped to rebuild the confidence of a population that had suffered war and genocide.