Review of monitoring and evaluation modalities in health emergency events

Project details

Year: 2024

Client: World Health Organization - Headquarters

Objectives:

The project aimed to map available monitoring and evaluation (M&E) guidance and tools, describe current M&E practices in WHO response operations, and provide recommendations to strengthen M&E practices during WHO health emergency response operations.

Deliverables:

• Online workshop
• Report and companion presentation

Performed activities

Since its inception in 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) has worked to enhance countries’ capacities for health emergency preparedness and response, while also providing direct support to emergency responses, such as for the Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) play a critical role in assessing the effectiveness of these emergency responses, ensuring accountability and guiding strategy adjustments. Although WHE has developed tools and standards for evaluating response operations, their use in past emergencies has often been suboptimal. The WHE commissioned our consultancy to produce informed recommendations on potential strengthening activities in the short and medium term for improving M&E during health emergency events.

This project involved the conduct of a rapid scoping review retrieving 21 M&E guidance and tools available for emergency response operations, along with an analysis of current M&E practices in WHE response operations through the review of 20 WHE documents, ten interviews of WHE staff at all levels and the conduct of a two-hour working session.