The evaluation was commissioned by the independent Office of Evaluation to provide evaluative evidence for accountability and learning to inform the design of the next WFP country strategic plan (CSP) in Ecuador.
Conducted between April 2021 and June 2022, it assessed WFP’s strategic positioning and role and the extent to which WFP has made the strategic shift expected by the CSP; WFP’s contributions to strategic outcomes; efficiency; and factors that explain WFP performance.
The evaluation concluded that:
- WFP’s CSP in Ecuador has constituted a relevant and adaptable framework, that has allowed WFP to ably deliver on its dual mandate (humanitarian and development) addressing the needs of the most vulnerable with high levels of allignment to national priorities with the exception of nutrition.
- The CSP has enabled WFP to position itself as a lead agency in humanitarian assistance, responding with high operational flexibility and optimal timeliness to multiple emergencies that threatened food security, including the influx of Venezuelan migrants and the Covid 19 pandemic.
- WFP’s contributions to the 2030 Agenda went beyond the sphere of crisis response, with activities effectively adressing root causes and importantly contributing towards enhanced resilience and climate change adaptation. However, timeliness and optimal effectiveness in this area have been affected by various shortcomings.
- The CSP has moved forwards on the integration of gender equality and women empowerment approaches and accountability to affected populations. With regards to humanitarian protection, the CSP needs to direct more attention to the various risks threatening male and female migrants.
- The structure of the CSP was conducive to the intended strategic shift of WFP in Ecuador. However, the CSP’s envisaged shift from a project orientation towards a more integrated approach did not materialize.
- Synergies among strategic outcomes and the reduction of transaction costs were not observed during the evaluation.
- Programmatic performance analysis has not been integrated with data on financial resource management and challenges to knowledge management and monitoring have led to limited evidence-based planning and decision making, learning and accountability, to the detriment of the visibility and sustainability of WFP’s interventions in Ecuador.
