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ALNAP Annual Report 2019-2020

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Message from the Chair

Looking back at 2019–2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic inevitably colours the view of both ALNAP’s current activities, and those that were planned and implemented before the crisis began in early 2020. The risk of a pandemic has been on the horizon for many years, not least for the humanitarian community. Although the general features of the elusive new coronavirus were foreseeable, its specific morbidity patterns and socioeconomic impacts were less so. National and local health services, donors and humanitarian organisations have been forced to make decisions in the midst of great uncertainty, while being attentive to and continuously learning from the outcomes of measures taken.

Within a few weeks of the crisis emerging, ALNAP had developed products specifically tailored for the COVID-19 response. The COVID-19 portal was established, continuously updated with new documents. And partly building on experiences from Ebola outbreaks, a Rapid Learning Review around COVID-19 response was launched in late April, and has become one of the most frequently downloaded of all ALNAP products.

The challenges that this crisis has presented have also brought into focus the relevance of many of ALNAP’s achievements during the past year. The need for realtime learning – whether during the pandemic or in other contexts – is a case in point. Our papers on new approaches to M&E, and more specifically on qualitative and outcomes monitoring explored this imperative, complemented by learning workshops in Geneva, London and Nairobi.

At the core of action during the pandemic and in other crises is the ability to make decisions under pressure that may have significant consequences. This is an area often critiqued for its weaknesses but one that is rarely scrutinised academically – which is why ALNAP’s study on humanitarian decision-making, partly based on diaries kept by decisionmakers, was of great value, not least during follow-up learning events in Jakarta, Suva, Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka. Linked to this were tools to support working flexibly and sometimes outside organisations’ normal systems.

The theme of our well-attended 2019 Annual Meeting in Berlin – the relevance of humanitarian action – was also pertinent for what we are now facing. Ensuring action is relevant may seem a statement of the obvious but not all responses take different needs into account. The serious impacts of the COVID-19 responses on the most vulnerable in many countries, such as isolated older people or those who are forcibly displaced, vividly illustrate the complex and constant nature of the problem of keeping responses relevant.

As the crisis continues to unfold, with constraints on travel and communications, it has again demonstrated the critical role played by local organisations – a reminder of why localisation must remain a key priority for ALNAP. It is their capacity and ability to learn and adapt in an unprecedented crisis that ultimately determines the quality of the frontline response. ALNAP is determined to continue supporting local responders in every way possible in their endeavours.