How well did the Red Cross respond after Hurricane Mitch ravaged Panama?... ...To assess the response, information needs to be gathered; an essential part of monitoring and evaluation.

Evaluation

The evaluation function in the Federation's secretariat was first introduced at the start of 2000. It was designed to address issues of accountability and to share lessons from the Federation's collective experience.

In 2002, the process of National Society self-assessment was intensified. The self-assessment questionnaire was sent to another 60 National Societies; a total of 105 replies have been received.

The responses were compiled into a report, National Society Self-Assessment 2002, which forms part of an information base for monitoring the Federation's progress over time. It places special emphasis on African National Societies.

To contribute to increasing the capacity for monitoring and evaluation at local level, a first Handbook for monitoring and evaluation was published, as was the fourth edition of Partnerships in profile which, for the first time, profiled all members of the Federation.

Nine specific evaluations were carried out in 2002, covering the Chernobyl humanitarian assistance programme, the Federation's response to the challenge of HIV/AIDS, the performance development review system, advocacy, the TB programme in Russia, disaster response in the Indian earthquake and the Goma emergencies, food security in southern Africa, measles vaccination in Kenya and an evaluation of the Federation-hosted projects: Sphere, Reach Out and Pro-Vention.