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Activities

ALNAP’s activities are aimed at improving accountability and performance in the humanitarian sector through learning. They can be categorised into 3 types: core activities, project activities and linked activities.

Core activities

These are ALNAP’s key network activities, and aim to promote learning through information-sharing amongst ALNAP members:

The Review of Humanitarian Action Series is ALNAP’s flagship publication. Published on an annual basis, it aims to monitor humanitarian performance and monitor key issues for the sector, whilst also amplifying the key findings from recent evaluative reports for a sector-wide audience.

ALNAP holds Biannual Meetings for its members twice a year. These aim to share information and perspectives on issues and activities relevant to learning, accountability and performance within the humanitarian sector. Each Biannual Meeting lasts two days, with the first day usually focusing on a particular theme relevant to ALNAP’s work.

The Evaluative Reports Database (ERD) is ALNAP’s key initiative to facilitate information sharing and lesson learning amongst humanitarian organisations. Evaluative Reports are submitted to the database and made available online. Findings from reports in the database are regularly distilled and circulated to a wider audience through ALNAP’s Review of Humanitarian Action series and its occasional lessons papers.

Project activities

Additional project activities are often identified through ALNAP’s core activities, and implemented through the ALNAP secretariat. Such activities range from developing guidance material for operational staff to commissioning studies of topics relevant to ALNAP’s mandate. Examples of project activities are given below:

• Protection – an ALNAP guide for humanitarian agencies. Following its draft publication and piloting, the final version was launched in September 2005. It has quickly become recognised as an invaluable contribution to humanitarian guidance on this topic.
  
• Evaluation Training Modules – as part of ALNAP’s commitment to improve the quality of evaluation in humanitarian action, 3 training modules were developed, including an introductory module and modules catering specifically for evaluation managers and evaluators.
  
• Numerous studies have been published by ALNAP on issues relevant to ALNAP’s work. Lessons Papers studies are regularly commissioned in response to recent disasters and complex emergencies.

Linked activities

Linked activities enable ALNAP members to collaborate on relevant projects of mutual interest. Linked activities are not included as part of ALNAP’s workplan but funded separately and facilitated by ALNAP as required on the approval of the Steering Committee.

For example, previous linked activities have allowed groups of ALNAP members to trial the concept of a Learning Support Office during the Southern Africa Food Crisis in 2002, and to collaborate on a comprehensive study on participation and consultation of affected populations in humanitarian action between 2002 and 2005.

Most recently, ALNAP has hosted and coordinated the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition. This is an attempt by a grouping of humanitarian agencies to assess the performance of the tsunami response through 5 themed evaluations.

Introduction
History
Structure