Middle East Humanitarian Appeal 2024: Real-time Response Review

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) brings together fifteen of the UK’s leading aid charities to raise funds in response to major international humanitarian crises. To support members’ activities, harness lessons learnt, and inform real-time revisions to ongoing humanitarian responses, the DEC Secretariat is commissioning a review of programmes funded by the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.

The DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal will span a two-year period lasting from October 2024 until September 2026. It is split into two phases: phase 1 spans the first six months of the response, and phase 2 spans the subsequent 18 months. Traditionally, these phases indicate a shift between immediate and emergency response activities through to an increased emphasis on livelihoods, resilience and early recovery-based activities. However, priority activities and sectors are determined by members and their partners in consultation with communities based

We anticipate the largest proportion of funds raised to be spent in Gaza, with smaller amounts of funding also spent in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and potentially other locations as defined by the evolving needs and context within the region. At the time of publishing this call for expressions of interest, over £16 million has been raised within this appeal, and we expect this total to continue to rise over the coming weeks and months.

Within all DEC appeals, a real-time response review is commissioned during Phase 1 of the response. The intent of this approach is to generate timely learnings that drive programme improvements and strategies throughout the remainder of the response period, as well as contributing to the body of learning available to the wider sector within this context.

This work would be scheduled to begin at the end of November, with at least preliminary findings, or ideally completed outputs, delivered by mid-February to inform member phase 2 plans.

The budget available for this project will be between £70-100,000 (TBC)

Background

Conflict across the Middle East region is dramatically escalating, following a year of an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and communities in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and West Bank are increasingly caught up in the violence. The recent escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, and the humanitarian and displacement crisis it continues to cause, is putting populations at risk and further threatening regional security and stability.

In Lebanon, over 1 million people are believed to be displaced (almost 20% of the entire population), with 90% of this displacement having occurred within the past week. This sharp escalation in the conflict has led to widespread destruction of homes and communal infrastructure.

In Gaza, the UN is reporting that up to 1.9 million people, or 90% of Gaza’s population, have been internally displaced, many of them multiple times over. In addition to the almost total lack of access to safe shelter, nutritious food, healthcare and water and sanitation facilities for many communities.

Despite extraordinary challenges and risks, DEC member charities have demonstrated their ability to consistently deliver lifesaving and life-sustaining aid in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider region.

On 17 October 2024 the DEC launched the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. This appeal is crucial to secure the necessary funds to support the conflict-affected populations in Gaza, Lebanon, and the surrounding region where families have been displaced.

Purpose of Response Review and Affected Population Perception Survey

The primary purpose of this review is to instigate collective real-time learning to inform adjustments across DEC members’ responses. Learnings from this piece will draw on the initial phase of the response so that lessons can be applied in real-time and into the second phase of the members’ programmes. The response review also serves as an accountability function, both to the affected population, as well as to the UK public and other key stakeholders in the DEC appeal. 1

The Response Review will…

• Contribute to the identification of key areas of enquiry in consultation with the DEC and members during the inception phase
• Critically engage with the Theory of Change developed at the outset of the appeal to test assumptions and identify divergent outcomes
• Draw out key lessons, at operational level, that can inform real-time adjustments and be utilised during implementation of DEC Phase 2 programmes
• Provide an overview and assessment of the response so far (against select Core Humanitarian Standard commitments)
• Highlight good practice in the humanitarian operations funded by the DEC;
• Gather feedback from local and national partners on relationship with members and support provided to locally led humanitarian activities through quality partnership
• Draw out key learning from the response to date and engage members with the findings through a range of mediums, including workshops and written outputs

The precise thematic focus areas within the review would be determined with the selected consultant/s at a later stage, but general priority areas within the DEC research & learning agenda include exit or transition strategies strategies, complaints & feedback mechanisms, inclusion of marginalised groups, and equitable and quality partnership approaches.

All of our research and learning outputs are also grounded in the CHS commitments and in most cases published on the DEC Research and Learning Webpage.

In recent appeals, the DEC has combined the Response Review with a Community Perception Survey. However, for this appeal, due to the complexity of the response, the multiple locations involved, and the need for rapid initial findings, we have decided to decouple these two processes. This will allow the Community Perception Survey to be conducted later in the humanitarian response, ensuring it receives the necessary time and focus

Outputs & deliverables

It is anticipated that this review will take place either through a hybrid approach, or if necessary for certain locations, a fully remote approach. The review will involve both primary data collection (likely through KIIs) alongside a secondary data review.

Deliverables would include:

• Inception workshop bringing together members, their partners, to review the research design alongside the Theory of Change for the appeal (currently in draft form)
• a validation workshop to review initial findings in a participatory process
• a final report summarising key learnings, findings and recommendations from the review

How to express interest

Expressions of Interest are invited from consultants interested in leading the response review

Essential requirements include

• Previous experience undertaking real-time evaluations/reviews of similar humanitarian programmes, including methodologies for engaging with crisis-affected people
• Previous experience of undertaking multi-stakeholder reviews and promoting learning across organisations
• A sound understanding of the context in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and wider region
• A sound knowledge of Core Humanitarian Standards as well as an appreciation of key challenges and constraints to their application in this specific context
• Demonstrable ability to produce clear and concise written outputs in English
• Experience designing engaging, collaborative workshops
• Desirable: A good understanding of the DEC and how it operates and/or experience working with DEC members or on DEC-funded response

Expressions of interest are particularly welcome from consultants based in the region and/or those with lived or family experience of displacement, receiving humanitarian assistance, along with women-led consultancies and those led by people with disabilities.

Representatives from the DEC and its members will support and host the consulting team while field visits take place, but consultants should be confident that they are able to obtain the necessary visas and insurance, as required.