Evaluation of DG ECHO's Partnership with the International Organization for Migration (2018-2022)

This is the evaluation of DG ECHO’s partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2018-2022). The evaluation used evidence from document review, project data, social media analysis, an online survey, interviews, and remote field missions. In terms of coherence, DG ECHO and IOM were strongly complementary in their humanitarian mandates. The partners showed good alignment in their priorities, strategies, and objectives at different levels, with some differences and areas of improvement identified. Regarding effectiveness, there was structured, strategic, timely and functional dialogue and information exchange between the partners, with, however, room for improvement in terms of the connection between strategic- and operational-level dialogue. The partnership enhanced the quality of each partner’s humanitarian response and the humanitarian response system to a varying - yet overall high - degree across different areas. The Strategic Partnership approach positively influenced cooperation at HQ level but less so at field level. While the partnership had positive effects on efficiency, with opportunities for efficiency gains adequately identified and maximised, the evidence did not identify a direct impact on certain areas. Recommendations focused on enhanced communication flows between the strategic and operational levels, strategic technical exchanges, and reinforced cooperation on the operationalisation of the HPDN.