The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented test of the global community’s ability to respond swiftly and co‑ordinate effectively across borders and sectors to mitigate both the immediate effects of the pandemic and the broader socio-economic repercussions. International development co‑operation and humanitarian assistance emerged as a critical element of the global response.
The COVID-19 Global Evaluation Coalition (hereafter referred to as the “Coalition”) was established in 2020 to provide actionable insights and support international co‑operation in its response. Comprising more than 60 organisations, including evaluation units from Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) and non-OECD member countries, UN agencies and multilateral development and humanitarian institutions, the Coalition leveraged diverse experiences to create high-quality, timely evaluations and feed evidence into real-time decision-making while adapting the evaluation processes to challenging circumstances.
In 2022, the Coalition launched the “Strategic Joint Evaluation of the Collective International Development and Humanitarian Assistance Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic” to address the gap in evaluative evidence on the overall results of the response effort. The evaluation seeks to generate credible evidence, assessing the relevance, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of international assistance and co-operation during the COVID-19 crisis, and draw lessons to strengthen future responses to global crises.
This evaluation builds on and complements other evaluations of COVID-19 responses. It is exceptional in terms of the way it was carried out – involving partners from all parts of the intentional development community – and in its global scope and system-wide perspective. The evaluation is the culmination of five years of evaluative work including extensive document review, case studies and in-country visits, interviews and eight learning workshops, including a high-level learning event marking the fifth anniversary of the pandemic in March 2025.
The primary anticipated users of the evaluation are policy- and decision makers from humanitarian and development agencies and governments working to deliver effective and impactful development co‑operation. This includes bilateral providers, UN agencies and other multilateral organisations, international financial institutions (IFIs), partner country governments, foundations, philanthropic organisations, civil society organisations and local communities, as well as other actors involved in international co-operation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the evaluation will inform the public, ensuring transparency and strengthening accountability for results.
In today’s context, where international co-operation and efforts to support sustainable development are under mounting pressure, this unique collaborative evaluation provides a positive example of working together to make co-operation more effective and ensure that development partners deliver on their commitments.