Updated October 2026: this post was first published in December 2020 to share the evaluation. We have expanded it with a summary drawn from the evaluation report.
Across East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, many people have lived in displacement for years. Ending that displacement depends on governments, humanitarian and development agencies, donors and displaced communities working towards the same goals, and on each of them having good evidence to act on. ReDSS is a coalition of NGOs set up to support that work through research, joint analysis, training and policy dialogue on durable solutions. In 2020 we asked independent evaluators to test how well this model works, where it adds value, and how it should evolve. Their findings speak to a question many in the sector face: what does it take for a coordination platform to change how displacement is addressed?
How the evaluation was done
The evaluation, carried out by Karene Melloul and her team and completed in November 2020, looked at our strategy, governance structure and membership in order to inform our next strategy. It used a participatory, mixed-methods approach: a review of our internal monitoring data and key documents, an online survey of members, partners and staff with 67 responses, 37 key informant interviews, and 22 stories of most significant change. It reached at least 10 member organisations, 23 partner organisations and 11 staff.
What works
The evaluation found our research credible and of high quality, our team efficient and productive, and ReDSS trusted as a forum for dialogue with government, with examples from Jigjiga and Somalia. In 2019 our training reached 779 participants from 140 organisations. Of the 22 most significant change stories, 60 percent concerned change at policy level.
The evaluators traced these results to a set of conditions that will be familiar to anyone building a joint platform: a small, skilled and committed team; strong engagement with stakeholders and in policy dialogue; favourable timing after the New York Declaration; ways of working that are agile, participatory and open; an evidence-based approach that balances representing members with neutrality; stable, flexible funding from DRC and joint donor funding; and effective relationships with consortia.
Governance and membership
The governance structure has served us well, and the evaluation saw room to make it easier for members to navigate. DRC’s hosting and funding were essential to our creation, and the evaluators recommended updating the hosting agreement as we grow. Our contribution is strongest where we act as a contracted learning partner in a consortium. Expansion into Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia was welcomed, and the next step is to set out country governance and the division of roles between regional and country levels. The evaluators judged our membership size and composition fit for purpose and supported adding three or four NGOs in each country.
What the evaluation recommended
As we look ahead to the next five years, the evaluation has pointed us towards strengthening how our evidence is put to use. Policy dialogue stays at the core of our work, with greater emphasis on helping members turn knowledge into change on the ground: curating and applying the research we already hold and turning it into operational tools. This will enable ReDSS to be a learning partner whose evidence carries through into programmes and policy.
The evaluation has also pointed us towards a sharper focus, with one regional theme and two themes in each country, and a strategy that serves as the everyday reference for setting priorities. A simpler, centralised monitoring system with clear indicators and targets will let us and our members follow progress against it. This focus will allow ReDSS to concentrate its resources where it can make the most difference and to show that difference clearly.
With members, the evaluation encouraged us to deepen ownership and engagement through a yearly members’ review in each country, individual commitments that reflect what each organisation brings, and communication that is simpler and more targeted. It also recommended that we define what ReDSS is and is not, document our ways of working, clarify roles and reporting lines, and revisit the hosting agreement. Together, these steps will help ReDSS grow as a member-driven platform, with commitments matched to what we can deliver well.
Finally, the evaluators invited us to consider a strategy to strengthen the voice of displacement-affected communities in policy dialogue. This will enable ReDSS to bring the perspectives of the people most affected closer to the decisions that shape their futures.
Read the full evaluation report and the summary of findings.
References
Melloul, K. and team (2020). External evaluation of the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS). November 2020. https://www.regionaldss.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ReDSS-External-Evaluation-2020.pdf
