Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation of the Response to Cyclone Nargis

Many local organizations, particularly those formed spontaneously for the cyclone response, andprivate sector companies, have realized that providing relief assistance by itself is not enough. Theyare now looking at ways to move past relief and engage in longer-term recovery activities.As described in the Clusters section, planning and implementation of livelihood related activitieswas seen to be hampered by the fragmented nature of livelihood coordination in different clustersand working groups The Periodic Review and PONREPP processes appear to offer the prospect of amore coherent approach to livelihoods.3.14.1 Livelihoods RecommendationsR.16. Recovery of livelihoods, along with DRR, should be a top priority over the coming monthsand the HC should oversee a process of consolidation, reprioritization and strengthening ofsupporting monitoring and accountability systems as follows:Consolidate the current fragmented planning and discussions taking place in variousclusters and working groups. A suitable starting point may be to define the desiredoutcomes of the PONREPP from a community perspective as a point of reference andwork backwards to help decide which groups should continue and which should bephased out;Reprioritize use of capacities. For example, UNDP should phase-out their reliefdistributions as soon as possible and focus their efforts on coordinating DRR andearly recovery efforts. NGOs who are continuing relief food and NFI distributionsshould ensure that they are not monopolizing resources that would be better utilizedpromoting livelihood recovery and DRR; andSupport these efforts with consultations, outcome-oriented monitoring andaccountability systems, and a robust two-way communication strategy that is targetedat communities and local actors in the Delta.4 ConclusionsDespite initial fears during the beginning of May of an extended humanitarian crisis within theinternational community, much has been accomplished in responding to Cyclone Nargis by bothnational and international agencies when measuring in terms of humanitarian indicators such asmortality and morbidity rates and coverage of assistance. As most relief activities are phasing down,this IA RTE has identified the two key remaining relief needs as water during the dry season andpsychosocial support for communities through improving DRR and preparedness accompanied bymore systematic consultations. The current focus on transitioning to recovery activities needs tohave a particular focus on restoration of livelihoods while significantly strengthening consultationwith and accountability to communities.As the response has largely being implemented by national staff or through national partners andcapacity building efforts are needed, particularly at the township level. National staff from bothinternational and national agencies have by and large demonstrated an impressive eagerness andability to learn and international agencies thus need to ensure that staff entrusted with capacitybuilding have the necessary skill sets to support the recovery process.Cyclone Nargis left a human tragedy in its wake, but this has been transformed into renewed hope assurvivors recover, thanks in no small part to a huge humanitarian effort by their compatriots, alongwith significant support from international actors. A number of valuable lessons have been learned29