Canada’s International Assistance in Haiti, 2016-17 to 2020-21 – Evaluation summary

About the evaluation

The Evaluation Division of Global Affairs Canada conducted an evaluation of Canada's international assistance program in Haiti from 2016-17 to 2020-21. The evaluation aimed to assess the extent to which international assistance has been aligned with priorities and optimized to meet development objectives in a context of persistent fragility. The results of the evaluation will serve to support decision-making on future direction for program improvement. The evaluation assessed relevance, efficiency, coherence, and results.

Key findings

• Canadian international assistance responded adequately to departmental commitments related to the FIAP, adapted to needs during humanitarian and other crises, and was de facto aligned with the priorities of Haiti's Development Plan (Vision 2030).
• With no country strategy until 2021, the program acted on several fronts based on needs, but the project-based approach, with mainly short to medium term initiatives (2-5 years), has limited the consolidation of gains and local ownership.
• The interconnection between the humanitarian, development and security sectors (triple nexus) was weak in a context where coordination and seamless transition could have optimized effectiveness and impact of aid.
• Work on gender equality was systematically integrated into the global aid agenda and programming, positioning Canada as a leader, although transformative empowerment results at program level have been modest given the duration and nature of projects.
• Considering the level of impact of climate change on Haiti, a strategic approach to disaster risk management (mitigation, preparedness) could have strengthened programming and promoted sustainability of promising projects.

Recommendations

1. Narrow the focus of the Haiti program, targeting a limited number of intervention pillars and a longer-term programmatic approach in order to support increased impact of Canadian aid.
2. Ensure continued and strengthened collaboration with Haitian stakeholders in aid planning, in order to promote ownership of projects, the use of endogenous solutions and the sustainability of results.
3. Mobilize branches active in Haiti (NGM IFM, KFM, MFM) to develop a collective analysis of the context of fragility and vulnerabilities to improve linkages through a triple nexus approach.
4. Develop a human resources strategy to provide HQ and the mission with the required capacities and skills.