DARA (Development Assistance Research Associates, Ltd.) is an independent, international organization based in Madrid, Spain. DARA was established in 2003 by Silvia Hidalgo to assess the impact of humanitarian aid and to make specific recommendations for changes in policies and practices. DARA has carried out evaluations in more than 60 crises countries for a variety of organizations including

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

agencies, the

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 191 member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...

, the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

, governments and

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

(NGOs).What we do - DARA
/ref> DARA is registered as in independent non-profit organization in Spain, has 501(c)(3) status in the United States and is recognized as an international organization in Switzerland.

Activities

The organization conducts evaluations of development and humanitarian operations, policies, strategies, projects and programs. DARA works in various regions. Some of the larger projects DARA has undertaken include participation in the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition, after the 2004 disaster in

South East Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

; the creation of the Humanitarian Response Index; and the evaluation of the

's Disaster preparedness Plans in Central America. The main activities undertaken in DARA are the following: Evaluation and Technical Assistance * Real-Time Evaluations meant to assist decision-making while a humanitarian crisis is still unfolding. * Strategic technical assistance for aid policies and programs. * System-wide evaluations that identify the policies and measures that humanitarians need to address to ensure enhanced performance and impact of humanitarian aid. The Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) The HRI is an independent assessment of donor performance, to assist the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

Development Assistance Committee The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is a forum to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries. It describes itself as being the ...

(OECD/DAC) government donors in ensuring that their humanitarian funding has impact for people in critical need of aid. The HRI measures the individual performance of government donors against Good Humanitarian Donorship Principles drafted in recent years by various

, public and private stakeholders .International Development - Dara co-founder seeks ways to improve humanitarian relief
/ref> The 2010 edition was launched in December 2010 in Brussels, Belgium at the European Development Days event. Climate Vulnerability Monitor Co-published by DARA and the

Climate Vulnerable Forum The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) is a global partnership of The Vulnerable Twenty Group (V20), countries that are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. The forum addresses the negative effects of climate change as a ...

, The Climate Vulnerability Monitor was initiated in 2009 by the Government of the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

, the "Climate Vulnerability Monitor" provides an overview of countries' susceptibility to short-term climate change (in 2010 and 2030), by using a barometer to assess the estimated effects on each country's health, weather disasters, human habitat loss and economic stresses. The 2010 report was presented at the UN Cancun Summit in December, 2010. The Risk Reduction Initiative This program examines factors and conditions that contribute to the generation of risk. It is meant to provides guidance for effective risk reduction in vulnerable and hazard-prone areas across the world. Findings and lessons learned from the Humanitarian Response Index are used to create a Risk Reduction Index (RRI), meant to measure the effectiveness of risk management policies, strategies and activities for reducing the impact of natural disasters on local communities. Its stated aim is to promote learning and sharing of lessons from risk reduction interventions.

Leadership

DARA was founded by Silvia Hidalgo in 2003 and served as the Director General of DARA until January 2010. Ross Mountain, former Deputy Special Representative of the

United Nations Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secr ...

, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for the UN system for the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, served as Director General of DARA from January 2010 until December 2012. A former Chief Executive is Ed Schenkenberg

Board of trustees

Diego Hidalgo Schnur Diego Hidalgo Schnur (born 5 November 1942) is a Spanish philanthropist, intellectual and businessman. He is the son of Diego Hidalgo y Durán (1886–1961), who was a prominent jurist, author, intellectual and Minister of War under the Second S ...

- Chairman Emeritus * Jose Maria Figueres - Chairman *Silvia Hidalgo - Vice Chair *Niels Dabelstein * Jemilah Mahmood * Martha Maznevski *José Manuel Romero Moreno Former Board Members *

Jan Eliasson Jan Kenneth Eliasson (born 17 September 1940) is a Swedish diplomat who was Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from July 2012 to December 2016. A member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Eliasson served as Minister for Foreign ...

Emma Bonino Emma Bonino (born 9 March 1948) is an Italian politician. She was a senator for Rome between 2008 and 2013, and again between 2018 and 2022. She also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2014. Previously, she was a Member of the Eu ...

* Aldo Ajello *Beatriz Iraburu Elizondo *Juliet Pierce

Board of Trustees in the United States

*Michael Dixon *James Bishop *Harry Cohen-Bensimon * Jose Maria Figueres *Steven Hansch *Susan Martin

Funding

DARA receives funding from a variety of sources including the United Nations Children's Fund (

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

), the

World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961 ...

(WFP), the

Danish Institute for International Studies The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS, Danish: ) is a public sector research institute for independent research and analysis of international affairs, financed primarily by the Danish state. DIIS conducts and communicates multidis ...

(DIIS), the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID), and the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

(UNDP). It also receives private funding from individuals and foundations ( AVINA Foundation, Agility, Concordia 21).Funding and Support - DARA
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2003 establishments in Spain Organizations established in 2003 Non-profit organisations based in Spain