Thematic Expertise

We have significant experience developing a range of tools and methodologies for the monitoring and evaluation of complex capacity-strengthening efforts undertaken at individual, organisational and system levels.

We have sector-leading expertise supporting the development of national responses to climate change. This includes the implementation of climate public expenditure and institutional reviews (CPEIRs), and the provision of technical assistance to public financial management processes enabling access to climate finance. We also undertake monitoring and evaluation of climate resilience programming.

Our work includes evaluations of aid focused on education in development and humanitarian settings, at global and strategic levels, as well as country and project levels. It involves assessing financing in the education sector and assisting clients to review their overall approach and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their interventions, ultimately contributing to improving education systems, programmes and learning outcomes.

We have a deep understanding of the intersections between sustainable food systems, food security, and nutrition. Our expertise is extensive and varied, covering sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods, food safety, market systems, and food assistance modalities. We undertake evidence-based evaluations of food security programmes at policy, strategy and programme levels.

We have a breadth of experience evaluating nutrition policies and programmes, bringing a strong understanding of the complexities and multi-sectoral nature of the global aid architecture for nutrition. We also support nutrition-related budget analysis and expenditure reviews to help countries to achieve their nutrition goals.

For all our technical assistance, research and evaluations, we ensure attention to cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, disability inclusion, human rights, and leaving no one behind. Our gender equity and social inclusion expertise encompasses resource rights for women, empowerment of vulnerable groups, gender sensitisation, financing for gender equality, and policy for gender and inclusion.

We address governance at organisational, country, and civil society levels. We expect to factor governance issues into our analyses of performance, and analyses of collaboration across international agencies and with national stakeholders. We also place governance issues at the centre of our approach to the triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peace).

We provide technical, social, legal and economic advice on land and natural resources. Our broad experience covers land policy and reform, dispute resolution, land rights for women, pastoralists and indigenous peoples, community land management, land investments and large-scale acquisitions, as well as good governance of tenure.

We have broad expertise in all aspects of public financial management (PFM), including the design and implementation of medium-term expenditure frameworks, sector-based and performance-oriented programme budgeting, and expenditure management and oversight. We are experienced in undertaking Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessments, public expenditure reviews (PERs) and fiduciary risk assessments. We also bring deep understanding of PFM reforms in decentralised contexts across a range of sectors.

Our experience ranges from examining child protection as an inter-sectoral and cross-cutting issue, to specifically conducting assessment studies on public expenditure for the reduction of harmful practices, such as child marriage. It also includes the design of benchmarking methodology to assess and monitor expenditure on child-protection systems, and providing training on this widely applied framework.

Our approach focuses on strengthening equitable social protection systems. We support initiatives on social safety nets, cash transfers, and inclusive services aimed at economic security and resilience, prioritising vulnerable populations.

Our work in evaluating health and WASH programmes is often undertaken in conjunction with other sectors, including education and nutrition. Attention to child and maternal health, as well as adolescent wellbeing is particularly important and can affect various areas of sustainable development, including education outcomes, local economies, and gender equality. We also work on strategy development and budget analysis.

We have significant experience exploring the effectiveness and governance mechanisms of different aid modalities or delivery mechanisms such as project aid, budget support, blended finance and technical assistance.

We have experience conducting evaluations and reviews in humanitarian settings across a range of sectors, engaging emergency-affected populations, including refugee, internally displaced and migrant communities. We have a strong understanding of the global humanitarian architecture and have conducted a number of reviews investigating different cluster systems’ fitness for purpose in terms of strategy, leadership and organisation. We also bring expertise in appropriate funding practices and modalities for emergency response.