Qualitative research for the State of the Humanitarian System Report 2022 -2025 on the humanitarian aid landscape in Sudan

Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP) is a global network focused on improving the quality, accountability, and effectiveness of humanitarian action. It brings together a wide range of actors, including NGOs, UN agencies, donors, academics, and independent experts. The State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) report is ALNAP's flagship publication, published every 4 years, providing a comprehensive assessment of the international humanitarian sector's size, shape, and performance over time.

ALNAP needed to gather firsthand insights on how humanitarian aid is perceived by recipients, NGOs, donors and local authorities in Sudan. The challenge was two-fold: (1) securing access and permissions to engage key stakeholders in a complex operating environment and ensuring safe, ethical and (2) effective data collection in the field amidst high-security risks. Navigating bureaucratic approvals and logistical constraints was essential to reaching both institutional actors and direct beneficiaries, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive assessment.

We are working closely with our client to conduct:

• In-person interviews and focus group discussions with aid recipients, donors, local and international NGOs, CSOs, and community leaders

• A thematic analysis of humanitarian aid effectiveness in Sudan, contributing to a major global report on the humanitarian system

• Communication and dissemination activities, including workshops and reports to ensure findings reach affected populations and key decision-makers

Our research is helping shape a more accurate and inclusive understanding of humanitarian aid in Sudan, ensuring that insights from crisis-affected communities and local stakeholders inform global humanitarian policies and funding decisions.