Results-Based Protection (RBP) is a problem-solving approach to address the complex and ever-changing environment that surrounds protection issues in humanitarian action. It emphasizes starting from the perspective of the affected community while encouraging learning and adapting, investing in relationships, and strategic collaboration to achieve protection outcomes. In RBP, protection outcomes are defined as “reduction in risk.” In other words, a reduction in violence, coercion, and deliberate deprivation that people face in crises. RBP proactively reduces protection risks rather than addressing them as they emerge.
Our Story
See a timeline of the rich history of Results-Based Protection
There was growing concern across the humanitarian community that protection work was not effective or measurable in reducing risk. InterAction’s Protection Working Group, with support from the US Government’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), launched a program to develop and promote a results-based approach to protection.
The IASC Principals’ Statement on the Centrality of Protection in Humanitarian Action, 2013 was developed. It affirmed the commitment to ensuring the centrality of protection in humanitarian action and the role of Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs), Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs), and Clusters to implement this commitment in all aspects of humanitarian action. It emphasized protection outcomes and the first hints of the key elements of Results-Based Protection.
The first annual Practitioners’ Roundtable was held in Washington DC with a focus on protection analysis as an entry point for understanding what is meant by protection outcomes.
The RBP Key Elements were drafted, the RBP website was launched, and ECHO provided additional funding to support RBP.
‘The RBP Update’, a monthly newsletter, was launched. Additionally, the RBP Tuesday Talks, a practitioner-based monthly discussion forum, allowed protection actors to begin to understand the application of RBP in the field. In 2020, the ‘RBP Update’ changed to the ‘RBP Digest.’ InterAction’s team continues to sends these out periodically.
The second annual Practitioners’ Roundtable was held in Washington DC. Notable outcomes included the launch and validation of the three RBP Key Elements as the RBP framework, and the circulation of a concept note to explore the idea of a Learning Group of Practitioners.
The Global Protection Cluster Guidance on Humanitarian Country Team Protection Strategies—which seeks to operationalize the centrality of protection—incorporated the language of the RBP Key Elements.
The foundational components of RBP were reflected in the 2016 IASC Policy on Protection in Humanitarian Action.
InterAction received funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and launched a 2-year project, “Strengthening Ways of Working for Protection Outcomes.”
Increasing attention highlighting the need to strengthen prevention of gender-based violence in humanitarian action. InterAction, through a 16-member Advisory Group, began to develop a results-based Gender-Based Violence Prevention Evaluation Framework (GBV PEF).
InterAction’s Protection Team conducted a field mission to Nigeria to launch Phase 1 of the SIDA project and to provide field support for collective strategies.
InterAction published a scoping study to better understand the opportunities and barriers for measuring GBV prevention outcomes.
InterAction released its 2020 Annual Results-Based Protection Briefing Paper titled, ‘Embracing the Protection Outcome Mindset: We All Have a Role to Play.’
InterAction launched the GBV PEF. The GBV PEF is a set of guiding approaches that help practitioners make better decisions in their analysis, program design, and measurement. It allows GBV prevention outcomes to ultimately be evaluated.
InterAction launched MindShift: A Collection of Examples that Promote Protection Outcomes.
InterAction released its 2021 Annual Results-Based Protection Briefing Paper titled, ‘Measuring Protection Outcomes; Emerging Efforts and New Opportunities.’
InterAction launched the GBV PEF Video.
InterAction launched the GBV PEF Community of Practice
KEY AREAS OF WORK Expand All
InterAction supports the adoption of RBP through targeted field-level support to NGOs in humanitarian responses. The specific approach to each country context is refined in consultation with in-country NGOs, in-country NGO consortia, and in consultation with RBP Hub members. The RBP Hub consists of senior NGO protection specialists and managers. Support is extended through in-person field missions, remote engagement, and by mobilizing expertise as needed.
Learn MoreIn 2019, with Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) support, InterAction launched a project to develop a results-based evalaution framework for the prevention of GBV (GBV PEF). The GBV PEF is a set of guiding approaches that help practitioners make better decisions in their analysis, program design, and measurement. It allows GBV prevention outcomes to ultimately be evaluated.
Learn MoreInterAction works to accelerate action among influential actors in the humanitarian system. It works with the RBP Hub, donor governments, and IASC bodies, including RG1 Centrality of Protection Sub-working Group, the Global Protection Cluster Strategic Advisory Group, the ProCap Advisory Committee, and the Advisory Committee of the Professional Standards for Protection. By working with influential humanitarian actors, InterAction seeks to foster learning and to inform decision makers involved in driving institutional and inter-agency policy and practice.
LEARN MOREInterAction curates an online resource library, which includes new publications and events that support and/or promote the use of results-based approaches to protection. It also produces a regular RBP Digest which provides a space to share new reports, methods, tools, and events that support and/or promote the use of results-based approaches. Finally, in an engaging manner, InterAction produces case examples which illustrate how results-based approaches support protection outcomes in practice.
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WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
InterAction expects that, over time, a results-based approach to protection will support a fundamental shift in how interventions to enhance protection are assessed and designed and how their theories of change are articulated, implemented, and monitored. The key elements of a results-based approach to protection support evidence-informed methods for prevention and response. But they also provide a basis for informing policy decisions toward the protection concerns faced in a given crisis. A stronger evidence base will support complementarity among actors and multi-sectoral programming, so protection is likely to figure more centrally in inter-agency humanitarian strategies.