The main objectives of this evaluation were to provide the relevant EU services, interested stakeholders and the Horn of Africa Trust Fund (HLTF) Monitoring and Lessons Learned System (including to illustrate through operational examples the mid-term evaluation of the UTF instrument) with the following information

• a comprehensive and independent analysis of the performance of the Sustainable Solutions for the Most Vulnerable Host Populations, Refugees and Migrants in Djibouti action, with particular attention to its intermediate results, in comparison with the expected objectives, and the reasons supporting these results;
• lessons learned, conclusions and associated recommendations, so as to improve, where appropriate, the implementation of the action and potential future interventions.

The evaluation analysed the action according to the five DAC evaluation criteria, namely: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact prospects. In addition, the evaluation followed two specific EU evaluation criteria:

• EU added value (insofar as the action brings additional benefits to those that would have resulted from member states' intervention alone};
• the coherence of the action itself with the EU strategy in Djibouti and under the EU Emergency Trust Fund, Horn of Africa window, with other EU policies and with other actions of member states and donors involved in the sector.

The evaluation team furthermore checked whether gender, environment and climate change issues have been incorporated; whether important SDGs and their interactions have been identified; whether the principle of "Leave No-One Behind", (see https://www.un.org/africarenewal/fr/magazine/avril-
2016/odd-don't-leave-none-behind) and a rights-based approach were taken into account in the identification/formulation of documents and to what extent these were reflected in the implementation, governance and monitoring of the action.