Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) result in high levels of morbidity and mortality, and disproportionately affect some of the world’s poorest populations. However, there are currently few effective tools to combat transmission of vector-borne pathogens, making the development of new tools and strategies of paramount importance. For WHO to recommend a novel tool or strategy for use by governments and public health agencies, WHO must be certain that these interventions demonstrate public health value against their target disease(s). Furthermore, the interventions need to be safe, of high quality in their production and/or manufacturing, and efficacious against the target vectors. This document outlines the evaluation process that WHO’s undertakes to assess novel tools and strategies targeted at VBDs. Its aim is to articulate the linkage between the generation of evidence that demonstrates public health impact of novel interventions, and the development of recommendations based on the generated data. The document defines standards for the evaluation process, as well as the steps that an applicant needs to undertake, along with some guiding principles that aim to support applicants in the development of submissions with WHO.