The 3rd meeting of IEO’s Evaluation Advisory Panel (EAP) took place from 1-3 June 2016. In attendance were 8 panel members which included Michael Bamberger, Rachid Benmokhtar Benabdellah, Zenda Ofir, Ray Rist, Thomas Schwandt, Elliot Stern, Daniel Weiner and Chen Zhaoying.
Panel members provided critical guidance and intellectual insight into the work of the IEO, helping to advance its strategic impact and recommended improvements to the overall coherence and consistency of IEO’s approach, work programme and methodologies. The panel also reviewed key deliverables, including guidance covering methodologies and procedures and specific evaluations. The meeting concluded with a review of IEO’s way forward and the modus operandi of the EAP.
Assessment of Development Results Stakeholder Workshop - Somalia
ADR Somalia was conducted between 2014-2015. A virtual stakeholder workshop was organized in Mogadishu, Nairobi and New York on 20 June 2016 to present the findings and management response of the ADR. The workshop was jointly chaired by H.E. Abdi Dirshe (Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation), Vijayalakshmi Vadivelu (IEO Evaluation Advisor & Officer in Charge) and George Conway (Country Director, UNDP Somalia). The workshop presented an opportunity to engage with national government and civil society stakeholders on the ADR and discuss the way forward for UNDP's engagement in Somalia. It was attended by 30 participants which included government representatives, civil society and staff from the UNDP Country Office and Regional Bureau.
IPDET 2016
As part of IEO's knowledge sharing practices, IEO Director Indran Naidoo was invited as a guest speaker at the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) on 29 June 2016 in Ottawa. Indran presented on independence, credibility and utility in the workshop on Managing Evaluations. He highlighted that for evaluation to be taken seriously it needs to distinguish itself as a profession requiring policies, strategies and practices that bring change at the agency and staff level. Access the presentation for more information.
Executive Board Session
The UNDP Executive Board session on evaluation took place on 10 June in New York. The IEO presented the 2015 Annual Report on Evaluation. 2015 was a critical year for the IEO, even beyond carrying out independent evaluations. This Annual Report on Evaluation explores key activities, challenges and actions, lessons learned and progress made by the IEO, UNDP and the evaluation units of the associated funds and programmes, UNCDF and UNV in fulfilling the evaluation function outlined in the UNDP evaluation policy.
The UNDP Executive Board organised a briefing on the revised UNDP evaluation policy on 31 May 2016. IEO, along with UNDP's Development Impact Group, presented joint statements and a revised joint policy. The board members appreciated UNDP's efforts and acknowledged anticipation of the final evaluation policy which is due at the September Board session.
HLPF- Evaluation Side Events
The High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is United Nations central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. HLPF in 2016 is the first since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The session taking place from 11-20 July will include voluntary reviews of 22 countries and thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. HLPF will also include a range of side events, a Partnership Exchange event, and SDGs Learning, Training and Practice sessions.
IEO held its side event on Evaluation: Service for Future National SDGs Reporting on 13 July 2016. The event aimed at showcasing evaluations contributions towards supporting inclusive and equitable development progress in line with the Agenda 2030 commitment to ensure that “no one is left behind”.
The side event’s panel discussion was led by country representatives, senior policy makers and evaluation specialists, who discussed what the techniques and practices of the evaluation profession can bring to the table for SDGs follow up and review processes at national and global level. The panelists and participants were welcomed by Colin Kirk (Director of Evaluation, UNICEF). The panel was chaired by Arild Hauge (IEO Deputy Director) and moderated by Dorothy Lucks, (EvalSDG Co-Chair).
Panelists included Ivane Shamugia (Head of Donor Coordination Unit, Government of Georgia), Izzet Ari (Head of Department of Environment and Sustainable Development, Government of Turkey) and H.E. Rachid BenMokhtar (Minister of National Education & Vocational Training, Kingdom of Morocco).
IEO's Knowledge Building Initiatives
IEO kicked off 2016 with a goal to enhance its internal knowledge building and sharing activities for which several brown bag lunches and side events were organized.
Speakers shared their experiences, innovations, challenges and expertise in their respective fields. We would like to thank the speakers for their time and contributions, and look forward to continued learning activities.
▪ Stefan Schweinfest (Director of the United Nations Statistics Division) talked to IEO about UN statistics, the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), and related topics. ▪ Marco Segone (Director, Independent Evaluation Office, UN Women, and UNEG Chair) provided an update on the progress of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and future directions, building on the discussions held at the UNEG Evaluation Week and Annual General Meeting. ▪ Sukai Prom-Jackson (Inspector, UN Joint Inspection Unit) shared the work of the Joint Inspection Unit and Independent System-Wide Evaluation. ▪ Janine Civitate, Bernardo Cocco and Johannes Schunter (Knowledge Management team from the UNDP Development Impact Ground) presented the work and upcoming projects of the UNDP Knowledge Management and Innovation team.
NEW PRODUCTS
Country Case Studies: Evaluation of the UNDP Contribution to Mine Action
The objective of this evaluation is to determine, to the greatest extent possible, the UNDP contribution to mine action, taking into account its global programme and considering evidence at country and community levels. Three countries were selected for an in-depth field study which include Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique and Tajikistan. These countries were selected for their potential to reveal particular insights into the evaluation questions and to provide community-level evidence of impact.
The latest round of ADRs examined UNDP's contributions to national development goals, its relevance and strategic position in the following countries :
▪ Albania | Evaluation Manager: Oanh Nguyen
▪ Dominican Republic | Evaluation Manager: Roberto La Rovere
▪ Gabon | Evaluation Manager: Roberto La Rovere
▪ Morocco | Evaluation Manager: Heather Bryant
▪ São Tomé and Príncipe | Evaluation Manager: Oanh Nguyen
▪ Viet Nam | Evaluation Manager: Fumika Ouchi
Proceedings from the 4th International Conference on National Evaluation Capacities
The IEO and the Royal Thai Government co-hosted the 2015 Fourth International Conference on National Evaluation Capacities (NEC) in Bangkok in collaboration with the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. The conference took place and was organized co-jointly with the 2015 Global Assembly of the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS). This document provides the proceedings from the conference along with papers submitted by participant countries.
2015 was a critical year for the IEO, even beyond carrying out independent evaluations. This illustrated 2015 Annual Report on Evaluation explores key activities, challenges, actions, lessons learned and progress made by the IEO, UNDP and the evaluation units of the associated funds and programmes, UNCDF and UNV in fulfilling the evaluation function outlined in the UNDP evaluation policy.
Blog: Yes, evaluation is in Africa: Progressive, growing and transformational
IEO Director, Indran Naidoo shared his experiences and the progress of Monitoring and Evaluation in South Africa for a blog dedicated to evaluation in service of Africa’s development. Read more on the transformation of evaluation in the region.
UNEG Norms and Standards - Updated!
The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation are its foundation and were adopted in 2005. Almost 10 years later revisions in the document were incorporated in 2016 at the UNEG Annual General Meeting. It combines the Norms and Standards into one integral document and tackles inclusion of evolving global, regional and national contexts, as well as the increasing demand for accountability and national ownership in evaluation.
The document will not only strengthen and harmonize evaluation in the UN system, but also provide a useful framework for the global evaluation community.
COMING SOON
Upcoming Evaluations
▪ Assessment of Development Results - Mauritania Evaluation Manager: Heather Bryant ▪ Thematic Evaluation of UNDP's Contributions to Anti-Corruption and Governance Integrity in a Development Context | Evaluation Manager: Vijayalakshmi Vadivelu
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OFFICE
RESOURCES
At UNDP, evaluation is critical in helping countries achieve the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports to the UNDP Executive Board. The IEO is governed by the organization's Evaluation Policy and the UNDP Executive Board is the custodian of the policy. The core function of the IEO is to conduct two types of independent evaluations: thematic and programmatic. The IEO also prepares the Annual Report on Evaluation, sets standards and guidelines on evaluation, monitors compliance on evaluation and shares lessons for improved programming. IEO hosts and supports the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Secretariat and actively participates in UNEG to strengthen coherence, quality and innovation of evaluation across the UN system. Visit our website at www.undp.org/evaluation for more information.
Click here for a list of recent and upcoming projects.
