Evaluations by IEO

The UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) conducts evaluations according to the plans and costed programmes of work approved by UNDP's Executive Board and adhering to the norms and standards established by the United Nations Evaluation Group. 

The Office conducts two types of evaluations:

Independent Country Programme Evaluations (ICPEs) assess UNDP country programmes, providing insights to inform future planning. ICPEs are generally conducted every other country programme cycle. Their scheduling is guided by prioritization criteria to ensure that the most  strategic and high-impact evaluations are undertaken, contingent on resource availability. ICPEs are designed for key stakeholders in the assessed country - notably the UNDP country office, national government, and other partners. Other key audiences include UNDP Headquarters, UNDP Regional Hubs, as well as the Executive Board which approves UNDP Country Programme Documents. 

Corporate and Thematic Evaluations assess UNDP’s performance in strategic areas that are critical to sustain development results. These evaluations usually span multiple countries or the entire organization, examining UNDP policies, partnerships, programmatic approaches, cooperation modalities, business models and operational matters. They also include joint evaluations with other United Nations organizations. Findings from corporate and thematic evaluations are presented to the UNDP Executive Board at its First Regular and Annual Sessions.

Independence

The structural independence of the IEO is enshrined in the UNDP Evaluation Policy.

The IEO has the authority to engage independently with internal and external stakeholders. It can communicate directly with staff all levels and external stakeholders at any stage of the evaluation process. It may request information deemed necessary for the completion of any evaluation without prior notice to those being evaluated. To fulfill its mandate, the IEO must be granted full and unrestricted access to UNDP records across all offices and programmes, both in the field and at headquarters.

The Director of the IEO has sole discretion over the content and release of evaluations carried out by the Office, in accordance with UNDP Executive Board decisions. Any attempt to interfere with the independence or integrity of IEO evaluations, including through unwarranted delays to timely completion, will be escalated to UNDP senior management and, if necessary, the Audit and Evaluation Advisory Committee and the UNDP Executive Board.

The IEO is responsible for safeguarding the anonymity of sources and ensuring that sensitive data remains untraceable, upholding the rights of institutions and individuals who provide information.

Evaluations by UNDP country offices

UNDP country offices conduct a variety of evaluations at different levels, including outcome, impact and project evaluations. Over 6000 evaluations conducted between 1997 and today can be found in the UNDP Evaluation Resource Center.

The Independent Evaluation Office manages a quality assessment system for decentralized evaluations. The system provides performance feedback to UNDP bureaux and country offices, and its results are reported annually to the Executive Board.