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Celebrating excellence in evaluation
The UNDP Independent Evaluation Office is delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Evaluation Excellence Awards.
The Outstanding Evaluation Award was given to two country offices:
- UNDP Cambodia for Final Evaluation of the Graduation Based Social Protection Project
- UNDP Yemen for Emergency Mine Action Project – Yemen Phase II Final Evaluation
The Gender-responsive Evaluation Award was given to two country offices:
- UNDP Chad for Final evaluation: Projet de prévention de la féminisation des modes opératoires des groupes extrémistes au Tchad
- UNDP Ukraine for Final evaluation: Digital, Inclusive, Accessible: Support to Digitalization of Public Services in Ukraine
Evaluations are a vital component of programme and project management and decision-making in UNDP. They provide evidence of what works and what doesn’t, identify factors that help or hinder the achievement of objectives, and provide lessons to improve future programming.
This year, a Special Recognition was given to 10 country offices who consistently produced high-quality evaluations between 2020 and 2023: UNDP Bangladesh, UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNDP Cambodia, UNDP Iraq, UNDP Malawi, UNDP Nepal, UNDP Papua New Guinea, UNDP Somalia and UNDP Türkiye.
Outstanding Evaluation: UNDP Cambodia
Final Evaluation of the Graduation Based Social Protection Project
The Evaluation Advisory Panel said the following about the report:
"It is well-written; it has a robust and transparent methodological strategy with many strengths, and it offers a set of actionable recommendations that are closely linked with the scope and relevance of the findings. It stands out for adding value to a pre-existing RCT with rich contextual information and leveraging global knowledge with situated knowledge from this specific case, offering a narrative that clearly reflects the project's performance and focuses on learning. The combination of intentional and random sampling, as well as adaptive empirical strategies are a clear strength, and so is the explicit effort at being proactively gender-sensitive in analytical approach and methodological decisions. Considerations such as “the role of power dynamics based on gender and how they interact with other forms of discrimination to affect project implementation and results” are example of this."
It stands out for adding value to a pre-existing RCT with rich contextual information and leveraging global knowledge with situated knowledge from this specific case.Evaluation Advisory Panel
From Good to Great Evaluations
Mini-blog by UNDP Cambodia
UNDP Cambodia’s performance has always been good - but we wanted to graduate from good to great! Achieving excellence in evaluation was a moonshot for us, and with the 2023 final evaluation of the Graduation-Based Social Protection in Cambodia we achieved it! So, what did we do differently this time?
Metrics that matter. It’s important to define and include metrics that are both qualitative and quantitative and at the appropriate level of specificity. This will enable understanding of both the big picture and the granular details. Some of these metrics were lacking in the project document and had to be addressed in the evaluation methodology. Keeping evaluation in mind when drafting the results framework is always a good choice!
The right people. Quality is determined by the people who lead the process. The rosters have facilitated recruitment, but they still need some improvement. The wrong choice can lead to both financial and reputational costs.
Strong leadership at different levels. It starts with vision and commitment to continuous improvement. The Resident Representative took it upon herself to participate in evaluation processes actively and regularly. This has set the tone in the office, but the good results could not have been achieved without the collaborative and timely engagement of dedicated colleagues and UNDP’s wide networks of partners. The Evaluation Manager led the process and oversaw the implementation of a ‘pre-agreed’ evaluation plan within budget, time constraints and emerging risk tolerances.
Do not forget the most forgotten. This refers to cross-cutting issues such as gender, youth inclusion, climate, etc. Even the best consultant needs some reminding to capture the local context.
As a last reflection, a good evaluation depends on discipline. Its process is like a flywheel, where small, incremental wins build up over time and eventually gain so much momentum that “greatness” almost seems to happen spontaneously.
Outstanding Evaluation: UNDP Yemen
Emergency Mine Action Project – Yemen Phase II Final Evaluation
The Evaluation Advisory Panel said the following about the report:
"The evaluation report is clear, well written and coherent, if offers a good understanding of the political context and it follows a collaborative and participatory approach, including looking for more representation of women and capturing female voices and empowerment. A clear strength of the report is the notion of “evaluating to evolve” and the identification of the humanitarian ecosystem that supports effectiveness and ownership."
A clear strength of the report is the notion of “evaluating to evolve”Evaluation Advisory Panel
Transparent Project Implementation: Evaluating UNDP’s Support to Emergency Mine Action in Yemen
Mini-blog by UNDP Yemen
It has been almost 10 years since the conflict started in Yemen, affecting security conditions, social cohesion and livelihoods opportunities. Clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war is a fundamental step for a comprehensive recovery.
Since 2017, UNDP’s Emergency Mine Action Project Phase-II (EMAP-II) has built the capacity of the National Mine Action Committee, the Yemeni Executive Mine Action Centre and the Yemen Mine Action Co-ordination Centre for mine action clearance. Contributing to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in war-torn Yemen, the project promoted equality and inclusion, social cohesion, and peacebuilding. Through its advocacy efforts and coordination with partners (including the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency), EMAP-II also played a critical role in enhancing information management and strengthening field operations.
The independent evaluation conducted on the EMAP-II Project promoted accountability and transparency, and it will inform the comprehensive UN Mine Action Programme going forward. Its findings will be used to design similar projects, maximize results and ensure efficient resource utilization.
Data collection, especially in politically charged conflict situations like Yemen, can be daunting and “out-of-box” thinking is needed. To help overcome these challenges, a third-party monitoring agent and call centre helped to ensure that the required information was gathered from all stakeholders. Techniques like this will be replicated in future projects and evaluations in Yemen, where innovation is often necessary to deliver solid results.
Gender-responsive Evaluation: UNDP Chad
Final evaluation: Projet de prévention de la féminisation des modes opératoires des groupes extrémistes au Tchad
The Evaluation Advisory Panel said the following about the report:
"Gender issues are front and center in this evaluation which identifies users of the evaluation and anticipates expected uses of its conclusions and recommendations. The evaluation scope and evaluation criteria as well as the key evaluation questions were formulated in a way that ensures the collection of gender equality and empowerment of women-related data. The methodology used was gender-responsive, applying methods and tools that provided the evaluation with gender related evidence on the project’s achievements and limitations. The evaluation findings, lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations, reflected a gender analysis enabling the evaluation team to develop action-oriented recommendations. The evaluation report is well written, with a clear flow of logic. The presentation of recommendations is excellent, distinguishing between strategic and operational recommendations and showing explicitly for each of them their correspondence with findings and conclusions, indicating the agency responsible for its implementation and the degree of priority of the recommendations."
Gender issues are front and center in this evaluation.Evaluation Advisory Panel
Lessons from a High-Quality Evaluation
Mini-blog by UNDP Chad
Extremist groups in Chad are increasingly recruiting women and young females in their ranks. To address this challenge, UNDP - In collaboration with UNICEF and local partners - has been actively involved in enhancing women’s capacities and improving their socio-economic conditions. These efforts aim to reduce the likelihood of their involvement with extremist groups.
The evaluation of the joint project underscored significant achievements and motivated us at UNDP Chad to refine our strategies and project designs for stabilizing, revitalizing, and building resilience of Eastern Chad. In our new approach, we established a platform for regular exchanges between field teams and UNDP colleagues based in N'Djamena. This initiative enhances our ability to proactively identify and discuss risks and tensions, facilitating the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures, particularly concerning the cohabitation among host communities, returnees, and refugees from Sudan.
The evaluation also encouraged us to intensify the involvement of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as key partners in peace consolidation. Since then, UNDP Chad has significantly increased CSOs involvement in the implementation of projects, leveraging their expertise and local presence for greater relevance and efficiency in our interventions.
The process of conducting this evaluation imparted valuable lessons. Firstly, careful selection of evaluators is essential for ensuring a rigorous evaluation. Secondly, active involvement of the UNDP management team, partner agencies and implementers are crucial. Lastly, seeking technical advice from UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa and the Independent Evaluation Office proves invaluable. These contributions not only shape the evaluation process, but also guarantee conditions for depth and analytical rigor.
Ultimately, the management of high-quality evaluations fosters a culture of excellence, urging us to aspire to ever-higher standards and continuously strive to enhance the impact on the communities we serve.
Gender-responsive Evaluation: UNDP Ukraine
Final evaluation: Digital, Inclusive, Accessible: Support to Digitalization of Public Services in Ukraine
The Evaluation Advisory Panel said the following about the report:
"Gender equality and empowerment of women (GEEW) were integrated in the evaluation scope of analysis. Furthermore, evaluation criteria and questions were designed in a way that ensured GEEW related data would be collected. For example, one of the questions was “To what extent have the results at the outcome and output levels generated results for gender equality, empowerment of women?”. The evaluation team used a gender responsive methodology, applying a Human Rights and Gender Equality lens during data collection, data analysis and evaluation process. The evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendation reflect a gender analysis, providing answers to the GEEW questions. The report is well written, with a clear flow of logic, facilitated by a gender rich evaluation matrix. Finally, it should be noted that the evaluation was conducted during the ongoing war in Ukraine, delivering the report one month before the estimated deadline and with an actual expenditure well below the estimated budget."
The evaluation was conducted during the ongoing war in Ukraine, delivering the report one month before the estimated deadline and with an actual expenditure well below the estimated budget.Evaluation Advisory Panel
Lessons on Gender-responsive Evaluation
Mini-blog by UNDP Ukraine
In Ukraine, a digital divide separates generations and social groups in their ability to access electronic services.
The UNDP “Digital, Inclusive, Accessible: Support to Digitalization of Public Services in Ukraine” (DIA Support) project (2021-2023) funded by Sweden aimed to bridge that digital divide, ensuring that everyone in Ukraine – both women and men equally – could access new digital solutions. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the project priorities were modified to achieve the planned results despite the war, and with a stronger emphasis on gender and sustainability.
UNDP launched the final evaluation of the project to inform and guide the future direction of UNDP’s work in this area as requested by the Government. To ensure a gender-responsive evaluation, UNDP aligned the TORs with the principles of the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) and gender equality, ensured equal representation of women and men in the list of interviewees, and collected all relevant project documentation with sex-disaggregated data. Online surveys of participants of project’s activities were also run.
Based on the evaluation recommendations, the project decided to strengthen the attention paid to women’s ability to use and access services. The evaluation results also prompted the project's government partners to employ a gender lens in their activities and introduced dedicated measurement of women’s participation in online educational activities from the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
UNDP has learned important lessons on how to ensure a gender-responsive evaluation from this experience. A Leave No One Behind approach and a gender and inclusivity lens must be applied from the project design stage. TORs for any type of evaluation should align with HRBA and gender equality principles. It is also important that the project monitoring and results framework are periodically revised to ensure that gender results (or lack thereof) are captured.
