The evaluation of UNDP’s support to private sector development and structural transformation maintained a two-fold accountability and learning goal. By examining the relevance, coherence, effectiveness and sustainability of UNDP’s work, the evaluation aimed to determine the extent to which UNDP had contributed to the development of the private sector, allowing enterprises to have their most critical needs met, while promoting the structural transformation of business models towards higher sustainability, inclusion and modernization of practices.

The evaluation covered the period 2016-2022, encompassing three UNDP Strategic Plan cycles, one of which was approved before the definition of the SDGs. The evaluation also looked at programme activities up to September 2023 when they reflected changes in UNDP’s strategic direction or when there were examples of results stemming from previous efforts.

With its continued focus on private sector development and expanded ambitions to engage the private sector for structural transformation, UNDP’s work has maintained its relevance. UNDP initiatives introduced innovative thinking, mostly originating outside of projects, and enlarged the class of private sector actors with which the organization engaged. These included multinational corporations in the food and agriculture sector, financial institutions, as well as start-ups with a desire – but not necessarily the knowledge and tools – to make a positive contribution to sustainable development through their business.

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