Annual Report on the evaluation function 2021
Resource date: 14 Jun 2022
This report captures the performance of the UNFPA evaluation function at centralized and decentralized levels in 2021. It also provides details on the adaptation of the evaluation function to the COVID-19 crisis and outlines the contribution of UNFPA to coherence among evaluation functions across the United Nations, and national evaluation capacity development.
In line with the strategic commitment of UNFPA to enhance adaptability and evidence-based decision-making to accelerate the delivery of the UNFPA strategic plan 2022-2025, the Evaluation Office developed three new evaluation frameworks in 2021. This includes the (1) quadrennial budgeted evaluation plan, (2) evaluation strategy and (c) strategy to enhance evaluation use through communications and knowledge management. These frameworks will make evaluation at UNFPA more agile, responsive, high quality and utilization-focused.
As the COVID-19 crisis continued in 2021, the Evaluation Office remained agile and adaptive, providing regular guidance and support at centralized and decentralized levels. Evaluation systems, capacities and tools were also stepped up to provide evidence to inform the recovery from the pandemic and the development of UNFPA strategic plan 2022-2025.
These efforts resulted in a strong performance of the evaluation function, with eight out of nine key performance indicators (KPIs) achieved or almost achieved. Further, all centralized evaluations scheduled are completed or are on track.
In 2021, the Evaluation Office continued to support the United Nations development system reform process and collaborated closely with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and other UN entities. Similar to previous years, more than half of centralized evaluations in 2021-2022 are either joint or system-wide.
As part of the efforts to step up national evaluation capacities towards the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Office enhanced support to youth in evaluation and young evaluators. Further, the Eval4Action campaign, co-led by the Evaluation Office, EvalYouth and the Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation, continued to mobilize multi-stakeholder and intergenerational partnerships for influential evaluation. In less than two years, the campaign has rallied about 150 partners.
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