Report on the Evaluation Function

1
Report on the Evaluation Function

• Evaluation Office

2
Two Sections of the report

• In keeping with the Board decisions this report
  comprises two major sections
• A review of the implementation of the Evaluation
  Policy
• A summary of major evaluations

3
The Evaluation Policy

• Policy approved January 2008
• Executive Directive issued March 2009
• We are at an early stage of policy implementation

4
Executive Directive

• Executive Directive issued in March 2009
• Clarified accountabilities at different levels
• Emphasized a strong leadership role for the
  Evaluation Office
• Emphasized the importance of management attention
  to evaluation

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Executive Directive ctd

• The Evaluation Office
• Conducts a programme of independent evaluations
• Provides leadership and oversight to the
  evaluation function

6
Executive Directive ctd

• Country Representatives, Regional Directors and
  headquarters Divisional Directors, will ensure
  that
• New programmes are designed in a way that permits
  evaluation at a later stage
• Evaluations are strategically selected and
  adequate human and financial resources are
  allocated
• Appropriate management arrangements are in place
• Evaluations are fully considered and management
  responses are prepared.

7
Focus of the review

• The focus of the internal review is on
  decentralized evaluations
• As emphasized in the policy, most evaluative work
  in the organization takes place at the
  decentralized level
• Decentralization is a key characteristic of the
  UNICEF evaluation system

8
Timing of review

• No holistic external review carried out since the
  policy was adopted. The last external review was
  the Peer Review of the evaluation function in
  2006
• 2008 Global Accountability Report reviewed the
  evaluation function and gave a very positive
  rating
• A comprehensive review could be considered in the
  future, carrying out such a review once every
  five years would be in line with good practice

9
Internal review of policy

• Sources include
• Evaluation Office reporting
• Submissions from Regional Offices
• Management information systems reporting
• A report by the Office of Internal Audit

10
Active dissemination and training

• Considerable efforts have taken place at Regional
  and Country level to ensure that the Evaluation
  Policy and Executive Directive are properly
  disseminated
• High visibility of evaluation at key regional and
  country meetings
• Accountabilities have been clearly understood
• In a large organization such as UNICEF,
  dissemination and training needs to be ongoing.

11
Strengthening links with Regional Offices

• A major development in the Evaluation Office has
  been the creation of a new post to strengthen the
  link with Regional Offices and to promote sharing
  of best practice between the regions.
• The monitoring and evaluation functions have been
  strengthened at Regional Offices.

12
Capacity building through Knowledge Management

• Considerable effort at building the skills of
  monitoring and evaluation staff and programme
  staff
• Development of intranet to support knowledge
  management and capacity development
• Use of webcasts
• Dissemination of good practice
• Community of Practice on evaluation initiated,
  this should help provide support to those
  interested in evaluation throughout the
  organization.

13
Ongoing challenges

• Need to develop guidance on human resource
  requirements in different contexts
• Need to develop strategies to ensure that
  evaluation plans are adequately funded
• To address these issues senior management
  (through the Evaluation Committee) should
  continue to monitor investment in evaluation and
  provide appropriate guidance

14
Ensuring excellence

• Strengthened oversight of evaluation planning
• Ensuring strategic choices for evaluation-
  stronger oversight of evaluation planning at
  country level
• There have been major developments in quality
  assurance but there is still a need to ensure
  that all regions have appropriate mechanisms in
  place

15
Management response

• It is widely recognized that greater attention
  needs to be given to the development of
  management responses to evaluations.
• Draft guidance has been developed and an IT
  system has been successfully piloted and will be
  rolled out globally by the end of the year.

16
Developing National Capacities

• UNICEF is active within UNEG on this issue
• Aim to ensure a coordinated approach to national
  capacity development with other actors
• Continued work with Regional Offices on
  developing strategies for national capacity
  development

17
Conclusion of review

• Considerable progress has been made after 18
  months of policy implementation.
• Strengthening an evaluation function requires
  continued management attention

18
Summary of major evaluations

• A cross-section of evaluations has been included
  in the report
• A number are cross-country studies that promote
  learning at a regional level or globally
• In general there is evidence that these
  evaluations have been used effectively to improve
  programmes and influence policy.