United Nations contributions to national evaluation capacity development and the evolution of national evaluation systems

United Nations contributions to national evaluation capacity development and the evolution of national evaluation systems

This Report provides a review of the progress on the implementation of the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/237 on building national evaluation capacities and identifies areas for improvement. It includes a shared definition and theory of change for NECD, and builds on six case studies of national evaluation systems, a survey of United Nations agencies and interviews with internal and external stakeholders.

The review found that UNEG Members have been providing direct support to NECD through a wide range of activities targeting governments and non-governmental actors. All countries covered in the case studies have received support for the development of evaluation policies and legislation, in varying degrees, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) historically the most engaged. United Nations agencies have been working with evaluation champions including parliamentarians, Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation and academia, raising awareness and advocating for evaluation. Support has also been provided to develop the tools necessary to translate policies and laws into practice, such as guidelines, standards and competency frameworks. The most common contribution has been to individual capacity development, through training, establishing communities of practice, and learning-by-doing through joint and country-led evaluations.