Regional Workshop on the UNDP Evaluation Policy Arab States

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• Enhance quality controls to ensure that indicators and CO monitoring systems in general meet minimum quality standards and are developed in partnership with government. • Evaluation Office, in partnership with other relevant bureaux/units, help develop CD on M&E training sessions for UNDP staff, UNCT and national counterparts. • Strengthen ERC by linking it to ATLAS to better support effective monitoring and evaluation. • In assigning M&E experts and policy advisors within UNDP, there should be a clear line between advice on a programme and conducting evaluations to avoid conflict of interest. • The new RMG could be used as an entry point for partnerships towards the achievement of outcome (i.e. outcome boards), but more clarity required from HQ. • Ensure better use of the evaluation standards through provision of appropriate guidance and establishment of quality assurance system (i.e. guidelines and quality criteria), which is being developed by the Evaluation Office. • Create “outcome evaluation fund” to which resources are directly allocated upon approval of projects • Support partnerships between government and international centers of excellence for monitoring and evaluation. • Examine, assess and recommend synergies and opportunities as well as best • practices within the countries in the region through review of M& experiences. • Ensure that CO has an outcome evaluation plan prepared in accordance with UNDP policy and procedures, within the first quarter of the CP cycle. • Ensure consultative annual reviews at different levels (e.g. government and civil society) groups take place that connect reporting, feedback and learning from evaluations. - • Cooperate with other international institutions, NGO’s and professional bodies • (e.g. UNEG) for strengthening competence in evaluation in the Arab region. 2.6 Use of Evaluation Relevant section of the Evaluation Policy Senior management of Country Offices, regional bureaux, practice and policy bureaux and the associated funds and programmes will prepare management responses to all evaluations, and ensure and track appropriate, timely implementation of the agreed evaluation recommendation; draw on evaluation findings to improve the quality of programmes, guide strategic decision-making on future programming and positioning, and share knowledge on development experience, and ensure the transparency of, and public access to, all evaluation reports Key issues and implication There was overall consensus that undertaking evaluation work and ensuring its quality is only worthwhile if the activity leads to use of the evaluation findings and contributes to improved knowledge amongst relevant policy and operational actors within the organization and among national level stakeholders. Some participants highlighted the fact that in many cases evaluations have been used only partially. More often, several evaluations or individual evaluations combined with other evidence and opinion have been used cumulatively to inform debates and influence decision-making (e.g. the use of the Arab Human Development Reports in the region). The weak use of evaluation and its impact in the region is influenced by a number of key factors: (i) the quality of the evaluation work; (ii) the level of involvement of national stakeholders in the different stages of the evaluation cycle; (iii) the involvement of senior managers and directors; (iv) the organizational arrangements for dissemination, i.e. the time and resources available for 14
dissemination and the degree to which the process is championed by those responsible for the work influences the understanding, communication and use of the findings; and (v) the institutional arrangements and capacity for conducting evaluation. Recommended actions • All relevant stakeholders and project/programme beneficiaries have to be identified at evaluation planning stage, engaged throughout the evaluation process and given full access to evaluation reports. • Undertake translation of all evaluation guidelines as well as evaluation reports into Arabic. • COs should be evaluated in terms of their compliance to planned evaluations (i.e. more focus be given to follow-up). • Effective use of evaluation recommendations & follow up should be reflected in balance scorecard. • Timely and effective feedback on evaluation design, process and content required from EO & RBAS • Recognition for top COs using evaluation recommendations and sharing success stories within the region and beyond. • Develop a common partnership strategy with government counterparts and other national level stakeholders on the use of evaluation findings and recommendation, and allocate sufficient financial resources for such activities. 3. Way forward on implementing the policy The final session of the workshop provided the basis for country groups (UNDP with national government counterparts) to consider what actions they will take in implementing the evaluation policy, and what recommendations they may have for other units to support this process. The main issues raised in the session have been drawn together with the key recommendations actions made during the entire workshop and summarized below. Detailed actions presented by country teams at the workshop can be found at the workshop webpage. To the <strong>Regional</strong> Bureau for Arab States and <strong>Regional</strong> Service Centre in Beirut: • Create the position of Evaluation Advisor (English & French speaking) in the <strong>Regional</strong> Service Centre to establish regional capacity in M&E to backstop Country Offices on technical issues (e.g. indicator selection and formulation, templates for monitoring systems etc.). • Sharing best practices between COs on how to address cultural sensitivities in conducting and sharing findings of evaluations. • Organize “a roundtable” discussion between “champion” ministries from the region on Evaluation Capacity Development (Egypt has agreed to host such a meeting). • Regularly allocate evaluation funds for projects under the regional programme. • Support COs to develop capacity towards core resources and Trust Funds. To the Evaluation Office: • Organize workshop on M&E at the national and/or regional level to strengthen capacities of line ministries (to be co-financed by RBAS and COs). • Relevant and timely feedback on quality assurance issues for planning and conducting outcome and other evaluations 15
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Regional Workshop on the UNDP Evaluation Policy Arab States

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