The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far-reaching. The pandemic has widened existing inequalities, and disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, especially women and girls by limiting access to vital health services and intensifying gender-based violence and harmful practices. UNFPA adapted its operations to the pandemic and is leveraging lessons from this experience as an opportunity to reinforce its organizational resilience, in anticipation of future crises and disruptions. 

The formative evaluation of the organizational resilience of UNFPA in light of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic assesses the performance of UNFPA in responding to the pandemic. It also analyzes the ability of UNFPA to work across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus during the pandemic, as well as the organization's capacity to learn from the crisis, ensuring it is better prepared to anticipate, respond to, and adapt to future global crises. 

The evaluation reveals the COVID-19 pandemic served as a critical test of the resilience of UNFPA, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. The organization demonstrated adaptability and innovation, with resourcefulness of its personnel to respond to the crisis. While UNFPA made significant contributions to mitigating the pandemic's effect on maternal health, family planning, and gender-based violence, these efforts fell short of the organization’s goals. The pandemic exposed gaps in business continuity management, but also fostered valuable learning experiences. Despite safeguarding the health and well-being of personnel and partners, disparities between staff and non-staff welfare emerged. 

The evaluation recommends several measures to bolster the resilience of UNFPA, including increased efforts to operationalize the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach, embedding business continuity management throughout the organization, and improving supply chain resilience. UNFPA should foster a workplace culture that supports and values all personnel, and prioritizes the systematic management of knowledge and lessons learned.
 

At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, progress on SDG 5 on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls has stalled. Recognizing this challenge, the independent evaluation offices of UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP collaborated to conduct an inter-agency synthesis of United Nations system evaluations related to SDG 5.

The dataset of SDG 5 evaluations included 619 evaluation reports from 33 United Nations entities. Of these, nearly half of the evaluations were chosen for further analysis. The analysis synthesised evidence on what helps and hinders progress, what approaches work and do not work, and key lessons and evidence gaps across the nine targets of SDG 5.

The report identifies several factors that contribute to progress towards SDG 5. These include the critical role of the United Nations towards advancing gender-responsive legislation, and the effectiveness of integrated and holistic programming. The report further highlights the use of knowledge, data and research to support advocacy efforts, technical support and capacity strengthening, and the essential role of civil society partners in driving progress towards SDG 5. 

However, operationalizing the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ remains a challenge. Prioritising gender in humanitarian situations must be more sustained and comprehensive. Stronger and innovative monitoring and evaluation approaches are needed to assess contribution more rigorously towards gender equality outcomes. Harmful social norms and inadequate financing for gender equality initiatives remain significant barriers. Government commitment and institutional readiness are critical enabling factors for the development and implementation of legislation, policies and services. Evaluations also highlight the detrimental impact of COVID-19 on gender equality outcomes and programming across the targets. 

These findings can catalyse action by providing policymakers, programme implementers, donors and United Nations agencies with evidence and lessons learned to speed up collective efforts to accelerate progress on SDG 5. 

Getting there together: A synthesis of inter-agency programme evaluations on SDG 5: A companion to ‘Are we getting there? A synthesis of UN system evaluations of SDG 5’

With a growing emphasis on United Nations inter-agency collaboration, this companion report analyses 68 inter-agency evaluations, including those that were excluded from the main synthesis report due to their 2023 completion date. This analysis provides unique insights into joint United Nations programming for SDG 5, examining its strategic significance, effectiveness, coherence, enabling factors, barriers, recommendations, evidence gaps, and lessons learned. Specifically, this report explores the role of inter-agency work in achieving SDG 5 targets, successful collaborative practices, areas for improved coordination, and existing knowledge gaps.

The evaluation assesses the progress of the UNFPA Adolescents and Youth Strategy (also known as My Body, My Life, My World) and provides evidence, lessons and actionable inputs to further accelerate its implementation. The evaluation centres on adolescents and youth programming from 2015 to 2022, with a particular emphasis on the duration since the roll-out of the Strategy in 2019.

The evaluation marked a significant milestone as it engaged youth as co-managers via an innovative Youth Steering Committee. Young people were also involved in the evaluation as contributors, evaluators and key informants. This experience promoted intergenerational learning and exchange during the evaluation process.

The evaluation finds that the Strategy lays out a holistic vision for multi-sectoral adolescents and youth programming, but it needs to be fully operationalised. UNFPA has contributed to all three dimensions of the strategy, My Body, My Life, My World, including in humanitarian settings. While adolescent and youth programming is human rights-based, a deeper analysis of inequalities can help reach young people furthest behind. UNFPA can further wield an influence over the global adolescents and youth agenda by leveraging its population dynamics work to address demographic trends and population challenges. However, the effectiveness of adolescent and youth work is hindered by inadequate resources and capacities, and the corporate structure and positioning of this area within UNFPA.  

The evaluation recommends a more robust and effective operationalisation of the Strategy and enhancing the three dimensions, My Body, My Life, My World. UNFPA should fully integrate adolescents and youth within the humanitarian response and leverage youth, peace and security and climate resilience. UNFPA should further define its priorities for adolescent and youth work and review the corporate structure and staff capacity for effective implementation of the Strategy.

#YouthEval

Related document
Meaningful youth engagement in evaluation: Multiplying the transformative power of evaluation, Lessons from UNFPA experience

The evaluation assesses UNFPA support to population data, dynamics and development, from 2014 to 2022. This is the first evaluation of this theme at UNFPA and includes a specific focus on the demographic dividend, population ageing and low fertility. The evaluation provides evidence and lessons to inform the mid-term review of the UNFPA strategic plan 2022-2025 and the design of evidence-based population policies, programmes and strategies.

The evaluation finds that UNFPA delivers relevant and timely support to population data, dynamics and development work, including a robust focus on population and housing census and strengthening national and subnational data systems. Human rights and gender have been integrated consistently and strongly across population and development work, however, other megatrends such as migration and climate change are less coherent. UNFPA has strategically positioned and mainstreamed demographic dividend at various levels. Although ageing and low fertility are increasingly incorporated into UNFPA work, the organization should explicitly articulate how these issues relate to its organizational priorities. To strongly position UNFPA as a ‘population data’ agency, the current structure and capacity of population and development work need to be enhanced.

The evaluation recommends creating a fit-for-purpose population and development strategy that centers on data, dynamics and development, including demographic dividend, resilience and policy. The strategy should link to UNFPA priorities, especially in relation to emerging demographic shifts as a mega-trend. UNFPA should promote internal capacities and learning on the demographic dividend, resilience and policy, and continue investments in its population data portal. UNFPA should also develop a corporate data strategy and data quality assurance capacity. The organization should also enhance the human and technical capacity of the population and development work.

#PopulationEval

Lessons from the meta-synthesis of United Nations evaluations to advance the United Nations Youth Strategy

The interagency meta-synthesis of United Nations evaluations generates insights and lessons on what works and what does not work in United Nations youth programming in the past five years, specifically related to Priority 5 of the United Nations Youth Strategy focusing on peace and resilience building. The report was formally launched on 27 April 2023, at a side event to the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2023. 

The lessons were extracted from the analysis of over 120 evaluations from 23 United Nations entities. The lessons emphasise meaningful engagement of youth as leaders, enhancing inclusion by targeting specific populations, utilizing interactive and experiential methodologies, improving intergenerational trust and solidarity and enhancing strategic and well-defined partnerships.

This comprehensive evidence is a valuable contribution towards the implementation of the United Nations Youth Strategy 2030, a system-wide framework for United Nations programming with, for, and alongside youth.

This inter-agency exercise was co-led by the Evaluation Offices of UNFPA and UNICEF along with the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, EvalYouth, DPPA/PBSO, IOM, UNDP, UNIDO, UNODC, UNOY, and YOUNGO.

This meta-synthesis is the second in a series of exercises capturing lessons learned on the implementation of the United Nations Youth Strategy. The first exercise ‘What works to amplify the rights and voices of youth?’ focused on youth participation and youth and human rights. The third exercise ‘What works to amplify the rights and voices of youth in education and employment?’ released in 2025.

#Eval4Youth

The Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation (IAHE) is an independent assessment of the preparedness and response of Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) members to the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2022. It is the first-ever evaluation of the IASC's humanitarian response to infectious disease events. It is also the largest IAHE of a humanitarian response to a pandemic. 

The evaluation assesses the humanitarian system’s response to COVID-19, identifies best practices and lessons learned, and highlights challenges and opportunities to improve responses to global crises in the future.

The evaluation team conducted 640 interviews; 169 focus group discussions and reviewed over 3,500 documents. Eight case studies were conducted in Bangladesh, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Syria, and Türkiye.

The IAHE highlights the humanitarian community’s strong response in expanding and adapting its programming to meet the needs of a large affected population during the pandemic. However, the worldwide restrictions on international aid highlighted the need for long-awaited reforms in locally-led humanitarian action and accountability to affected people. Progress in these areas could have improved the COVID-19 humanitarian response to vulnerable people; expanded delivery capacities; prevented the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse and built trust with affected communities. The main challenge to advancing these areas is a lack of leadership, incentives, and commitments from major players to change the current aid architecture. 

The IAHE recommends the IASC accelerate humanitarian reforms and improve pandemic preparedness. The global humanitarian community should also prioritize a people-centred, locally-led response that places affected individuals at the forefront of response efforts. 

The evaluation was undertaken by the IASC-associated Inter-Agency Evaluation Humanitarian Steering Group, chaired by OCHA. UNFPA Evaluation Office was part of the management group, including ALNAP, DRC (on behalf of the ICVA), IOM, SCHR, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. The Global Evaluation Advisory Group included Action Aid, Asia Pacific Network of Refugees, AUB, FCDO, German Federal Foreign Office, Ground Truth Solutions, GMI, McGill University, UN, USAID, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Chad, and the World Bank.

The reform of the United Nations development system (UNDS) is changing the way United Nations agencies collaborate and operate at all levels to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the years, UNFPA has remained fully committed to the reform agenda and its operationalization. In this context, the formative evaluation of the UNFPA engagement in the reform of the UNDS assesses the contribution and adaptation of UNFPA to the reform, and analyses the effects of the reform on the ability of UNFPA to deliver better to the people it serves.

The evaluation finds that UNFPA support for repositioning the UNDS has been outstanding, and  UNFPA has capitalized on the reform to deliver its mandate. However, the engagement with the reform comes with risks and costs that need to be reduced and managed.

Quick facts

The evaluation recommends UNFPA provide stronger strategic direction for its engagement with the UNDS reform, in a way that better institutionalizes the reform at all levels of the organization. UNFPA should also ensure broader ownership and better integration of the reform in humanitarian work and contexts.

The joint evaluation assesses the extent to which the UNFPA-UNICEF joint programme has accelerated the abandonment of FGM/C in 15 programme countries (2008-2012). The evaluation provides an opportunity to ensure accountability to donors and other stakeholders, and is also a useful learning exercise. The evaluation assesses the relevance, efficiency, sustainability and the effectiveness of the holistic and multi-sectoral approach adopted by UNFPA and UNICEF in their programme for the acceleration of the abandonment of FGM/C. Furthermore, it also assesses the quality of the coordination mechanisms that have been established at the global level and within countries to maximize the effectiveness of joint programme interventions. Finally, the evaluation provides recommendations for the future direction of the FGM/C policies and programmes and gives UNFPA and UNICEF insights into the successes and challenges in conducting joint programming.

Country Reports

The case studies presented below are independent assessments of the UNFPA-UNICEF joint programme support for the acceleration of the abandonment of the FGM/C in Kenya, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Sudan.

Kenya Country Case Study Report

Burkina Faso Country Case Study Report

Senegal Country Case Study Report

Sudan Country Case Study Report

Further reads

Presentation of Main Results of the Joint Evaluation at the International Conference on FGM/C in Rome

Informal Consultation with the Executive Boards of UNICEF and UNFPA

Formal Consultation with UNFPA Executive Board,  Statement of the Director, Evaluation Office

Terms of Reference and Inception Report

This report brings together the findings from a sample of 30 UNFPA Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) reports, conducted and quality-assessed between 2010 and 2013. During this period, there was a wide variety in the quality of the reports: relatively few reports were assessed as 'good quality'. However, a larger number were considered to have positive features and were thought to contain useful evidence that could contribute to organizational learning.

Evidence from the reports was drawn out and distilled according to UNFPA evaluation criteria as well as other areas of particular importance to UNFPA.

It should be noted that the sample of reports was illustrative rather than statistically representative of UNFPA country programmes. Although the lessons learned that are presented in the report are still highly relevant, the period covered by all of the CPEs in the sample reflects performance under the previous UNFPA Strategic Plan: performance should not be inferred for the current UNFPA Strategic Plan.

The Evaluation Offices aims to schedule an evidence synthesis of learning from CPEs every two years.