This evaluation aims to generate evidence and lessons to provide a set of clear, forward-looking and actionable recommendations for the next programme cycle of UNFPA Cambodia by supplying an independent assessment of the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of UNFPA support, including coverage and connectedness in the humanitarian contexts. The evaluation also aims to assess the ability of UNFPA Cambodia to respond and adapt to changing contexts (including but not limited to COVID-19), new emerging issues, and national priorities.

The evaluation provides UNFPA Lesotho and the national stakeholders with an independent assessment of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of UNFPA support, and broadens the evidence base to inform the design of the next programme cycle. The evaluation also provides an assessment of the geographic and demographic coverage of UNFPA humanitarian assistance in Lesotho and the ability of UNFPA to connect immediate, life-saving support with long-term development objectives.

The evaluation provides an independent assessment of the performance of the sixth country programme of UNFPA Namibia. The evaluation also assesses the role played by UNFPA Namibia in the coordination mechanisms of the United Nations Country Team, in order to enhance the collective contribution of the United Nations to national development results.

The evaluation provides an independent assessment of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, coordination, coverage and connectedness of the eighth country programme of UNFPA Malawi. The evaluation also provides a set of clear and forward-looking, strategic and actionable recommendations for the next programming phase. 

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.

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

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.