The Republic of Cabo Verde is a lower middle-income country with a stable democracy. It faces some structural economic challenges, mostly due to its location and topography, which were exacerbated by the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, the sector the country depends on for income and jobs.

In Cabo Verde, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF work together as a Joint Office, with the aim of presenting a unified presence and integrated programme delivery. The implementation of this model still faces challenges due to the lack of integrated financial and accountability instruments.

The Common Country Programme rolled out by the Joint Office made some important contributions to the country’s development results. Notable successes are in its support for new education, health and energy policies, provision of cash assistance and COVID-19 vaccines, and the promotion of gender equality.

Moving forward, as the three agencies continue their support to Cabo Verde, the next Common Country Programme should fully establish the Joint Office governance model, with all of its checks and balances. In addition, the Joint Office should step up its efforts to assist the Government to identify new sources of financing to support sustainable and equitable recovery post-pandemic.

This Joint Independent Common Country Programme Evaluation was jointly commissioned by the Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP, UNFPA Evaluation Office and the Evaluation Office of UNICEF. The evaluation covers the United Nations Common Country Programme interventions implemented between 2018 to 2022.

The evaluation of the eighth UNFPA Nigeria country programme demonstrates accountability in achieving results, supports evidence-based decision-making; and contributes key lessons to accelerate the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. It provides an independent assessment of the eighth country programme of UNFPA Nigeria and broadens the evidence base for the design of the ninth programme cycle.