UNICEF Evaluation Office
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| UNICEF Evaluation Office | |
|---|---|
| Name | UNICEF Evaluation Office |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Type | Evaluation unit |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Parent organization | United Nations Children's Fund |
| Region served | Global |
UNICEF Evaluation Office The UNICEF Evaluation Office supports evidence-based United Nations Children's Fund policies and programs through independent United Nations-mandated evaluation, audit-style assessments, and learning processes that inform Sustainable Development Goals implementation and child-focused humanitarian response across regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It works with other United Nations entities including United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF National Committees, and the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund while engaging bilateral donors like United States Agency for International Development, multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, and civil society networks including Save the Children, Plan International, and Oxfam International.
Overview
The office operates within the institutional framework of the United Nations Children's Fund to provide independent evaluation services to country offices, regional offices, and headquarters units while aligning with international evaluation norms from the United Nations Evaluation Group, the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation, and the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It contributes to policy dialogue with actors like the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about rights-based approaches to interventions in contexts involving Refugee Crisis, Zika virus outbreak, and Ebola virus epidemic.
History and Development
Evaluation functions trace back to program review mechanisms in the 1970s and evolved alongside organizational reforms influenced by the Brundtland Commission debates, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Recurrent evaluations followed humanitarian emergencies such as the Rwandan genocide, the Kosovo crisis, and the Asian tsunami prompting methodological advances akin to reforms at the World Health Organization and International Monetary Fund evaluations. Institutional milestones include revised evaluation policies coinciding with resolutions of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund and strategic shifts linked to frameworks like the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action.
Mandate and Functions
The office’s mandate is articulated through organizational policy instruments approved by the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund, reflecting obligations under the United Nations Secretary-General guidance and the United Nations Evaluation Group norms. Core functions include conducting independent country program evaluations, thematic evaluations on topics such as child protection in emergencies, immunization campaigns, and early childhood development, and managing corporate-level reviews informing the Strategic Plan of the United Nations Children's Fund. It provides assurance to stakeholders including bilateral donors like United Kingdom Department for International Development and philanthropic entities such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Organizational Structure
Reporting lines position the office with direct accountability to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund while maintaining operational links to the Office of the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, the Programme Division of UNICEF, and regional directors in UNICEF regional offices. The office comprises professional evaluators, methodologists, and liaison officers who collaborate with consultants from institutions such as Columbia University, London School of Economics, and the Harvard Kennedy School, as well as partners like the International Rescue Committee and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Evaluation Methods and Standards
Methodologies include mixed-methods designs combining quantitative analysis with qualitative approaches drawn from case study traditions used by institutions like the Inter-American Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as realist evaluation traditions referenced by scholars at the University of Oxford and the University of Manchester. Standards reflect guidance from the United Nations Evaluation Group and triangulate data sources from administrative databases, household surveys like the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and program monitoring frameworks aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Ethical safeguards follow protocols similar to those of the World Health Organization and UNICEF National Committees on research involving minors and vulnerable populations.
Major Evaluations and Findings
Significant evaluations have addressed responses to the Syrian civil war, the Haiti earthquake (2010), and protracted crises affecting populations in South Sudan and Central African Republic, producing findings on service delivery, supply chain challenges, and protection systems. The office’s thematic evaluations on topics like nutrition programs, water, sanitation and hygiene, and school feeding have influenced policy adjustments similar to reforms promoted by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. Corporate evaluations informed strategic pivots within the Strategic Plan of the United Nations Children's Fund and were cited in discussions at the United Nations General Assembly and reviews by the Independent Evaluation Office of the United Nations Development Programme.
Partnerships and Capacity Building
The office fosters partnerships with academic institutions such as the University of Cape Town, networks including the European Evaluation Society, and capacity-building partners like the United Nations Institute for Training and Research to strengthen national evaluation systems in countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya, and Peru. It participates in south-south cooperation initiatives alongside Brazil, India, and South Africa and supports donor coordination forums involving the European Commission, the United Nations Population Fund, and the Global Partnership for Education to mainstream evaluation findings into program design and financing.