Evaluation Practice Exchange Seminar 13 th March 2015 Anne-Claire Luzot Senior Evaluation Officer, WFP Office of Evaluation The enabling factors and challenges to set up a decentralised evaluation function

Structure of the presentation State of Decentralised Evaluation (DE) in the UN State of DE in WFP Way forward

State of DE in the UN JIU diagnostic 2014

Key elements of the diagnostic (1) Institutional & normative framework Only 12 agencies of the 28 actually have DE systems, policies & procedures. Overall missing a well defined normative framework & standards. Policies Policies for DE have proven to be key in guiding the development of DE function Only few central evaluation function show clear strategies on how to support DE (ILO, UNDP, UNICEF, and UN Women) Resourcing Mostly inadequate.

Key elements of the diagnostic (2) Credibility Impartiality: Progress to enhance impartiality through various mechanisms Progress on CD More needed on transparency and quality of reports Use Internal use is stronger than external sharing of evaluation results Learning : limited by focus on accountability to donors Readiness for change Important role to play to provide immediate evidence to support fast change but only possible if part of overall strategic to evaluation

Status of DE in WFP

Challenges faced by DE (BPR) No clear definitions for DE versus reviews Mixed quality Lack of corporate knowledge about or use of these evaluations Almost no reference of evidence generated by DE in programming/new project development Limited and ad hoc resourcing Lack of systematic quality assurance affecting credibility  Many lost opportunities to value these existing investments to their full potential At the same time the overall demand for DE is increasing 2008 Evaluation policy referring to DE

2013/14 External Peer Review findings DE development neglected Underestimation of efforts required to develop and maintain a DE function Divided Management about the relevance of a DE function for WFP REC: WFP to select a model for its evaluation function

Way forward

WFP Management Response (1) Major shift from a Policy mainly focused on OEV evaluation to a Policy covering the Evaluation Function for the entire organization. Reaffirm WFP’s Commitment to the role of the evaluation function in WFP’s accountability and learning systems Clarify roles and responsibilities in WFP’s evaluation function (EB, Sr Mgmt, OEV, RBs, COs and HQ divisions) Establish coverage and resource requirements for central and decentralized evaluations Clarify WFP’s engagement in system wide evaluation, joint evaluations, national evaluation capacity development, etc.

WFP Management Response (2) Centralized evaluation with demand-led decentralized evaluation – long term objective First steps include: Setting and embedding coverage norms for DE into the design and approval process of new projects Guidance Limited technical advice and training material Quality rating Reporting system for DE in Annual Evaluation Report Sustainable sources of financing and human resources for DE

WFP Management Response (3) Evaluation strategy Phased approach to reach to demand led DE function Capacity development Resourcing (HR and $$$) Coverage / types Performance indicators for central evaluations and DE Evaluation oversight set up of reporting systems covering central and decentralized elements of the evaluation function through the Annual Evaluation Report Identification of relevant KPIs for DE

Normative framework Evaluation policy Norms and Standards Coverage Roles & responsibilities DE function Planning DE planning Project design Joint evaluations National processes Resourcing Sustainable Financing Human resources Access to expertise Capacity Development Guidance and tools Technical advice/support Training programme Quality Assurance EQAS Post hoc quality assessment Reporting MIS KPIs AER Utilization/Communication Publication Management response Learning lessons Support to decision making Support national processes

Thank you