Evaluation policy of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (2020)

The present document (UNW/2020/5/Rev.1) sets out the evaluation policy of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). The policy governs the independent evaluation function of UN Women and applies to all initiatives supported and funds administered by the Entity.

This revised evaluation policy [see the previous policy] was developed in accordance with UN Women Executive Board decision 2016/2 and is the result of an external review which drew on recent assessments of the evaluation function and consultations with stakeholders. The policy is informed by UN General Assembly resolution 71/243 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review, and by the UN Women Strategic Plan 2018–2021.

The policy is aligned with the norms and standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), but is tailored specifically to the unique mandate and role of UN Women to conduct evaluations responsive to gender equality and women’s rights and to support coordination, coherence, and accountability with respect to gender equality and the empowerment of women in the United Nations system.

It outlines the context for an updated evaluation policy, the purpose of the policy, and evaluation principles and procedures; sets out roles and responsibilities; presents quality assurance principles; describes contributions to system-wide evaluation for gender equality and empowerment of women, and dispositions for evaluation capacity development; highlights financial resource requirements; and concludes with a note on future review of the policy.