Meta-synthesis of UN Women evaluations on advocacy and communications

Advocacy and communications are integral to UN Women. They proactively advance the Entity’s strategic positioning and its unique tripartite mandate, encompassing normative support, UN system coordination and operational activities, to mobilize urgent and sustained action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Since the inception of UN Women, its advocacy and communications work have grown exponentially, including the need to produce relevant content, enhance media outreach and collaboration, and develop new media and communications partnerships.

As part of the UN Women Corporate Evaluation Plan, the Independent Evaluation Service (IES) conducted a meta-synthesis of UN Women evaluation evidence related to advocacy and communications from 162 corporate and decentralized evaluations undertaken by UN Women in 2018‒2022. The report contributes to UN Women’s knowledge base and learning on the Entity’s advocacy and communications work, focusing on awareness-raising, campaigns and social mobilization in the context of implementing UN Women’s Strategic Plans 2018‒2021 and 2022‒2025. Based on available evaluation evidence, this meta-synthesis outlines key results, trends, enabling factors, impediments and lessons learned and provides the ways forward that emerged as opportunities to further strengthen UN Women’s capacities in advocacy and communications as the global voice and advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment.