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KPI 12: Results are sustainable
KPI 12: Results are sustainable KPI score
Satisfactory 3.00
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The ILO produces strong results on building the capacity of tripartite constituents and developing the institutional capacity of countries, and is increasingly working to do so at the community level, according to the evaluation reports reviewed. This is in part because the capacity building of constituents is a core component of the ILO objectives, outcomes and function. A sample of 33 evaluation documents were reviewed for ILO capacity building and sustainability of results. These included 12 independent evaluations and “High-level evaluations of strategies and Decent Work Country Programmes” from 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The review also comprised meta-analyses and synthesis and clustered evaluations. Findings were supported by annual reporting included in the sample from the Annual Evaluation Reports and ILO Programme Implementation reports during the 2017-20 assessment period, which are discussed by the Governing Body. The findings from the reports showed that the ILO works with constituents to build capacity to pass or implement new legislation, to integrate DWCPs and to create longer-term sustainability. The training provided through ITCILO is the main element of this capacity building, according to the evaluation reports. There are also some examples in the evaluation reports of the ILO building institutional and community capacity in programme countries, but these were not seen throughout all the evaluation documents reviewed. The ILO adopted an “ILO-wide strategy for institutional capacity development” in relation to the Social Justice Declaration, in response to evaluation recommendations to systematise its approach, as seen in the strategy.
The ILO’s annual results reporting shows that interventions align in support of the SDGs and strengthen the enabling environment for development. According to the 2019-20 Annual Evaluation Report, 88% of projects achieved “highly successful” and “successful” scores for “linkage and contribution to SDG targets”. There are also ample examples across evaluation reports of addressing particular SDGs and of strengthening the enabling environment. In particular, the ILO is strong in its delivery towards SDG 8, according to its extensive coverage in the evaluation reports reviewed. Its knowledge products and partnerships contribute to reinforcing the enabling environment for development.
The ILO reports on “impact and sustainability” to assess its immediate and long-term impact and the likelihood of benefits continuing after intervention completion. The Annual Evaluation Reports, for instance, report performance against a series of criteria under “effectiveness, sustainability and impact”. These include the sustainability and impact of policy influence and its normative goals (as the long-term sustainability of results for the ILO is linked to the long-lasting impact of the normative agenda) and its contributions in knowledge development alongside capacity building and strategic relationships. The ILO has improved its performance against these results, as documented in evaluation reports and annual performance reporting. However, independent evaluations and the Annual Evaluation Report 2019-20 also showed that aspects to producing and measuring the long-term benefits of ILO interventions are still a work in progress.
MI 12.1: Benefits assessed as continuing, or likely to continue after intervention completion (where applicable, reference to building institutional or community capacity and/or strengthening enabling environment for development, in support of 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda) Score
MI rating Satisfactory
MI score 3
4. Highly satisfactory: Evaluations assess as likely that the intervention will result in continued benefits for the target group after completion. For humanitarian relief operations, the strategic and operational measures to link relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction and, eventually, development are credible. Moreover, they are likely to succeed in securing continuing benefits for the target group. Sustainability may be supported by building institutional capacity and/or strengthening the enabling environment for development.
3. Satisfactory: Evaluations assess as likely that the intervention will result in continued benefits for the target group after completion. For humanitarian relief operations, strategic and operational measures link relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction.
2. Unsatisfactory: Evaluations assess as a low probability that the intervention will result in continued benefits for the target group after completion. For humanitarian relief operations, efforts to link the relief phase to rehabilitation, reconstruction and, eventually, to development are inadequate. (In some circumstances such linkage may not be possible due to the context of the emergency. If this is stated in the evaluation, a rating of satisfactory is appropriate)
1. Highly unsatisfactory: Evaluations find a very low probability that the programme programme/ project will result in continued intended benefits for the target group after project completion. For humanitarian relief operations, evaluations find no strategic or operational measures to link relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction and, eventually, to development
MI 12.1 Analysis
The ILO reports on capacity building in its results reporting, and capacity development was the subject of a high-level evaluation in 2018. According to these results, capacity development is an institutional strength of the ILO. Capacity building takes place through tripartite constituents as a means of creating long-term sustainability of normative and development results, as seen in the evaluation reports. According to the Annual Evaluation Report 2019-20, the strengths of the ILO’s interventions are “capacity-building at individual and institutional levels”, “knowledge development” and “strategic relationships leveraged and maintained”, elements that contribute to sustainability included the annual results reporting.
A number of evaluation reports indicated that tripartite constituents play “vital roles” in addressing gaps in decent work in global supply chains, for example in the report “ILO Decent Work interventions in global supply chains – A synthesis review on lessons learned; what works and why 2010-2019”. Workers’ organisations were “actively engaged” in capacity-building in HIV and AIDS interventions, according to the “ILO’s response to HIV and AIDS: Accelerating progress for 2030”. Similarly, tripartite constituents help reach indigenous women, according to the “Independent High-level Evaluation: ILO’s Strategy and Actions towards the Formalization of the Informal Economy, 2014-18”.
There are examples of the ILO building institutional and community capacity in programme countries, although this is not consistent across all programmes or annual reporting on sustainability. In the evaluation reports there are numerous examples across country contexts and in different programmes of the ILO undertaking activities to build institutional and community capacities that lead to sustainability in programme countries. For instance, the ILO interventions in Tunisia have had a long-lasting impact on community development, according to an independent evaluation of ILO activities in youth employment. In programme design as well as delivery there are also numerous examples of capacity building responding to the needs of vulnerable populations. For instance, the ILO collaborated with a global NGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising [WIEGO]) for empowering the working poor, particularly women. The work with WIEGO enabled the ILO to reach vulnerable and indigenous women in order to build capacity among this target group, according to the “Independent High-level Evaluation: ILO’s Strategy and Actions towards the Formalization of the Informal Economy, 2014-18”.
ILO results directly link to contributing to SDGs. All of the evaluation reports reviewed showed the ILO’s results in achieving the SDGs. This is because each policy outcome is linked to an SDG target in the Programme and Budget for the biennia 2018-19 and 2020-21. In particular, the ILO is strong in its delivery towards SDG 8, which is seen by its extensive coverage as an outcome in the evaluation reports reviewed. For instance, the “Independent High-level Evaluation: ILO’s Strategy and Actions towards the Formalization of the Informal Economy, 2014-18” states that “Recommendation No. 204 and the ILO Strategy make an important contribution to SDG 8, and more specifically Target 8.3”. 1, 10, 12-13, 24, 26, 64, 128, 153, 156, 164, 166, 183-184, 187, 189, 193195
Source documents
ILO interventions are clearly aligned to the SDGs, according to the ILO results reporting. Across a wide variety of evaluation report types including meta-analysis, high-level evaluations and independent evaluations, as well as in the Annual Evaluation Reports, there is ample evidence of addressing particular SDGs and of strengthening the enabling environment. Each policy outcome in the Programme and Budget documents (2018-19 and 2020-21) contributes to an SDG target. The Annual Evaluation Report 2019-20 reported that 88% of projects have achieved “highly successful” and “successful” scores for “linkage and contribution to SDG targets”.
The ILO reports on “impact and sustainability” in the independent evaluations, and annual reporting produces an overview under “effectiveness, sustainability and impact”. The criterion against which the Annual Evaluation Reports measure and report this include the sustainability and impact of policy influence, normative goals, and ILO contributions in knowledge development, alongside capacity building and strategic relationships. ILO results are weaker against this reporting on “impact and sustainability”, although, as seen above, the ILO performs well in capacity building and contribution to the SDGs. According to the Annual Evaluation Report 2019-20, projects in 2019 showed “average performance” in relation to policy-influencing activities, one of the measures the ILO used for its long-term impact. The report continued, “[A] slight improvement in the overall effectiveness of interventions was noted for 2020, particularly in the sustainability of interventions”.
The “High-level evaluations of strategies and Decent Work Country Programmes 2019” elaborated, “The building blocks for sustainability are, to a large extent, created by the ILO’s high-quality support, improved social dialogue and positive changes in legislation”. The high-level evaluation, supported by other evaluation reports, found that sustainability is impacted by a number of other factors on which it depends, including “national ownership, the constituents’ institutional capacities, effective governance and continued ILO support”. The interviews cited the Better Work Flagship Programme as a successful example of a long-term integrated programme that leads to continued intended benefits.
The ILO has made advancements to increase the relevance of results targets, as detailed in KPI 7. To do this, it is using new tools and increased consultation on targets to help design relevant targets and establish clear causal pathways from interventions to results. These efforts come following findings from ILO independent evaluations which suggested this was needed. For instance, the “Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy and actions for improved youth employment prospects 2012-2017” pointed out that “[a]s is the case with much of the ILO’s work, the longterm effects and durability of the ILO’s youth employment projects and activities are unclear and are not systematically measured”. Similarly, the “Independent evaluation of ILO’s public-private partnerships 2008-2018” explained, “One underlying cause flagged in reports and discussions is the absence or weakness of logical frameworks and theories of change, which could map out what change pathways need to be developed and continued during implementation to deliver sustainable results, including impact.” The mismatch between organisational strengths and results in sustainability suggests that further linkages between outputs and outcomes, as well as between the outcomes themselves, are needed.
The reports reviewed demonstrated that the ILO helps strengthen the enabling environment for development. The ILO results reporting showed that it is making continued efforts to improve sustainability through increasing expertise in knowledge management and through partnerships that build on the wider comparative advantages of organisations involved. The ILO’s knowledge products have been instrumental in building sustainability of results, as evidenced in evaluation reports. For instance, the ILO launched a South-South and triangular co-operation portal and virtual meeting point, as well as a wealth of resources and e-learning tools, as seen in “ILO 1, 10, 12-13, 24, 26, 64, 128, 153, 156, 164, 166, 183-184, 187, 189, 193195
South–South and triangular cooperation and decent work: Recent developments and future steps”. The ILO has also been providing expertise in knowledge management in the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) led by the Office, UN Women and the OECD to address Target 8.5 of SDG 8. The “High-level independent evaluation of ILO’s research and knowledge management strategies and approaches 2010-2019” also indicated that knowledge management strategies and approaches of the organisation contribute to “sustainable outcomes (such as policy change)”, which is linked with the normative mandate of the ILO. 1, 10, 12-13, 24, 26, 64, 128, 153, 156, 164, 166, 183-184, 187, 189, 193195
