Since mid-2004, UNDP Argentina has moved towards a more balanced medium-term strategy called strategic turn. The thematic direction of the strategic turn encompassed an institutional and capacity-building strategy, focusing on a comprehensive approach to competitiveness and equity, the articulation of demands for a greater and better quality social bond with human development, strengthening citizens’ capacities for action and participation, and deepening a territorial presence particularly in those provinces and municipalities with greater disparities. The evaluation found that the strategic turn is a shift in the right direction and needs to be sustained. However, more attention needs to be paid to the sustainability of the benefits and results of UNDP-supported interventions. UNDP Argentina invested in enhancing its substantive capacity and the evaluation identified the importance of a highly qualified human factor endowment for providing technical assistance in middle-income countries. This evaluation benefited from the collaboration of the personnel of UNDP Country Office in Argentina led by Carlos Felipe Martinez, of the
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Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, of representatives of the Government of Argentina, civil society organizations and of the UN System in Argentina. I would like to thank the evaluation team, comprising Eduardo Wiener, team leader; Inka Mattila, team specialist; and Oscar A. Garcia, team member and EO task manager. I also thank the external reviewers Christian Buignon and Alfredo Stein, consultants and international development specialists, for their useful comments. I would also like to thank Cecilia Corpus, Thuy Hang and Anish Pradhan for their administrative support. I hope that the results and recommendations of the report can support the response of UNDP to the development challenges of the country and provide lessons that are relevant for UNDP and its international partners.
Saraswathi Menon Director, Evaluation Office
FOREWORD