Reflections Series Info Sheet

REFLECTIONS SERIES The Reflections Series provides lessons from UNDP evaluations. Using rapid assessment methods, Reflections offer evidence-based advice to help us better understand what works and what doesn’t across the 170 countries where UNDP operates.

Since its launch in 2020, 17 Reflections papers have been published, covering a broad range of topics in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and UNDP Signature Solutions.

Findings are presented at interactive webinars and through online discussions on the SparkBlue Reflections page.

2020 Crisis prevention and increased resilience Digitalization

Health sector

Local governance

Livelihood restoration

Social protection

Electoral process

Governance Waste management

Environment

2021 Environment: nature-based solutions for development; clean, affordable energy UNDP-supported environment initiatives financed through the Global Environment Facility Expanding access to energy with renewable resources

Women’s empowerment and gender equality Empowering marginalized communities

Gender as an accelerator for the Sustainable Development Goals

Ensuring access to safe and clean water resources

Keeping people out of poverty Development finance UNDP’s COVID-19 adaptation and response

Youth economic empowerment

What do we mean by lessons? Here are three examples:

UNDP’s Gender Seal reinforces commitment to gender equality in programming, and is an incentive for various stakeholders to mainstream gender equality. In Turkey and Panama, for example, the Seal helps eliminate gender pay gaps and increase the number of women in decision-making positions. (Gender as an accelerator for the SDGs)

Rapid adoption of digital tools was crucial to the continuity of UNDP’s operations and government services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Jordan, Laos, Nepal and Botswana, the adoption of video conferencing facilities meant national parliaments could continue to meet. (UNDP’s COVID-19 adaptation and response)

Multi-donor and pooled funding modalities are of great benefit in responding to conflict and other rapidonset emergencies, in both the emergency and reconstruction phases. These funding mechanisms can also support existing national structures by investing in strengthening government services.

(Development financing)

Going forward Reports in the series will continue to cover issues emerging from UNDP’s strategic plan 2022-25 including enablers, directions of change and organizational effectiveness. Upcoming [KP1] reports in 2022 will consider: · Civil society engagement in “leaving no-one behind” programming · Access to justice as a portfolio-based approach · Boosting women’s political participation, with a focus on financing · Private sector engagement with a focus on fragile settings · E-governance in the COVID-19 era · Environmental justice

Follow the series in 2022 on the Reflections SparkBlue site, download the papers from the Reflections repository, and watch recordings of the sessions on the IEO UNDP YouTube page.