ANNEXE 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE
strategies, the 8th Five-Year Development Plan (2001-2005), as well as priorities announced by the new Government. The aim is to ascertain the added value of UNDP support in effectively contributing to and influencing national development through strategic priority setting and intervening at optimal entry points. n Assess how the UNDP has anticipated and responded to significant changes in the national development context within its core areas of focus. In this regard, the ADR may, for example, consider key events at the national and political levels that influence and affect the development environment; the risk management of UNDP; any missed opportunities for UNDP involvement and contribution; its efforts at advocacy and policy advice; and the UNDP’s responsiveness. The evaluation should bring out the choices made by the UNDP in response to Government reforms and explain the rationale behind these choices. n Review the synergies and alignment of UNDP support with other initiatives and partners, including that of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Global Cooperation Framework (GCF) and the Regional Cooperation Framework (RCF), as well as other non-UN partners such as bilateral donors, EC and Bretton Woods Institutions. This may include examining how UNDP has leveraged its resources and that of others towards the achievement of results, the balance between upstream and downstream initiatives and the work on MDGs. n The Evaluation should consider the influence of systemic issues, i.e. policy and administrative constraints affecting the programme, on both the donor and programme country sides, as well as how the development results achieved and the partnerships established have contributed to ensure a relevant and strategic positioning of UNDP support. 2. DEVELOPMENT RESULTS
n Examine the effectiveness and sustainability of the UNDP programme by: (a) highlighting main achievements (outcomes) at the national level in the last five years or so (some results have their origin in efforts prior to 1998) and the UNDP’s contribution to these in terms of key outputs; (b) ascertaining progress made in achieving outcomes in the given thematic areas of UNDP’s support. The evaluation should qualify the UNDP contribution to the
outcomes with a fair degree of plausibility, and consider anticipated and unanticipated, positive and negative outcomes. It should also gauge the contribution to capacity development at the national level as well as the degree of national ownership and sustainability of these results. The assessment will cover the key results and support in all UNDP thematic areas (governance, poverty, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS, ICT) and any other areas as appropriate. n Identify and analyse the main factors influencing results, including the range and quality of development partnerships forged and their contribution to outcomes, the provision of upstream assistance and policy advice and partnership strategy and the positioning of the UNDP. n Assess the anticipated progress in achieving intended outcomes against the benchmarks and indicators set under the SRF outcomes (see Annexe 2), the CCF objectives and proposed future programmes and, where this is relevant, against the MDG targets. n Provide an in-depth analysis of the selected focus areas, Local Governance and Capacity Building, as well as Regional Disparities and Poverty, and identify the key challenges and strategies for future interventions in each area. These subjects have been selected based on notable UNDP involvement in the past, complexity in terms of inter-linkages and synergies with other areas and the growing challenges expected in the next stage of the country’s development challenges. 3. LESSONS LEARNED AND GOOD PRACTICES
n Identify key lessons in the thematic areas of focus and in strategic positioning that can provide a useful basis for strengthening UNDP support to the country and for improving programme performance, results and effectiveness in the future. Through in-depth thematic assessment, identify good practices for learning and replication and draw lessons from intended and unintended results where possible.
D. Methodology The assessment will employ a variety of methodologies including desk reviews, stakeholder meetings, client surveys, focus group interviews and select site visits. The Evaluation Team will review national policy documents (including the 8th Five-Year Development Plan 20012005, the Pre-Accession Economic Development Plan as well as other documents) that give an overall picture of
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