Third Countries: Evaluation of Commission's external cooperation with partner countries through the organisations of the UN family – which included UNDP among other UN bodies

Client: EC - Joint Evaluation Unit RELEX-EuropeAid-DEV

Partner(s):

Start/End Date: 01/11/2006 - 01/07/2008

Description:

ADE has realised on demand of the EC an Evaluation of EC channelling of funds through the UN family. It concerned thus the evaluation of a modality of aid delivery, rather than more typically of a sector/ country/ programme/ intervention. The EC has indeed decided in 2001 and 2003 to become a front-runner in multilateralism and an effective partner for the United Nations. Accordingly, funds channelled through the UN increased significantly to represent € 1bn or 13% of total EC aid in 2005 and in 2006. The EC has indeed delivered a growing part of its aid through external institutions, with as main objectives to enhance global governance, increase total aid, and improve efficiency and effectiveness of aid

Conceived as a stock-taking and forward looking exercise, the assignment assessed to what extent the EC co-operation over the period 1999 – 2006 implemented through the UN family, have been relevant, efficient, effective and visible and what their impact is on the sustainable development. It covered the wide array of sectors for which the UN received funding for third countries, from food aid to elections support, from health to education, from infrastructure to environment.

The final report was presented in a dissemination seminar to representatives of the EC, the European Parliament, the European Court of Auditors, the European Council, bilateral aid agencies, civil society organisations, and the UN agencies, funds and programmes. The evaluation found that funding UN interventions brought added value especially in difficult contexts. Yet the EC could further strengthen and specify the cooperation framework based on the practical experience. The report can be downloaded on the website of the Evaluation Unit of EuropeAid: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/evaluation/evaluation_reports/2008/1252_docs_en.htm.

This evaluation has been realised in parallel with another evaluation on the same theme but focusing on the EC aid delivered through the Development Banks (essentially the World Bank) and the EIB.

The following services were provided:

* an inventory and typology of the funds delivered through the UN family, to serve as a basis for the next stages of the evaluation;
* a reconstruction of the intervention logic, allowing to determine evaluation questions, judgement criteria and indicators,
* answers to these evaluation questions based on information gathered through a desk phase and country visits
* a set of sound conclusions and related recommendations, to enable evidence-based decision-making
* an overall assessment on the EC co-operation with the UN family
* a methodological annex with evaluation approach, tools and checklists
* a dissemination seminar organised to present the findings, conclusions and recommendations to the EC Services and the main stakeholders.