Delivering Results for Children Through Evidence: UNICEF’s Evaluation Policy and Practice
UNICEF operates in a complex, fast-changing context. Our Evaluation Function innovates by blending traditional methods with agile techniques to deliver timely, relevant, and actionable recommendations.
The Evaluation Function maximizes the impact of our work by delivering the right evidence to the right stakeholders at the right time. This approach amplifies the reach and influence of our findings, helping UNICEF make informed decisions that help children survive, thrive and reach their full potential.
Evaluation policy
UNICEF's evaluation policy outlines evaluation principles and procedures and sets out key accountabilities for the Function and use of evaluations.
Guided by the norms and standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and international good practices – including for the evaluation of humanitarian assistance, the policy ensures that evaluations are independent and impartial, credible, useful, and that evaluation processes are transparent and child-centered.
Evaluation practice
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and young people. Each year, UNICEF Evaluation staff manage dozens of evaluations around the globe, helping to generate evidence that drives impact.
Decentralization is central to our approach. We conduct evaluations at the country, regional, and global levels. Because our evaluations must respond to shifting needs in complex settings, we tailor our approach to deliver timely, actionable findings that support fast-paced and context-specific decision-making.
To strengthen credibility and institutional learning, we have developed the Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS). This system provides structured feedback to offices, helping ensure that evaluations meet the highest standards of quality and usefulness.
United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Peer Review of the Evaluation Function of UNICEF
What we do
We undertake a diverse set of evaluations to ensure UNICEF learns from past and ongoing experiences to improve future outcomes. We also help bolster the capacity of national evaluation systems by working with Governments and other partners to strengthen skills and evaluate child-focused policies and programmes.
