Gender Institutional Transformation

Evaluation of gender mainstreaming in the UNDP

The independent evaluation was done in 2005. It assessed UNDP’s performance in gender mainstreaming and the promotion of gender equality from 1995 to 2005. The evaluation responded to concerns to increase the effectiveness of the UNDPs gender mainstreaming policies and strategies. It had a strong focus on looking forward.

The report covers conceptual and methodological issues in an introductory part as well as the global and the UNDP context of gender equality. It assesses which policies and priorities were made in the ten year’s period, and it also looks at UNDP’s institutional structures for gender mainstreaming on different levels of the organisation. It focusses on capacity-building as well as on monitoring and reporting mechanisms in UNDP.

One chapter is on the financial resources the implementation was endowed with as well as human resource policies. A main focus is laid on the question of how gender issues could be integrated in the different sectorial fields of the organisation. It ends with Lessons learnt and recommendations for the future implementation.

Questions and answers

• What does the example show?
  It is necessary to evaluate gender mainstreaming to learn from the results and develop the process further. An evaluation is a good basis for making a fresh start and to include a perspective from the outside. Organisational changes need to be stimulated from external sources of knowledge.
• Which components of the example relate to one or more of the 13 steps of the guide and how?
  An evaluation can only be done if there is a strategy (step 4) and clearly defined objectives (step 6) which can be assessed. In the new Gender Equality Strategy 2014 to 2017 of UNDP there is an announcement that UNDP will conduct an independent evaluation after the implementation of the strategy.
• Why is the example suitable for promoting institutional transformation?
  The evaluation report gives a very detailed overview on what should be done within UNDP in the future to mainstream gender equality. It has a chapter on lessons learnt as well as on recommendations. These recommendations are useful to trigger organisational change – although the issue of a “culture of gender equality” is mentioned but not further elaborated.
• Who was involved and in which way?
  The evaluation was commissioned be the evaluation unit of UNDP. There was a team leader and seven international consultants as well as 14 national consultants involved. There was one task manager, two Research Assistants, as well as an Advisory Panel.
• Which lesson can be learned in terms of success factors?
  Organisational change happens in learning loops. Good evaluations are suitable to create learning processes in an organisation. The UNDP evaluation led to the development of further activities in mainstreaming gender equality. It meanwhile has created new mechanisms for institutional transformation like a Gender Marker which is an accountability tool.