Appropriate evaluation follow-up mechanisms are required in order to ensure that evaluation recommendations are properly utilized and implemented in a timely fashion, and that UNODC future activities take into account the results of previous evaluations.

Once the evaluation report has been finalized and disseminated, the Project Manager is responsible for filling in the Evaluation Follow-up Plan (EFP) template (please see Chapter VI Tools for the EFP Template).

The use of the EFP is standard practice for securing the agreement and support of all the stakeholders regarding the implementation of the evaluation recommendations

The Project Manager is required to fill in the EFP within one month after issuance of the final evaluation report. In the EFP, the Project Manager summarizes when, how and by whom the recommendations made in the report will be implemented.

While serving as an important accountability tool, the deadlines contained in the EFP need to take into adequate consideration the time that in some cases (e.g. joint evaluations) is necessary for the involvement of different stakeholders and/or organizational levels.

In the exceptional case that recommendations are not accepted, and therefore are not to be implemented, a justification ought to be presented in the EFP. A Management Response can also be included, if deemed necessary by management, to explicit the reasons for not accepting the recommendations ( please see Chapter IV., Section G).

Senior Management is ultimately responsible for ensuring implementation of the accepted evaluation recommendations.

The EFP needs to be updated regularly by the Project Manager. Project Managers provide IEU with updated EFP.

The EFP constitutes the baseline for the monitoring of the implementation of the accepted recommendations and agreed actions. It is the responsibility of IEU to monitor on an annual basis (starting a year from the reception of the EFP by IEU) and regularly report to UNODC Senior Management on the progress made in implementation of evaluation recommendations. Furthermore, IEU reports to the Executive Director of UNODC and to the Member States on a yearly basis through its annual evaluation report, which, i.e., provides information on the adoption rate of recommendations.

An electronic tracking system of evaluation recommendations is in the process of being developed by IEU and will replace the EFP. This tracking system will track the timely implementation of evaluation recommendations. It will also provide a search function for easier reference. Project Managers would therefore input their follow-up actions directly into the system and update the status of implementation of recommendations regularly.

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