The Independent Evaluation Section (IES) conducts independent utilization-focused evaluations in UNODC's mandated areas of work and provides evaluation results, lessons learned as well as evaluation-based knowledge to inform decision-making at UNODC.
IES also contributes to the implementation of the UNODC Strategy 2021-2025, which places increased emphasis on evaluation and related services and products as a tool to strengthen oversight, accountability and learning at UNODC: "UNODC will conduct evaluations in UNODC's mandated areas of work, as well as utilize evaluation and oversight results to provide information at an aggregate level, for example, through meta-syntheses."
The UNODC Strategy 2021-2025 also reflects that: "findings of oversight bodies and evaluations will be used to create a learning organization."
IES ensures a wide variety of services and products to support evidence-based decision-making at UNODC. For more information, see further below IES three strategic pillars of mandated work.
Moreover, IES, as an active member of the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG), contributes to the continuous development of UNEG's standards and norms as part of the Working Groups on Gender Equality, Human Rights and Disability. Together with other evaluation functions across the UN system, IES also continuously invests in several initiatives, testing innovative approaches and sharing lessons learned, building new partnerships in the UN system.
IES further closely cooperates with internal Divisions, Branches and Sections as well as Oversight Bodies to ensure complementarity of work.
SEE ALSO THE 2-PAGER: IES YEAR IN REVIEW |
IES is headed by Katharina Kayser, Chief. |
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Katherine Aston Deputy Chief Focal Point: Evaluation Norms; In-depth Evaluations; Oversight and Audit; Gender Equality. |
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Carlos Asenjo Ruiz Focal Point: Independent Project Evaluations Latin America; National and UNODC Evaluation Capacity Development; SDGs and UN Reforms. |
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Christopher Choueiri Focal Point: Independent Project Evaluations; Evaluation Capacity Development. |
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Emanuel Lohninger Focal Point: Evaluation Knowledge Management; Unite Evaluations; Innovation and Communication. |
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Moritz Schuberth Focal Point: Independent Project Evaluations; Evaluation Capacity Development; Evaluation Knowledge Management. |
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Charlotte Gunnarsson Focal Point: Project Oversight and GLOH92 Reporting; Communication; Staff Recruitment. |
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Premmanee Saowadan Focal Point: Budget and Time Administration; Calendars and Events. |
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Ursula Posch Focal Point: Consultant Recruitment; Administrative Support for Travel and Meetings. |
IES delivers products and services in line with its three strategic pillars of mandated work:
Pillar 1: Evaluation Capacity Development and SDGs
IES supports UNODC staff in strengthening its capacity for planning, implementing and using evaluations, with each evaluation being used for on-the-job training, tailored to the different needs of the target audience. In addition, IES supports National Evaluation Capacity (NEC).
Moreover, IES develops evaluation guidelines, templates and tools in line with UNEG evaluation norms and standards. Through using the innovative web-based application Unite Evaluations for all phases and processes of UNODC evaluations, access to evaluation recommendations and lessons learned is facilitated.
Pillar 2: Evaluation Results
IES conducts participatory, independent, inclusive, human rights, gender-responsive and utilization-focused evaluations at strategic, programme and project levels, reporting on completed independent evaluations directly to UNODC's Executive Director and Member States.
Moreover, to ensure that independent evaluations provide credible information for evidence-based programming at UNODC, IES commissions independent external evaluation quality assessments (EQAs) of all evaluations, with Gender Equality also being assessed, using UN Gender SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicators.
Pillar 3: Knowledge Products, Communication, Partnerships and Innovation
IES synthesizes and aggregates key evaluation results and lessons learned of independent evaluations into innovative knowledge products, such as meta-syntheses. This also includes joint system-wide meta-syntheses developed together with partners of other UN organizations.
Under this pillar, IES further develops and uses dedicated communication products to ensure that evaluation results and lessons learned are disseminated, shared and presented at various fora to internal and external stakeholders.
IES revised the UNODC Evaluation Policy in 2022, considering inputs from UNODC Management, Staff and Member States. The revised Policy will help ensure that UNODC continues to be a learning organization in which decisions are built on evidence and critical self-reflection to support the implementation of the UNODC Strategy 2021-2025. The revised Policy also fully aligns with the Administrative Instruction on Evaluation in the UN Secretariat (ST/AI/2021/3), demanding evaluations at the sub programme level, emphasizing the importance of evaluation planning and use of evaluation results.
Moreover, the revised Evaluation Policy responds to UN management reforms, reflecting the importance of strategic level evaluations, as well as evidence needs identified in the UNODC Strategy 2021-2025.
IES was re-established in 2010 as a functionally and operationally independent evaluation function at UNODC, following the adoption of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) Resolution 52/14 and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) Resolution 18/6, with the Chief of IES reporting directly on the achievements, challenges and opportunities as identified in evaluations to the Executive Director and Member States, thus enabling it to conduct its work with impartiality and independence.
IES founding resolutions were later followed by several additional resolutions by CND, CCPCJ and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This includes the UNGA resolutions on national evaluation capacity building A/RES/69/237, A/RES/75/233. Moreover, UNGA resolution A/RES/72/303 on accountability systems in the UN Secretariat; and, SG reports A/70/826 and A/73/866 on a UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy), setting the mandate of IES work.
The 2019 resolutions (CND 62/9 and CCPCJ 28/4 (ECOSOC E/2021/30/Add.1)), urges UNODC “to enhance its strategic planning, (…) including by conducting strategic evaluations and fully integrating their results, ensuring coherent programming, promoting synergies and avoiding duplication of effort, and to inform Member States on a regular basis about its management responses to evaluation results”. See References to evaluation in the 2019 Resolution.The 2021 CND resolution 64/7 and CCPCJ resolution 30/3 further invite IES "to continue providing information on conducted strategic evaluations and on the integration of the results of those" and "continue promoting a culture of evaluation throughout the office at all stages of programme, planning, development and implementation".
A new CCPCJ resolution (E/CN.15/2023/L.7) from May 2023 refers to the support to Member States in building their own capacity for the evaluation of programmes and projects and facilitate an exchange of experiences and knowledge from the evaluations relating to preventing and countering terrorism. This further builds on a new UNGA resolution (A/RES/69/237) from May 2023 on Strengthening Voluntary National Reviews through Country-led Evaluation, requesting United Nations agencies to provide support to Member States to undertake evaluations.
