UNDAF Evaluation Validation Workshop with UNCT team members & key stakeholders

The United Nations Country Team (Head of Agencies), the Programme Coordination Team, the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, Line Ministries, Civil Society Organizations and International Development Partners met on 24 November at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston for an evaluation validation workshop of the United Nations Development Assistant Framework 2012-2016 (UNDAF).

The Government of Jamaica (GoJ) and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) signed the United Nations Development Assistant Framework 2012-2016 (UNDAF) in April 2011 and it came into effect in January 2012. The UNDAF represents the collective contribution of the UN system in support of the priorities outlined in the Jamaica’s National Development Plan: Vision 2030, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international conventions and treaties. The UNDAF aims to provide a collective, coherent, relevant and high-impactful response to the development challenges and priorities of Jamaica.      

In September 2016, the UNCT and PIOJ partnered on an end-term independent evaluation of the 2012-16 UNDAF with the following objectives:

• To support greater learning about what works, what did not and why in the context of the UNDAF. This evaluation will provide important information for strengthening programming and results at the country level, specifically informing the planning and decision-making for the next programme cycle
• To support greater accountability of the UNCT to UNDAF stakeholders by objectively verifying results achieved within the framework of the UNDAF and assessing the effectiveness of the strategies and interventions used, the evaluation will enable the various stakeholders in the UNDAF process, including national counterparts and donors, to hold the UNCT and other parties accountable for fulfilling their roles and commitments.

The November workshop focused on two key objectives:

• Present the key findings of the evaluation focused on 4 main areas of exploration – Relevance, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Sustainability.
• Discuss key lessons learned and way forward for the next programme cycle