Mid Term Evaluation of UNFPA Strategic Plan Organizational Goal 3 – Gender Equality

UNFPA’s Gender, Human Rights and Culture Branch (GHRCB) contracted Universalia Management Group to conduct an external, independent mid-term evaluation of UNFPA’s performance on its Organizational Goal 3 on Gender Equality (GE) and on mainstreaming gender across its programs in two phases. Phase One of the evaluation focused on progress at the country level in two regions: Arab States and Africa, while Phase Two concentrated on Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin North America and the Caribbean. The overarching objectives of the mid-term evaluation were to assess performance on achieving the organizational goal for GE as well as performance in mainstreaming gender across other programs. Key dimensions that UNFPA wished the evaluation to address were: the extent to which Strategic Plan objectives for GE are being achieved or are likely to be achieved by the end of the plan; the logic (coherence) and usefulness of the Goal 3 results chain; the extent to which UNFPA’s integration of three approaches (gender mainstreaming, human rights-based approach, and culturally-sensitive approaches) is contributing to achieving the organization’s goals and objectives for GE and human rights across all areas of its mandate; and factors related to the organizational arrangements and relationships between UNFPA Headquarters (HQ), regional offices (RO), and country offices (CO) that support or hinder progress in achieving Goal 3, as well as good practices.