Joint Evaluation of UN System Wide Response to Combating Covid19 and Support to Recovery Actions

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The object of the evaluation is the UN Covid-19 Response and Recovery Multi PartnerTrust Fund (MPTF), an initiative launched by the UN Secretary General on 31.3.2020. The funding mechanism is a UN action that is aims to help low and middle income countries in their response to the pandemic and recovery from it. The MPTF has three main objectives: 1) respond to the acute health sector crisis 2) promote the recovery of societies and economy 3) help rebuild more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies. Finnish contribution to the Fund is 3,5 M€. The purpose of the evaluation is to also to find out to what extent the MPTF promotes UN inter-agency cooperation and coherence of its response to the pandemic. Moreover, it will asses the role of UN Resident Coordinators and UN country teams, their local knowledge and ability to react local circumstances . The initiative to evaluate the matter has been made by the UN Secretary General who has given the responsibility to recently established UN System Wide Evaluation Office. The evaluation was preceded by a thorough evaluability assessment, and Finland participated actively in the reference group to help determine objectives, scope and evaluation questions. The evaluation of projects funded from Covid-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund will be covered from the fund capital, but for the evaluability study a separate 400 000 euro allocation was collected and channeled through the MPTF. Finland's contribution to the evaluability study was 100 000 euros .The funding for the evaluation will be channelled in the similar manner. The Unit for Development Evaluation has consulted both Finland´s Permanent Mission to the UN and the Unit for Sustainable Development and Climate Policy in charge of MPTF funding and proposes to use 100 000 euros of its 2021 budget and 50 000 euros of funds transferred from 2019 for the purpose of the evaluation.