Publications

In 2020, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland commissioned a development policy related study on Africa’s connectivity. The authors of the current report are Ms. Eva Nilsson, PhD candidate at the Hanken School of Economics, Dr. Obert Hodzi at the University of Liverpool, Ms. Neema Komba, PhD candidate at the Hanken School of Economics, Professor Erkki Sutinen at the University of Turku, Dr. Mika Kautonen at Tampere University ,and Senior Researcher, Professor Liisa Laakso at the Nordic Africa Institute.

The purpose of the review was to assess the relevance and effectiveness of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) in supporting the objectives of Finland’s international human rights and development policies. Special emphasis was placed on how INGOs tackle barriers to realization of human rights through advocacy, and in particular, to systemic challenges.

This independent evaluation assessed how Finland influences its multilateral partners and their operations in order to advance the international development agenda. The evaluation looked at the various influencing activities by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and their effectiveness and relevance. Furthermore, the evaluation proposes ways for the Ministry to further develop these activities. The evaluation covered 23 multilateral partners of the Ministry, eight of which were assessed in more depth: The World Bank Group, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, UN Women, IFAD, FAO and ITC. The evaluation, started in June 2019, is based on a framework designed to decipher the multilateral influencing activities by the Ministry as well as the related results. The findings draw on an extensive document review and 174 interviews. The evaluation team also visited the headquarters of the multilateral organisations in New York, Rome and Washington DC as well as country missions to Nepal and Kenya.

Finland’s Taxation for Development action programme 2020-2023 implements the Government Programme's objective of contributing to improvements in the taxation systems of developing countries.

Finland’s development cooperation with its long-term partner countries is planned and implemented under a Country Strategy approach, which in its present form was launched in 2012. The purpose of the country strategy evaluation launched in March 2019 was to assess the applicability and feasibility of the Country Strategy approach in fragile contexts, over the period 2012-current, given their specific challenges and requirements. The evaluation drew evidence from the experience of Country Strategies in four countries, namely Afghanistan, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Somalia and in one region, i.e. the Strategy for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian aid in response to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq was included, to draw wider findings and conclusions. Findings are expected to inform the next generation of Country Strategies.

Theories of change and aggregate indicators constructed to support them are used to help those in charge of the strategic guidance and performance reporting related to development policy.

The developmental evaluation of the Business with Impact - BEAM programme started in September 2015 and has continued through the whole the programme, until the end of 2019. The purpose of the BEAM programme is to assist Finnish companies and other actors in using innovations to address global development challenges, by converting such innovations into successful and sustainable business, both in Finland and developing countries. The developmental evaluation approach supports the programme management throughout the programme period, provides immediate feedback on the effectiveness of different approaches, and promotes strategic learning within the programme.

In 2019, the Department for Africa and the Middle East of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs commissioned two Finnish development policy studies on Africa. This study deals with megatrends in Africa. The authors are Professors Petri Pellikka and Mikael Mattlin from the University of Helsinki, Dr. Leena Vastapuu, from the Tampere Peace Research Institute and Dr. Emma Hakala, from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

In 2019, the Department for Africa and the Middle East of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs commissioned two Finnish development policy studies on Africa. This study deals with political and economic integration in Africa, and how Finland can support it. The author is researcher Eva Nilsson from the Hanken School of Economics.

This mid-term evaluation covers the Rural Village Water Resources Management Project (RVWRMP), Phase III (2016-2022), which is supported by the Government of Nepal, the European Union and Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. It is located in Nepal’s remote western provinces and consists of components for water and sanitation (WASH), livelihoods, energy, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and governance. According to the evaluation, the project results so far include important outcomes for water and sanitation and nutrition as well as modest ones for income, energy and governance.

The evaluation provides objective information to the MFA about the effectiveness and efficiency of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) support programme, the results in the water sector and the lessons learned from the MRC activities for the future participation of Finland in multilateral cooperation. The evaluation focused on the Finland-funded programmes: Information and Knowledge Management Programme (IKMP), Initiative for Sustainable Hydropower (ISH), Water Management Trust Fund (WMTF) and the Junior Riparian Professionals programme (JRP).

This strategic ‘Evaluation of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forest Sector Programmes in Africa’ supports the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in identifying relevant and effective approaches and instruments to support implementation of current programmes and planning of future cooperation in these sectors.

An external evaluation of the project was conducted in April - May 2019. It looked into the strategy, performance and attainment of the general development goals. The results of the evaluation will be taken into account in the planning of a possible second phase of the project. According to the evaluation, the project is highly relevant both for the strategic partnership between Finland and Mozambique, as well as for the sustainability and inclusiveness of the economic growth arising from the extractive industries and the development of democratic governance.

This evaluation supports the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) in developing its management of results-related information and knowledge in order to strengthen evidence-informed learning and decision-making at all levels and in all channels of its development policy and cooperation. It explores management and decision-making processes from the learning perspective: How the MFA is able to collect, utilise, learn and inform decisions through documented and tacitly held results information and knowledge.

The priority objectives of the final evaluation were to assess and analyse the impact of IPP II in the development of the start-up ecosystem and innovation policy in Vietnam and its value and merit in the perspective of the key stakeholders, as well as the role of IPP in supporting the transition from aid to trade between Finland and Vietnam.

Evaluation report presents the results of a final joint evaluation of two forestry projects in Vietnam that have been supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland: “Development of Management Information System for the Forestry Sector (FORMIS – Phase II)” and “People Participation in Improvement of Forest Governance and Poverty Alleviation in Vietnam (PFG)”. The evaluation was conducted from October 2018 through December 2018. Evaluation reports are available both in English and in Vietnamese.

Finland, Norway and Denmark are supporting the Inclusive Growth in Mozambique – Scaling-up Research and Capacity programme, which aims to strengthen Mozambican institutions’ capacity to produce high-quality development economics research and to support the use of research in decision-making and public discussion. According to the review, the programme has produced good results; it has led to high-quality and relevant research, developed Mozambican institutions, and trained young researchers.

Finland in the World Media is an annual review of the missions' assessments of what contents and news broke into foreign media and what Finland's strengths and weaknesses were covered in different countries' media in the course of the year.

The Development Evaluation Unit of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) commissioned an evaluation on forced displacement and development policy. The purpose of the evaluation was to increase awareness and knowledge of the concept of forced displacement and the links between humanitarian assistance and development objectives, and help to integrate these concepts into the practices in the MFA. The evaluation looked at how coherently Finland’s development policy and its targets relating to forced displacement have been implemented and how the coherence could be enhanced in development policy and cooperation.

Ulkoministeriö asetti lokakuussa 2018 työryhmän, jonka tehtävänä oli selvittää, miten Suomi voisi tehostaa työtään globaalin oppimisen kriisin ratkaisemisessa. Raportissaan kehitys- ja koulutusalan toimijoista koostuva työryhmä esittää, että Suomen tulee nostaa koulutus kehitysyhteistyön ja -politiikan painopisteeksi ja lisätä merkittävästi siihen kohdistuvaa rahoitusta. Työryhmä korostaa myös tarvetta vahvistaa alan suomalaistoimijoiden välisiä synergioita entistä tiiviimmällä yhteistyöllä ja joustavammilla toimintatavoilla.

The purpose of this review was to assess the evaluability of Finland’s Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) implementation and to inform the design of an upcoming evaluation on the implementa¬tion of a HRBA in Finland’s development policy and cooperation between 2012 and 2018. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) commissioned the review.

Development financier Finnfund has succeeded in investing more and more in the world’s poorest countries and most difficult sectors, while also maintaining its commercial viability. The most positive development impacts can be seen in the company’s investments in agriculture and forestry. This information comes from an independent assessment of the company’s activities.

Finland's Development Policy Results Report, which has been prepared by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, was submitted to Parliament on 1 November 2018. The report presents results of Finland's development policy and development cooperation reported in 2015–2018.

Ghana is one of the most important maritime centers in West Africa, where improving maritime safety is important. Continuous monitoring of mobility and anchorage near the gas pipeline along the coast is also central. The project supported by Finland improved maritime vessel traffic management technology in Ghana. The project was completed in 2013. It was implemented with a concessional credit scheme of 17.7 million euros and Finnish technology was delivered to the project. The evaluation assessed the implementation, results and impacts of the project and paid particular attention to the sustainability of the project. In addition, the aim was to provide recommendations to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland on programming of the new investment support instrument “The Public Sector Investment Facility” (PIF) for developing countries.

The revised Manual for Bilateral Programmes 2018 provides detailed guidance on how the MFA guidelines on Result Based Management and on the Human Rights Based Approach to Development are applies during various phases of project cycle.

The Government of Finland has had a longstanding commitment to promoting the rights and status of women and girls and supporting gender equality. In order to have knowledge and lessons on the results on the ground the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) decided to carry out an evaluation on women’s and girls’ rights and gender equality. The overarching purpose of the evaluation was to learn from good practices. The evaluation thus searched for gender changes and the mechanism contributing to these changes.

Finnish Water Way – International Water Strategy Finland aims for responsible and equitable water security. The strategy extends to 2030 and builds on the key concept of the Finnish Water Way, a Finnish approach to sustainable water management based on close cross-sectoral collaboration.

Finland’s competence in the education sector is of the highest standard around the world. This should also be more strongly reflected in the priorities and funding of development cooperation according to a report entitled “Stepping Up Finland’s Global Role in Education” .

Nearly 90 per cent of Finns find development cooperation to be important. Citizens feel that education in particular is an area where Finland has a lot to give.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Futures Review Finland acts in a changing world has been published on 4 June.

Finland in the World Media is an annual review of the missions' assessments of what contents and news broke into foreign media and what Finland's strengths and weaknesses were covered in different countries' media in the course of the year.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Elements of Crimes

The Finnish Approach to Addressing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Development Cooperation and Policy.

The Third Conference on  National Dialogues was held in Helsinki at the House of the Estates 5th-6th April 2017. The Report is a summary of the Conference discussions and some of the main findings from the sessions and workshops.

Mid-term evaluation of the project ‘Farmers’ Clubs for Wealth Creation among Smallholder Farmers in Mozambique’ in two provinces; Sofala and Zambézia in 2014-2018. The objective of the project is to contribute to reducing rural poverty by strengthening the farmers’ productivity and sustainable agricultural practices.

Strengthening civil societies in developing countries is an essential and integral element of Finnish development cooperation in its entirety.

Developmental Evaluation of Business with Impact (BEAM) Programme

The WASH in Schools (WinS) Programme in Afganistan from 2012 aims to make visible the value and impact of school sanitation as perceived by the community and thereby raise the level of ownerships; promote the importance of WASH in schools at national, state and district levels as well as to improve hygiene practices among school children, their families and communities. UNICEF wished to conduct an evaluation of the WASH in Schools (WinS) programme, whose findings and recommendations are intended to (1) guide UNICEF, the GoA and other stakeholders to improve the WinS programme, and (2) contribute to evidence-based policy making in the field of WASH and maximize the impact of the programme.

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is a multi-year program responding to the call made at Rio+20 to support countries in pursuing green economy policies. PAGE is a partnership between five UN agencies – the UN Environment (formally known as UNEP), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). The Mid-Term Evaluation assesses project performance to date (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determines the likelihood of the project achieving its intended outcomes and impacts, including their sustainability. The evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned.

The Women’s Leadership and Political Participation (WLPP), Wanawake-Wanaweza project was a 2-year project (2014-2016) designed and led by UN Women to improve participation and representation of women, youth and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) as leaders in the political process in Tanzania. The end of project evaluation consisted of 3 components: i. conducting a utilization and equity focused end-project evaluation answering the DAC components of Design, Relevance & Coherence, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Sustainability; ii. capturing best practices of the project as key learnings; and iii. incorporating the key learnings to develop a new project document.

Finland in World Media is an annual review of the missions' assessments of what contents and news broke into foreign media and what Finland's strengths and weaknesses were covered in different countries' media in the course of the year.

The Partnership for Infrastructure Development Multi-Donor Trust Fund (PID MDTF) is an instrument to pool funds and harmonize interventions aligned with the priorities for infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority (PA). It was established by the World Bank, in partnership with the Government of Sweden in 2012. The primary objectives of the mid-term evaluation were to (i) assess the effectiveness of the PID MDTF 2012-2015 activities, using its various implementation instruments (recipient- and bank-executed grants), and (ii) provide recommendations for the achievement of the program’s objectives and vision, as well as strategic direction.

The most important objective of the Communications Strategy for the Foreign Service is to increase the communications preparedness of the Foreign Service.

In 2016, more than 20 project evaluations on development cooperation were carried out in different departments of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Evaluations were made on all continents. Below evaluations are listed by country, region or organization.

MEMO reviewed the structures, resources and processes in the Ministry and its missions in a way that would allow better focusing of the limited resources on implementing the core functions.

The Tax and Development Action Programme implements the priorities of the Gov­ernment Programme and the Government Report on Development Policy in strength­ening the tax base.

Finland promoted open governance in the EU's Eastern Partnership countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine by funding a training project for public servants in 2015–2016. Experiences of the main themes of the PADOS Project in Finland and Estonia was published at the end of the project.

Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy