- Evaluation Plan:
- 2018-2021, Independent Evaluation Office
- Evaluation Type:
- ICPE/ADR
- Planned End Date:
- 12/2019
- Completion Date:
- 12/2019
- Status:
- Completed
- Management Response:
- No
- Evaluation Budget(US $):
- 35,000
Independent Country Programme Evaluation: Serbia
| Document | Type | Language | Size | Status | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ICPE Serbia ToR.pdf |
tor | English | 308.33 KB | Posted | 7 |
| ICPE Serbia Annexes.pdf |
related-document | English | 726.80 KB | Posted | 12 |
| ICPE_Serbia EvaluationBrief.pdf |
summary | English | 252.26 KB | Posted | 11 |
| ICPE Serbia full report.pdf |
report | English | 6170.77 KB | Posted | 11 |
| Title | Independent Country Programme Evaluation: Serbia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Atlas Project Number: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluation Plan: | 2018-2021, Independent Evaluation Office | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluation Type: | ICPE/ADR | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Status: | Completed | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Completion Date: | 12/2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Planned End Date: | 12/2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Management Response: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
| UNDP Signature Solution: |
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| Corporate Outcome and Output (UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021) |
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| Evaluation Budget(US $): | 35,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Source of Funding: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluation Expenditure(US $): | 35,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Joint Programme: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Joint Evaluation: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluation Team members: |
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| GEF Evaluation: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Key Stakeholders: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Countries: | SERBIA |
| Lessons | |
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| Findings |
| Recommendations | |
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| 1 | The next CPD should continue to support Serbia with high-level innovative advice and expertise to address its development needs, with increased emphasis on integrated and cross-cutting reforms, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. Due to the timing of the previous CPD development, it was not strongly aligned with the SDGs. The next CPD should ensure this alignment, while emphasising a more holistic and integrated approach to development needs, linking the various sectors in which UNDP operates. The mix of UNDP programming areas remains relevant, and UNDP should continue its efforts to provide support and strategic advice on democratic governance, environment and energy, inclusive and sustainable growth, and gender equality. As a strong advocate and supporter of transparency, UNDP should continue its efforts to instigate clear and publicly open, transparent processes across the administration, developing and ensuring the sustainability of transparency tools, in particular for budgetary issues (e.g. My Budget Initiative). Efforts to ensure public participation at the local level should be stepped up in order to improve the transparency of local authorities and to strengthen confidence in local democracy by involving citizens in the policies that affect them. UNDP has a robust environment and energy programme with significant GEF funding. UNDP is well positioned to provide support to improve the legislative framework and promote transparent planning and implementation at both local and national levels, which are also in keeping with the country’s EU accession aspirations. There may be increased opportunities for UNDP to support Serbia’s air quality objectives, building on its expanding regional track record in support of sustainable energy and efficiency. Coordinating SDG fulfilment with the EU accession agenda can greatly accelerate both objectives. The promotion of EU norms and standards for environmental management, for instance, can greatly aid in the achievement of Serbia’s obligations under international environmental conventions. For example, the EU approach on biodiversity conservation (Natura 2000 network) is well-harmonised with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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| 2 | UNDP should redouble its efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and continue to engage the Government on human rights. UNDP should scale-up its efforts to mainstream gender and the empowerment of women across its programming and project portfolios. While considerable improvements have been made regarding responses to gender-based violence, a stronger representation of vulnerable groups must be ensured in consultation processes. Consideration should be given to opportunities for expanded joint programming on gender equality issues in order to address a broader range of factors responsible for inequality, including illiteracy, access to prenatal care and education, and incentives to engage in economic activities. Interventions in the field of violence against women deserve to be continued and expanded, building on the achievements of previous projects. UNDP should seek opportunities to continue providing advice on the promotion of human rights in the country. This is an important aspect of the long-standing engagement of UNDP in the country, and the UNDP position as a respected partner to Government gives it voice and standing that can make a difference. |
| 3 | As UNDP looks to expand its funding base in Serbia, decisions on new programming opportunities should serve to strengthen the role of UNDP as a provider of strategic advice. Care should be taken to ensure that the increased use of government cost-sharing does not limit UNDP to a purely executor role. In this respect, UNDP should identify the areas in which its expertise can add value to government policies in order to remain an agent of change capable of influencing government choices in line with the SDGs, and the priorities set out in the DPF and CPD. The effort to diversify funding sources, including new forms of financing (e.g. public-private partnerships, crowdfunding), present important opportunities to test out innovative approaches. This is in line with the UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021, which seeks to improve the UNDP business model by putting emphasis on innovation and organisational efficiency. UNDP should continue to build on its successful utilisation of funds from the GEF, including for regional environmental projects, and seek opportunities to tap into UNDP global success as an implementing partner for the Green Climate Fund. |
| 4 | Improvements in project design should be launched during the next CPD to strengthen impact and sustainability. The country office should ensure that all projects support the CPD priorities, with more robust indicators describing the causal pathways connecting interventions to outputs, outcomes and impact. This is in keeping with the new UNDP requirements for ‘theories of change’ for new programming. Sustainability aspects should be integrated into all country office projects, with disengagement strategies planned and agreed with beneficiary organisations at national and local levels, to ensure that they can take full responsibility for the results and remain committed to long-term intervention objectives. |
Management response not available