International Atomic Energy Agency

Evaluation Function

The IAEA’s Programme Evaluation (PE) function conducts systematic and evidence-based assessments of the IAEA’s policies, programmes, services and functions, that help management ensure that the organization makes a difference. It is part of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and has six permanent evaluation staff members.  

Evaluations constitute an essential element of the IAEA’s results-based management system. They examine the relevance, effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the Agency’s work, identify good practices, and areas for improvement. The results of evaluations inform new policies, strategies and programmes, thereby supporting management’s efforts to ensure successful implementation of the Agency’s mandate, and to demonstrate achievement of results. Evaluations enhance accountability, and they are key tools for organizational learning and development.

Promoting a culture of evaluation in-house

The Programme Evaluation function also supports organizational efforts to strengthen results-based management. It focuses on planning for and assessing results, as well as on learning through and from evaluative exercises. To that end, OIOS established an Evaluation Community of Practice that includes interested staff from across the organization. OIOS supports this community through capacity building, sharing of good practices, other advice, and the provision of tools.

The programme evaluation function furthermore supports evaluations and other evaluative exercises commissioned by other IAEA units, including programmatic departments.

Snapshot

Charter of the Office of Internal Oversight Services

Evaluation Policy

• Human Resources

o  Director of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS)

o  Evaluators : Total 6, including the Head of Programme Evaluation

o  Support staff : Assisted by general OIOS support staff

o  Decentralized evaluation staff : None

• Evaluations produced per year by central unit and by decentralized units (where applicable)

o  6 – 10 strategic evaluations / per year

• Key resource:

o  IAEA website

Independence

The Office of Internal Oversight Services, which includes the Programme Evaluation function, reports directly to the Director General. OIOS also periodically reports on the results of its work to dedicated committees of the IAEA’s Board of Governors. OIOS is solely responsible for the conduct of all evaluations (except for self-evaluations and decentralized evaluations), including the selection of evaluators and the development of terms of reference. It is thus operationally independent within the Organization.

Agenda Setting & Evaluation Planning

The OIOS programme evaluation work plan is developed annually, based on an assessment of evidence gaps. The work plan considers organizational priorities, upcoming decision-making points, major areas of programmatic spending and related risks. It also takes into account suggestions from Member States and IAEA managers, and issues emerging from past assessments. The OIOS work plan is approved by the Director General.

Stakeholder involvement and promoting national evaluation capacity development

Evaluations are conducted in a participatory manner, by regularly consulting with evaluation stakeholders throughout the evaluation process to ensure ownership of evaluation results, implementation of findings, and to enhance learning from evaluations. Evaluations are often accompanied by an evaluation reference group established by OIOS, which includes key internal and external stakeholders. OIOS also monitors the implementation of recommendations and presents an annual status report to Member States.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance within the evaluation function is done by the Head of Programme Evaluation, and through internal peer reviews, and exchanges with peer organizations. External peer reviews are also envisaged.

Use of Evaluation

Evaluation reports, including findings, conclusions and recommendations, are shared with the relevant managers. Managers are expected to submit a management response and to formally accept (or reject) the recommendations, and to present an action plan for their implementation including a target date. The implementation of the recommendations is subsequently monitored until full implementation is verified. A status report on the implementation of evaluation recommendations is presented each year to the Board of Governors.

Joint Evaluation

So far, OIOS has not taken part in joint evaluations, but this might change in the future.