Overview
UNITAR is guided by a four-year Strategic Framework which articulates the Institute’s vision, mission, core values and strategic objectives and enablers. The present Framework, covering the period from 2018 to 2021, was approved by the Institute’s Board of Trustees in November 2017.
The Framework structures the Institute’s objectives, programming and activities under the peace, people, planet and prosperity pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable, in addition to cross-cutting programme pillars on accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, multilateral diplomacy and optimizing the use of technologies for evidence-based decision-making. The evaluation covered the period of the first two years of the four-year Framework and focused on progress achieving the five strategic objectives. The exercise was also forward-looking to help inform the subsequent strategy from 2022.
The evaluation used both qualitative and quantitative approaches, commencing with an initial desk review and stakeholder analysis. The key evaluation tools used included surveys, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and a document review. The evaluation further used a theory of change (ToC) approach to assess implementation effectiveness against the expected causal pathway. The evaluation further adopted a participatory approach by seeking guidance from a reference group of the UNITAR Board of Trustees and included consultation with key stakeholder groups including UNITAR staff, partners, donors and participants.