Overview
Commissioned three years into IELD implementation by the Evaluation Unit of UNCDF, the objectives of this Mid-Term Evaluation are to:
• Assist UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women to understand the relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness of programme results to date, and the likely impact and sustainability of the programme;
• Validate and/or refine the programme’s theory of change (ToC) at this stage of implementation;
• Situate the programme in its broader institutional and policy environment with sustainability and impact in mind;
• Consider IELD’s current and likely contribution to “unlocking” private and public finance through its work with the public and private sectors and promoting gender focused local economic development; and
• Provide forward-looking operational and strategic recommendations that are realistic and practical.
This evaluation covered IELD programming between January 1 2016 and September 30 2019. The main focus of the evaluation is on IELD’s work in Bangladesh and Tanzania, which was most advanced during that period. The team also considered IELD work in Uganda, Mali, Senegal and Palestine.