The Synthesis Working Group was established in 2022, building on its initial formation as an interest group in 2021. The group aims to enhance the quality, process, practice, and consistency of evaluation synthesis within the UN evaluation system by providing guidance, hosting regular exchanges and learning sessions, and engaging with the broader evidence synthesis community outside the UN.

The UN increasingly adopts synthesis for decision-making and advancing the SDGs, with more agencies initiating synthesis efforts. Multi-agency collaboration, including through the Global SDG Synthesis Coalition, promotes a coordinated approach to addressing global challenges. As awareness grows, synthesis is recognized as a valuable tool in policy-making, and the broader evidence synthesis community acknowledges UN evaluations as essential evidence sources, reinforcing the UN’s role in evidence-based solutions for the SDGs.

Reflecting this context, current focus areas include:

• Developing methodological and operational guidance on evaluation synthesis to clarify definitions, principles, and methods, with concrete examples from individual agencies and interagency work, to be shared at EvalWeek 2025.
• Conducting learning and exchange sessions on key synthesis topics, such as methodologies, AI usage, living evaluation synthesis, evidence mapping and visualization, and promoting synthesis uptake in decision-making.
• Engaging with key evidence synthesis networks, including the Campbell Collaboration and the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges.
• Participating in global evidence synthesis and evidence-informed decision-making forums, with past involvement in events like the What Works Global Summit in 2023 and the Global Evidence Summit in 2024.