The UNEG Interest Group on Evaluating Policy Influence was created in 2018 in the context of an emerging demand for policy influence evaluations. The demand stemmed from the renewed emphasis placed on interventions aimed at strengthening national policies and policy coherence arising from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. It was renewed with the Pact for the Future adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2024. 

Goal

The goal of the Interest Group is to create a safe space among peers to collectively find solutions for the ongoing challenges on how to evaluate policy influence interventions in a real-world evaluation context. Through our collective thinking and collaboration efforts on best good practices, we increase our knowledge and capacities, and we contribute to disseminate this knowledge among our colleagues within the UN system. 

Lines of action 

• Ad hoc practical support to peers during their evaluation design
• Outreach to wider evaluation and research community to expand knowledge on the topic 
• Systematic identification of challenges and practical solutions 
• Dissemination of lessons learned and practical approaches 
• Development of generic Theories of Change for the four main types of policy influence interventions:

1.     Research and analysis for evidence-based policy-making
2.     Capacity building
3.     Dialogue and consensus-building
4.     Policy advice and technical cooperation 
    

Main deliverables

• Sessions at the UNEG Evaluation Practice Exchange Seminars 2018 (Rome), 2019 (Nairobi), 2024 (Malaga).
• Webinars in 2020 and 2024 on How to Evaluate Policy Influence
• UNEG Evaluating Policy Influence Stocktaking Report (UNEG Reference Document published in 2023).