Joint Evaluation of the Role and Contribution of the UN System in the Republic of South Africa

Overview

Conducted between September 2008 and March 2009, the evaluation assesses the relevance and effectiveness of cooperation between South Africa and the UN system within the three-tier strategic policy priorities of the country: a better South Africa, a better Africa, and a better world.

The evaluation is unique for a number of reasons:

• The Government of South Africa expressed the will to develop a policy dialogue to strengthen its
  partnership with the UN based on evaluative evidence.
• For the UN system, this was the first time that the UN system as a whole has been jointly evaluated at the country level, rather than on an agency by agency basis.
• Building trust and sharing the will to improve based on lessons from past experience were essential aspects of the exercise. All important decisions were made by consensus.
• The evaluation demonstrated the need for champions, and there was clear leadership on both sides of the partnership.
• Key to the success of the joint evaluation was the fact that it was conducted by a highly competent
  and independent evaluation team who had no conflict of interest with the UN system or the South African Government. The Joint Evaluation Management Group, comprising evaluation specialists from South Africa and the UN Evaluation Group, was also independent from line management functions on either side.
  

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