Evaluation of UNFPA support to adolescents and youth launched

#YouthEval

UNFPA Evaluation Office has launched a formative evaluation of UNFPA support to adolescents and youth to inform the implementation of the UNFPA Youth Strategy 2019 and the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025. The evaluation follows the first thematic evaluation on adolescent and youth at UNFPA in 2014.

Across the world, UNFPA upholds the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youth as they are accelerating the delivery of the ICPD Programme of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals. Youth engagement and leadership is central to all UNFPA programming, including during its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The roadmap to deliver youth-centred priorities of UNFPA is captured in My Body, My Life, My World, the organization’s Youth Strategy. To support an evidence-based roll out of the UNFPA Youth Strategy in relation to the UN Youth Strategy, the evaluation will provide evidence, lessons and actionable inputs.

In line with the UNFPA Evaluation Policy 2019, the evaluation seeks to meaningfully engage young people throughout the exercise. For the first time at UNFPA, this evaluation will greatly expand the scope of youth engagement within the evaluation process at all levels. Specifically, youth will be engaged in the evaluation as:

1. Key informants, who will be able to provide insight and evidence during the evaluation data collection

2. Young evaluators, who will conduct the evaluation together with the broader evaluation team

3. Advisors, as members of the Evaluation Reference Group, who contribute to key moments and key deliverables in the evaluation process

4. Decision-makers, as members of a Youth Steering Committee, who will guide and conceptualize the evaluation process together with the Evaluation Office. This includes young people representing youth-led organizations working in UNFPA mandate areas and young evaluators.

In continuation with the Evaluation Office’s long-standing partnership with the EvalYouth Global Network, the network is supporting the selection of two young evaluators to join the Youth Steering Committee. EvalYouth has opened a call for self-nominations for those interested to join the Committee. Young evaluators part of the EvalYouth network can express interest via this form, until 16 May 2021.

Further details are available in the Terms of Reference for the evaluation and the Youth Steering Committee.

For any questions, contact Valeria Carou-Jones (carou-jones@unfpa.org) and Karen Cadondon (cadondon@unfpa.org).