Evaluation of the Regional Office for Arab States
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Evaluation Report 3/2016 Evaluation of the Regional Office for Arab States Evaluation of the Regional Office for Arab States HS:HS/055/16E UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME P. O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi GPO KENYA Tel: +254-020-7623120 (Central Office) Fax: +254-20-76234266/7 [email protected] WWW.unhabitat.org/publications www.unhabitat.org JULY 2016 Evaluation Report 3/2016 Evaluation of the Regional Office for Arab States JULY 2016 Evaluation Report 3/2016 Evaluation of the Regional Office for Arab States This report is available from http://www.unhabitat.org/evaluation First published in Nairobi in July 2016 by UN-Habitat. Copyright © United Nations Human Settlements Programme 2016 Produced by the Evaluation Unit United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) P. O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi GPO KENYA Tel: +254-020-7623120 (Central Office) www.unhabitat.org DISCLAIMER The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, United Nations or its Member States. Excerpts may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Author: Roberto Ottolenghi Layout: Phyllis Githua Front Cover Image: Downtown Cityscape in Cairo, 2010 © Shutterstock TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF BOXES, FIGURES AND TABLES……………………………………………............................................................II ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………..............................................................III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………...........................................…...................................V 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………….………...........................................................................1 1.1 Purpose and Objectives of the Evaluation...............................................................................................................1 2. OVERVIEW OF EVALUATED INTERVENTION………………………….………...............................................................3 3. EVALUATION APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY……………………...…..................................................................4 3.1 Evaluation Tools, Methods and Limitations……………………….………….............................................................4 3.2 Theory of Change………………………………………………….…………..............................................................5 3.3 Five Factors……………………………………………………….…………….............................................................5 3.4 Prerequisites for Success………………………………………….……………............................................................7 4. EVALUATION FINDINGS..............................................................................................................................................9 4.1 Achievement 1…………………………………………………….…….….….............................................................9 4.2 Achievement 2………………………………………………………….….…............................................................10 4.3 Achievement 3…………………………………………………………….….............................................................10 4.4 Achievement 4…………………………………………………………….….............................................................15 4.5 Achievement 5…………………………………………………………….….............................................................19 4.6 Achievement 6………………………………………………………………..............................................................22 4.7 Achievement 7………………………………………………………….…….............................................................26 4.8 Cross-cutting Issues…………………………………….…..…………………...........................................................28 4.9 Knowledge Management…………………………..…………………………...........................................................31 4.10 Enterprise Risk Management…………………..……………………………...........................................................32 5. EVALUATIVE CONCLUSIONS…………………………..…………………....................................................................33 6. LESSONS LEARNED………………………………..…………………….........................................................................35 ANNEXES Annex 1: Terms of Reference…………………………………………………….…….….…............................................37 Annex 2: List of Persons Interviewed………………………………………………………….….…...................................45 Annex 3: Bibliography..........…………………………………………………………….…...............................................48 II EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ARAB STATES LIST OF BOXES, FIGURES AND TABLES Box 1: Formulation of a National Urban Policy in four countries in the Arab Region………...............................................11 Box 2: Toward viable delegation of authority…………………………………………………...............................................17 Box 3: Cross-cutting issues in the context of the Arab Region………………………………...............................................28 Figure 1: The adopted theory of change model………………………………………………….............................................8 Table 1: Delivery 2011-2015……………………………………………………………………..............................................11 Table 2: Rating of performance……………………………………….................................................................................34 EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ARAB STATES III ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AF Adaptation Fund AMFHUD Arab Ministerial Forum for Housing and Urban Development ASUD Achieving Sustainable Urban Development Programme ATO Arab Towns Organization AUDI Arab Urban Development Institute BOA Board of Auditors CCA Common Country Assessment CCS Common Country Strategy CO Country Office CP Country Programme CSW Commission on the Status of Women DOA Delegation of Authority ERF Emergency Response Fund ERM Enterprise Risk Management GCC Gulf Cooperation Council GCF Green Climate Fund GLTN Global Land Tool Network GOPP General Organization for Physical Planning HLP Housing Land and Property IDF Internal Development Fund IHA In-House Agreement KM Knowledge Management LAS League of Arab States LDC Least Developed Country MTSIP Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan NUF National Urban Forum NUP National Urban Policy OIOS Office of Internal Oversight Services PAAS Project Accrual and Accountability System PCM Project Cycle Management PMO Programme Management Officer PSC Programme Support Cost PSUP Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme ROAAS Regional Office for Africa and Arab States ROAf Regional Office for Africa ROAP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific ROAS Regional Office for Arab States ROLAC Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean RPMO Regional Programme Management Office RSP Regional Strategic Plan SDG Sustainable Development Goal SP Strategic Plan TOC Theory of Change UCLG-MEWA United City and Local Government – Middle East and West Asia UNAMI United Nations Mission in Iraq UNCT United Nations Country Team UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework IV EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ARAB STATES UNDG United Nations Development Group UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCWA United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children Fund UNON United Nations Office at Nairobi UNRC United Nations Resident Coordinator USD United States Dollar EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ARAB STATES V EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EVALUATION CONTEXT AND PURPOSE v. The intended audience for the Evaluation is UN-Habitat, key stakeholders in the Arab region, i. UN-Habitat decided in 2015 to proceed with an donors and other UN partners. external Evaluation of the Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS), the most recent of its Regional vi. The evaluation was managed by the Evaluation Unit Offices, in order to assess the merit of the strategic in close consultation with ROAS and carried out by decision to establish a dedicated office within the a consultant, Mr. Roberto Ottolenghi, engaged for Arab Region. The decentralization to the region two work months during the period October 2015 had been recommended by member States. ROAS to February 2016. The work was predominantly was officially acc redited in Cairo, Egypt, in April home-based. Two missions were undertaken from 2011. Prior to that, the responsibility for managing 9 to 17 October to Kuwait and Nairobi and 30 the portfolio of activities in the Arab region had October to 4 November to Cairo. been with the Regional Office for Africa and Arab States (ROAAS) at UN-Habitat Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. EVALUATION METHOD ii. It was followed by a transition year for the new vii. The prescribed model for carrying out the Evaluation ROAS Office, during which it operated with an was the Theory of Change, which was used by the operational mandate only for Egypt and Libya; this Evaluator to set up the framework for analysis. period ended in December 2012 when ROAS was handed over responsibility for the full set of 18 viii. Five main contextual determinants, henceforth countries until then managed by ROAAS. called ‘Factors’, were identified in a pathway as influencing ROAS’ work. Related ‘Prerequisites iii. ROAS is on a sustained path of growth. The for Success’ were also identified and used in the approved project