Management Response

: Programme Division
: 2019 - 2019 , Programme Division (HQ)
: Midterm Review of the Strategic Partnership Framework 2017-2020 (SPFII) between Sida and UN Women
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: Programme Division
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UN-Women conducted a mid-term review (MTR) of the SPFII with the main objectives: • to assess progress towards the achievement of results as specified in the Results Framework of the SPF II as well as the initial and potential impacts of the programme; • to assess early signs of success or failure with the goal of identifying the necessary changes to be made to set the programme on-track to achieve intended results; • to review the strategy and risks to sustainability as well as identify lessons learnt and best practices which could be applied to future and other ongoing programmes. The MTR findings and supportive recommendations focus on the analysis of the SPFII design, its theory of change, intervention logic, UN-Women triple mandate as applied to the Programme, and on the three aspects covered in the MTR - programme implementation and management, progress towards results, and sustainability. UN-Women welcomes the findings and recommendations of the MTR and is in general agreement with the nine recommendations. The review highlighted the effectiveness of the SPF as an enabler and catalyst to support the implementation of the UN-Women Strategic Plan (SP) 2018-2021. The MTR highlights how the flexibility of the SPF allows UN-Women to support strengthening of capacities where most needed for both, organisational growth and response to the local context needs. It allows UN-Women to join or initiate policy advocacy actions on any level and positively affect efficiency, effectiveness and delivery in UN-Women’s implementation of the SP. This flexibility has been critical ahead of electoral processes and in crisis and humanitarian contexts. The management response includes key actions for implementing the MTR recommendations.
: Approved
Recommendation: Develop a more specific future SPF framework at the impact level
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 1. UN-Women will address this recommendation by building on existing internal and external processes and engagement, some of which are listed below. Although the corporate Result Management System (RMS) doesn’t enable the level of disaggregation included in some of the SPFII indictors, the UN-Women thematic teams have been able to collect this information when reporting progress towards SPF indicators, ensuring no duplication is reported. UN-Women will include qualitative information on disaggregation in the annex on progress of indicators accompanying the annual progress report to the donor, which will also contribute to report on implementation of policies and laws developed with SPF support, in line with the recommendations of this MTR. The SPF team has already initiated various case studies on the results achieved with SPF support including: i) Results achieved in Bolivia during 2016-2018 enabled by SPF seed funding to support women’s political participation programming and ii) The impact of the SPFII contribution in 2018 to SGBV investigations. The SPF Team is considering conducting similar case studies on other Women, Peace and Security (WPS) areas, such as National Action Plans and/or the work of regional advisors on WPS. The Humanitarian and Crisis response team has been developing case studies and documenting these as well and will continue to do so. UN-Women Strategic Planning Unit (SPU) is currently boosting efforts to generate and capture results for the most marginalized women and girls through the improvement of UN-Women planning and reporting tools and processes, including RMS. The SPU is focusing on the SP Integrated Results and Results Framework (IRRF) indicators for which UN-Women planned to have and report disaggregated data. The SPU has conducted a stock-taking exercise of available data (both internal programming data and external sources of data) as well as current methodologies (if any) for disaggregating data against LNOB categories. Findings are being discussed with HQ Teams and relevant field staff to provide concrete recommendations on how UN Women may generate better and better capture results for the most marginalized women and girls through its planning monitoring and reporting processes. UN-Women is also part of the inter-agency Task Team that drafted the LNOB “UNDG Operational Guide for UN Country Teams”, and the SPF Team, in coordination with regional advisors, will support operationalizing its guidance through country offices programming funded by the SPF.
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Description: Although the SPF II theory of change and results-based framework are fully aligned to the SP 2018-2021, enough experience with SPF implementation modalities exists to develop a more specific future SPF framework at the impact level than the one in the SP (i.e. inclusive of more qualitative data and re[presenting changes in end beneficiaries’ lives). The following steps are recommended: 1. Indicators merging more than one indicator (e.g. adopted and implemented) in the current framework should be distinguished. Collection of additional case studies should be encouraged from both RO and CO level. (By 2020) 2. Analysis of the case studies to systematise the impacts achieved or those to be potentially achieved in future could lead to definition of clearer indicators at higher levels of results-based matrix (outcome and impact levels). (By 2019) 3. Principle of LNOB should be introduced in the framework in line with the corporate efforts on the issue. Learnings from the 2018 UN Women Annual Report to the Executive Board soon to be published should be taken into account. (By 2020) 4. The fact that SPF planning takes place prior to the SP development, some of these learnings might be supportive to SP development as well. (By 2021)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Report dis-aggregated data for the indicators that include more than one indicator. (i.e. Indicator 1.1.1b, Indicator 2.1) SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2020/06 Completed This is already reflected in the Annual Report for 2019 based on available data from COs.
Conduct a case study of selected interventions for each area of the programme, results of which may be used to support development of IRRF for the potential Phase III of the programme. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2020/12 Completed As discussed in the annual session with the donor in Sep 2020, impact evaluations and case studies, including codification of lessons learned and best practices, from ten-year SPF implementation, will be conducted as part of the 2021 Annual Work Plan. Deadline is therefore updated to Q4 of 2021. For WPS component of the programme, this is completed in June 2021 and submitted to Sida as part of the annual progress report for 2020. It was also published in PPID newsletter as part of knowledge sharing. On WPP and HACRO, case studies will be included as part of the 10 year review/impact assessment of SPF to be completed by end of 2021. For all three components, the research done for the case studies have also informed the SPFIII proposal submitted to the donor in June 2021. All three case studies have been completed by Q1 2022
Monitor corporate developments on integrating LNOB principle in programming and reporting and ensure resulting findings of corporate efforts inform SPFII monitoring and reporting. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2020/12 Completed UN-Women has advanced in addressing the corporate evaluation recommendations on Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) principle. At country level, progress has been made on targeted interventions with LNOB groups including young and indigenous women and women living with disabilities. At regional level UN-Women has also built internal capacity on disability inclusion in political participation programming in the Arab States region through building staff capacities on designing inclusive programmes. At global level, UN-Women has supported advocacy, knowledge generation and UN coordination on women with disabilities. UN-Women provided substantive support to the preparations of the High-Level Meeting of Women with Disabilities in Political and Public Leadership: Towards Beijing+25 (June 12, 2019). The adopted outcome declaration informs corporate advocacy to advance the participation of women with disabilities in political life. Furthermore, UN-Women is looking at the LNOB-Intersectional approach : The rights and needs of marginalized and at-risk groups -women with disabilities, adolescent girls, LGBTQI women, refugees and migrants- have been at the center of UN Women’s rapid gender assessments and gender alerts, including in LAC, APRO, Bangladesh, Myanmar. This is a key step towards strengthening the integration of commitments and provisions for the advancement of the rights of these groups through country level HRPs (in relation to COVID 19 and beyond). Therefore this action item is completed as formulated here although this is an ongoing work and effort under the SPFII as it responds to corporate commitments on LNOB.
Ensure lessons learned from the SPFII MTR inform the Strategic Plan 2018-2021 mid-term review. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2021/06 Completed SPF II Mid-term review (MTR) has informed the development of the 2020 AWP with increased focus and discussions on quality and standardization of programming in humanitarian settings; it will inform the revision of indicators in the context of the Mid-Term Review of UN Women Strategic Plan. In addition, findings of the SPF II MTR were shared with SPU/SPRED who conducted the SP MTR.
Recommendation: A holistic approach in the interventions, engagement in partnerships and resource mobilisation, with focus on stronger impact, .
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 2. The SPF Team continues to meet on quarterly basis to further foster collaboration and plan joint activities.
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Description: Organisation of more frequent (quarterly) coordination meetings of three teams started at the end of 2018, should be continued. Potential holistic approach in the interventions, engagement in partnerships and resource mobilisation, with focus on stronger impact, should be considered. (By 2019)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Joint assistance to resource mobilization efforts of offices supported by more than one component of SPFII. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2020/12 Completed Resource mobilization is a continued and ongoing process by UN Women, under the leadership of the Public Partnerships Section and supported by the thematic teams. The SPF-supported thematic teams work together to identify countries that are being supported by more than one component of SPFII and to propose ways of supporting resource mobilization efforts for long term capacity and expertise. For example, in 2021 UN Women mobilized USD 8mil from the CERF global grants to implement GBViE response programmes in 6 countries in partnership with UNFPA. In 2022, UN Women has mobilized an additional Eur 3mil from Germany to strengthen local accountability on GBViE in 9 countries. Similarly, the WPS and WPP HQ teams collaborate in supporting the development of country level PBF proposals with elections components. In addition, seed funding provided to country offices on WPP (Women in Politics Fund) continued to have a catalytic effect enabling UN Women field offices to access additional resources (i.e. USD 1mil from UK for elections programming to UN Women in Lebanon in 2021). Finally, the HQs team in collaboration with regional advisors provide direct support to COs in developing fund-raising proposals (i.e., USD 5.57mil from the Government of Canada to a 3-year programme on WPP in Kenya)
Recommendation: A more frequent horizontal exchange of knowledge and lessons.
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 3. UN-Women acknowledges the need to provide and facilitate peer support to better serve country offices and foster cross-regional learning and knowledge sharing throughout the organization. The MTR offers useful reflections and opportunities for UN-Women to leverage its promising practices to approach Women Political Participation, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action and Crisis Response more systematically, holistically and with expanded capacity. UN-Women has boosted knowledge management capacity to grow and maintain thematic communities of practice, codify lessons learned and assist with sharing good practices with regional and country offices. The SPF Team will continue to invest in knowledge production, knowledge sharing and peer advisory support to deliver results at the country level. In response to the corporate evaluation on women’s political participation (2018), the WPP Team has intensified efforts to strengthen corporate knowledge management and capacity building on WPP, including through in-person trainings for thematic regional advisors and country focal points, UN-Women field offices have also been provided with regular updates on data collection on WPP through webinars, induction sessions for colleagues and country-based activities in coordination with regional offices. A series of regional webinars with COs have been conducted to exchange knowledge on programming responses to Violence Against Women in Politics. Similarly, in 2018 UN-Women finalized and published the updated IASC Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action which serves as the official guidance resource of the UN led humanitarian coordination system. Over 7,000 copies of the Handbook were distributed in 43 countries. UN-Women also developed a comprehensive set of face-to-face training modules based on the content of the handbook, in addition to an eLearning platform for remote learning. Utilizing these resources, accompanying training programmes were delivered in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Malawi to frontline humanitarian practitioners in over 40 different agencies. In addition, UN-Women undertook a series of intensive six-day regional office trainings for its field staff in East and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa Regional Office, Europe and Central Asia and Arab States on gender in humanitarian action. The trainings build the capacity of UN-Women staff to add value to coordinated humanitarian response mechanisms, as well as to further spread skills and learning through follow up training. Country offices participating included Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Nigeria, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Turkey, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia. Lastly, in 2018 UN-Women continued growing WPS community of practice (over 160 members across the UN-Women workforce) and organized its first five specialized webinars to facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges and sharing of good practice. The frequency of these webinars has further grown in 2019. Furthermore, UN-Women will collaborate with the proliferating number of research centers on WPS to ensure SPF-supported staff has the latest knowledge products on WPS.
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Description: In light of preparation of potential programme continuation (SPF III), a more frequent horizontal exchange of knowledge and lessons learnt accumulated over the recent years among COs and ROs should be encouraged for the purpose of peer advisory support, knowledge transfer and development of unique UN Women footprint (related to operational contexts, standardisation of products, services, impacts). This would help further support corporate development and resource mobilisation. Still, systematization and standardisation of practices should preserve space for creativity and flexibility for adaptation to diverse local contexts. (By 2019)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Continue convening in-person trainings and thematic webinars to address capacity needs of the organization. Facilitate peer-to-peer learning and promote a coordinated, corporate approach to SPF thematic areas and implementation at country level. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2020/12 Completed Thematic webinars have been conducted on a number of issues: engaging regional advisors and program specialists on the future of UN Women’s work in humanitarian settings and protracted crisis: UN Women humanitarian strategy, Cash Based Initiatives, GBV and protection, Rapid Assessment tool to assess the gender responsiveness and results of UN Women’s humanitarian programming, Resource Mobilization under CERF and CBPF, COVID 19 programming with focus on livelihoods, Women’s leadership and partnerships with local women’s organizations under the localization agenda. In WPP, numerous thematic webinars and staff trainings for thematic focal points from country offices, were conducted aiming to promote technical policy coherence and facilitate exchange of good practices and lessons learned. Examples include: A four-day BRIDGE workshop on Gender and Elections (Dakar 17-20 September 2019) co-organised with UNDP; and a three-day in-person training for thematic focal points from the Arab States Region (Amman, Jordan date) conducted by the regional policy advisor and the HQ knowledge management specialist. A multi-country technical assistance mission conducted by the global advisor on political participation to the Europe and Central Asia region (in October 2019), included an induction webinar for regional thematic focal points, and targeted capacity building on programme design and awareness raising seminars, especially on VAWP. Face-to face and virtual meetings on monitoring SDG indicator 5.5.1b with Regional Offices for Asia-Pacific, Eastern and Southern Africa and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, in collaboration with the Women Count programme. One-week induction training with the new regional advisor on women’s political participation for ECA Presentation at the EGM on the Gender Inequality Index, provided graphics, maps and analysis of women’s representation in both parliaments and local governments, with a typology of different spheres and levels of government, types of political offices and the corresponding indicators for global monitoring of women’s representation. Available here Webinar on UN Women’s Primer for Parliamentary Action: Gender-sensitive responses to COVID-19. Links to: recording, discussion summary and presentation by Professor Sarah Childs Webinar on Women & elections in the context of COVID-19: organised with the Regional Advisor for WCA with special participation of ECOWAS. Webinar recording available here. Since early 2019, the UN Women’s Community of Practice on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action has convened 25 online webinars and interactive dialogues and one week-long in-person retreat for HQ, regional, and country-based colleagues working on WPS and HA, including many of those funded by SPF2. The week-long retreat was organized in conjunction with the global retreat of the gender advisors from peacekeeping and special political missions to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and coordination. Among many other topics, online webinars have covered reparations programming, analysis of international investigations on SGBV, how-to guidance on localization of WPS NAPs, strategies for successful proposals to the Peacebuilding Fund, the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, or the Elsie Initiative Fund, recent lessons learned from gender-responsive SSR and rule of law interventions, and peer-to-peer exchanges on adjusting to COVID-19 in WPS programming.
Recommendation: In planning of the next AWP and SPF, interventions focused on normative, implementation (of laws and policies) and coordination, should be more balanced.
Management Response: UN-Women partially agrees with recommendation 4. UN-Women supports and welcomes the focus of mid-term review on balancing and bridging the gaps between normative commitments and their implementation. This focus is in line with UN-Women’s vision. UN-Women has differing interpretation of the continuum of the 3 mandates. These are all interlinked, at global and field level work supported through the SPF. The Humanitarian and crisis response team has been drawing on lessons learnt from internal and external processes for an annual review of gender in humanitarian action across the system. This review has been anchored in UN-Women’s gender desk function and lead on the system-wide monitoring of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Gender Policy through its Accountability Framework. The latter provides an annual in-depth review of the collective actions of the IASC with regards to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It will also build on internal annual reviews of Strategic Notes and Annual Work Plan implementation, UN-Women’s Grand Bargain Annual Reporting, as well as reporting on UN-Women’s Agenda for Humanity commitments are modalities that will guide the needed balance and focus. As part of a general focus on accountability for implementation of WPS commitments and plans, UN-Women will track implementation of the commitments pledged by 64 Member States in April 2019 to be completed by October 2020.
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Description: In planning of the next AWP and SPF, interventions focused on normative, implementation (of laws and policies) and coordination, should be more balanced. This recommendation should be interpreted in connection to the corporate one at the beginning of the table and in connection to recommendations on better communication of outcome and impact level results, that would support visibility of operational function. ((By 2019))
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Conduct internal annual reviews of Gender in Humanitarian Action through its internal annual reporting, and IASC accountability framework reporting. SPF Team (HACRO) 2020/06 Completed The first annual review of the IASC Gender Accountability Framework covering 2018 was concluded in July 2019. Preparations for the second annual review of the IASC Gender Accountability Framework were simultaneously initiated in early 2019. Similarly, UN Women has engaged in the review of the advancement of gender equality commitments through Grand Bargain commitments and processes and have developed jointly with other members the Statement of the Friends of Gender Group with the intention to inform the discussions on the future of the Grand Bargain. Furthermore, through an analysis of trends in UN Women’s programming on COVID 19, UN Women identifies areas and priorities for strengthening programmatic interventions along the humanitarian-development nexus. The 2019 IASC Gender Accountability Framework Report was published after endorsement from the IASC and disseminated via the ERC in early 2021. Preparations for the 2020 IASC Gender Accountability Framework are underway with closer collaboration with the IASC Gender Reference Group members (UN and INGO partners) in the development of the Report. On an annual basis, UN Women has also undertaken an internal monitoring exercise to capture a global overview of its humanitarian and DRR work. These results are published in the UN Women Annual Report for HA and DRR. The 2020 Annual Report is forthcoming and the 2019 Report is available online. Since these reviews are now standardized and incorprated in the unit's AWPs, the action is considered completed.
Track implementation of WPS commitments made my Member States ahead of the 20th anniversary of 1325. SPF Team (WPS) 2020/12 Completed In April 2019, UN Women, in collaboration with Germany and the UK, convened Member States and UN entities to solicit WPS commitments ahead of the 20th anniversary, to be implemented over the following 18 months and in time for the commemoration in October 2020. Sixty-four Member States, 8 UN entities, and 3 regional organizations made commitments. These ranged from new national action plans with an adoption target date before October 2020 to funding pledges, institutional arrangements, and announcements to host, chair, or join existing global initiatives, among others. UN Women tracked updates on implementation of these commitments and conducted two events for Member States and UN entities to report on their progress: the first one in January 2020 -at the midpoint of the 18 months allotted for implementation- and one in October 2020, just a few days ahead of the anniversary. These events included surveys, live polls, and analytical discussions. By January, 83 percent of respondents were at halfway or further in implementing their commitments. By October, this number had reached 91 percent and more than 70 percent claimed to have implemented between 75 percent and 100 percent of the commitments made in April 2019. Several of them reported the full disbursal of their funding pledges, and many expressed appreciation for the existence of multi-donor funds on specific issues, like the WPHF to channel funds to women’s grassroots organizations or the Elsie Fund to support women in peacekeeping. Few reported a shifting in funding priorities as a result of COVID as one of the main challenges to implementation, but rather the practicalities associated with the restrictions in travel and gatherings.
Lead coordinated efforts to implement the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on preventing violence against women in politics including by developing criteria or standards for data collection and reporting initiatives during the election cycle. SPF Team (WPP) 2020/12 Completed Significant progress in developing a harmonized measurement of VAWP was made: a model concept note on implementing targeted VAWP surveys was developed to guide the work on measuring VAWP in Nepal and Georgia COs; and sets of questions on measuring prevalence, consequences and attitudes towards VAWP among candidates (in partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London) and voters were developed. Following the EGM on Data and VAWP held in December 2019, UN-Women developed harmonized survey-based data collection tools that can be used across countries to generate comparable data. Country projects on measuring violence against women office holders (members in parliament and local government) and election candidates were developed in Georgia Nepal, Turkey, and MENA Region (covering Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon). UN Women will upscale this work to other regions as part of the SPFIII.
Recommendation: Discussions with other donors to provide flexible funding modalities should be continued. Collection of impact-oriented stories, stories on added value of the flexible approach, and UN Women unique approach, could be of support.
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 5. UN-Women welcomes the recommendation and will seek closer collaboration with SIDA to highlight the effective and efficient nature of SPF as a modality. While there were attempts to attract other donors to follow similar modality of funding for the SP, there is room for more concerted efforts with the joint leadership of SIDA.
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Description: Discussions with other donors to provide flexible funding modalities should be continued. Collection of impact-oriented stories, stories on added value of the flexible approach, and UN Women unique approach, could be of support. (By 2019)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Prepare and disseminate communications and knowledge product featuring results of the programme and benefits of the funding modality. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2020/03 No Longer Applicable It is agreed that the focus in the last year of programme implementation will be on the impact assessment case studies on sample interventions supported with the SPFII instead.
Develop a resource mobilization and outreach plan, in collaboration with SPD. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) (with SPD management and donor focal points) 2020/12 No Longer Applicable In consultation with SPD and the donor, it is agreed to use next phase of the programme (2022-2025) to explore pooled funds allowing other financing partners to contribute to the programme currently funded by Sweden as the only financing partner. These thematic funds will continue to allow for the flexibility currently experienced by UN Women through this funding mechanism, while also allowing others to contribute and pool resources. Therefore this action point is not longer applicable to the SPFII.
Support design of multi-country programme initiatives aligned with Strategic Plan (SP) Output Theories of Change (and SPF II) to support regional-level fundraising efforts and ensure programming and reporting coherence in alignment with SP 2018-2021 are developed. SPF Team (WPP) 2020/12 Completed Although this is an ongoing process and support provided by HQs thematic teams in developing country and regional programmes to build multi-stakeholder partnerships, promote global coherence, and support resource mobilization, this key action is proposed for closure as completed given the multiple examples in place already. i.e. WPP's regional approach to resource mobilization in West and Central Africa East and Southern Africa; Humanitarian Unit's engagement with the Lake Chad Basin through the development of a regional programmatic framework bringing together LEAP, DRR components and programmatic interventions on humanitarian planning and coordination processes with the country focus on Nigeria and Cameroon. The programmatic framework is built on the basis of considerations and priorities for the advancement of the gender equality and empowerment of women and girls agenda along the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus.
Recommendation: Impact assessment of some of the interventions that have impact potential should be conducted 6 months to 1 year after their completion. 1-2 per year, own capacities and/or national consultants can be utilised for cost effectiveness.
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 6. While UN-Women sees the benefits of conducting impact assessment of the key SPFII-supported interventions, it is also aware of the potential implementation challenges within the scope of the current programme ending in December 2020. Therefore, UN-Women will explore best way forward in addressing this valuable recommendation.
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Description: Impact assessment of some of the interventions that have impact potential should be conducted 6 months to 1 year after their completion. 1-2 per year, own capacities and/or national consultants can be utilised for cost effectiveness. Some of the examples of previously identified operational actions that could be followed up and reported on could be: effects of reporting and appeals to justice institutions related to violence against women in politics (WPP), engagement of women mediators and effect of dispute/conflict settlements on individuals’ lives or safety/security in the community, or effects of successful implementation and localisation of NAPs (WPS), application of knowledge and skills from gender and humanitarian training of international agencies, civil society organisations and local counterparts (HACRO), impact of synergies of WPP, WPS, humanitarian and other units. The list is not exhaustive. Completed actions that might have reached certain level of sustainability could be revisited and their sustainability reported on. (By 2020)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Explore possibility of commissioning one or two impact assessment case studies on sample interventions supported with SPFII funding as part of 2020 AWP . SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2021/12 Completed Completed in 2021 and Q1 2022 as part of reflecting on 10 years of 10 years SPF implementation and development of phase III of the programme.
Recommendation: Continued awareness raising of the COs about the nature and purpose of the SPF.
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 7. UN-Women continues to share information about programme and its milestones with field offices (i.e. annual report for 2018 as well as the MTR report are shared with all regional offices and participating country and programme offices). As part of 2018 annual report to the donor, an annex with more details on country level interventions and results was included and later shared with all the offices. Additionally, UN-Women will explore possibility of using the RMS narrative module to collect impact-oriented stories in future reporting.
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Description: Awareness raising of the COs about the nature and purpose of the SPF should be continued. Showcasing successful activities could support better understanding. COs, whose programmes/project/interventions are financed from the SPF II, should be encouraged to monitor and enter impact oriented stories into RMS narrative reporting module to facilitate previous activity. (By 2020)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Explore possibility of collecting impact-oriented stories through the RMS narrative reporting module and share internally to facilitate visibility and knowledge transfer. Alternatively, the SPF reporting requirement is revisited to include collection of human stories. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) and participating offices 2020/12 Completed UN Women has set the style of SPFII reporting to include knowledge products and case studies. The 2020 annual report shows impact based results. Annual report is shared with all regional offices and various HQs units for infromation sharign and learning. As a result this action point is completed.
Recommendation: Prioritisation in expanding existing partnerships, deepening or broadening the spectrum of cooperation, should be considered in development of SPF AWPs in line with capacities, available resources and potential of the cooperation in question.
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 8. UN-Women supports and welcomes the focus of the review on partnerships, which is in line with UN-Women’s commitment to the new way of working. UN-Women has already placed significant efforts on building partnerships to maximize impact and reach at normative, policy and programmatic levels. For example, in 2018 and in the area of Humanitarian action and crisis response, UN-Women partnered with 14 UN agencies and 9 international NGOs and Red Cross/Crescent Societies in 30 crisis country contexts and supported more than 430 women organizations. Similarly, the partnership established in 2018 with OHCHR and the SRVAW helped advance the normative agenda on VAWP. Partnerships with UN DESA, the UN Regional Commissions, UNDP Oslo Governance Centre, and The Praia Group on Governance Statistics (the Praia Group), have enabled UN-Women’s positioning in ongoing efforts to develop and harmonize governance indicators (SDG 16). This includes collaboration with UNDP on the development of a Handbook on Governance Statistics.
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Description: Prioritisation in expanding existing partnerships, deepening or broadening the spectrum of cooperation, should be considered in development of SPF AWPs in line with capacities, available resources and potential of the cooperation in question. (By 2019)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
SPF AWP 2020 is guided by prioritization exercise conducted with the Executive Director within the framework of the Beijing+25 Review Process. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2019/12 Completed The Global Compact on WPS and HA (under the broader framework of Action Coalitions) informs the development of new priorities in the context of the new UN Women Humanitarian Strategy development; the ongoing assessment of UN Women’s flagship programs (including in relation to HA and WPS) and the development of the new UN Women Strategic Plan and consequently SPF AWPs.
SPF AWP 2020 further focuses on UN Coordination and existing strategic partnerships in the context of UN-Women’s Change Management Process, in response to UN Reform. SPF Team (WPP, WPS, HACRO) 2019/12 Completed Following the change management and the management evaluation of HACRO, the development of the new UN Women humanitarian strategy focuses on the delivery of UN Women’s normative and coordination mandate in partnership with other UN agencies that are members of humanitarian system, UNFPA, OCHA, UNICEF, WFP. UN Women is also actively participating in the review of the IASC Gender Policy and Accountability Framework to secure its engagement in the operationalization and tracking of institutional commitments at global and country level (especially countries where there is SPF II support). On WPP, UN-Women has planned developing programming guidance including systematized good practices of innovative and effective programming on of effective collaboration with UNDP on elections programming at country level. During 2020 UN Women has collaborated with the Electoral Assistance Division’s annual roster campaign to ensure a more conducive selection process to increase the number of women applicants (from P4 level). Substantive inputs to Job Descriptions and ToRs for electoral affairs offices were provided; and UN Women has been actively engaged throughout the interview panels at D1 and P4 levels.
Recommendation: Practice of HACRO in issuing more impact related publications with stories of effects of interventions and policies adopted with UN Women support (application of knowledge and skills, transformative changes, human stories, effects on communities etc.), should be expanded.
Management Response: UN-Women agrees with recommendation 9. While HACRO will continue with this good practice, other thematic teams will explore similar opportunities.
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Description: Practice of HACRO in issuing more impact related publications with stories of effects of interventions and policies adopted with UN Women support (application of knowledge and skills, transformative changes, human stories, effects on communities etc.), should be expanded. (By 2019)
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
WPS-specific annual report developed and disseminated. SPF Team (WPS) 2019/12 Completed WPS 2019 annual report is finalized and will be published in Q4 2020. HACRO continued with its practiced and published report for 2019 in Sep 2020 (inhttps://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/09/humanitarian-action-and-disaster-risk-reduction-2019-annual-report)