Management Response

: Egypt
: 2021 - 2022 , Egypt (CO)
: IES led Country Portfolio Evaluation
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: Egypt
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Prepared by the ECO staff collectively as per UN Women’s Evaluation Policy and cleared by the Country Representative, the management response reflects the agreement and acceptance by the ECO of the CPE's recommendations. With drafts of the CPE in hand, UN Women drew from the lessons learned, conclusions and responded to the recommendations when developing its second country Strategic Note (2023-2027). The recommendations have been factored into the shaping of the emerging programmes under the newly adopted Strategic Note (as of Jan 2023) and have been incorporated into aspects of the UNCT's Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027) Women and Girls' Pillar (co-led by UN Women).
: Approved
Recommendation: The Country Office should continue to consolidate the portfolio approach under the WEE and EVAW pillars for the next Strategic Note.
Management Response: The recommendation was considered by the evaluation as a high priority and to be implemented in the short term. The Office accepts the recommendation and in the development of the new Strategic Note (2023-2027), which was adopted in Jan 2023), and subsequent annual workplans, has incorporated this recommendation in the shaping of its emerging programmes.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Oversight/governance, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Advocacy, Evidence, Data and statistics
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Normative Support, Operational activities, Culture of results/RBM, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Strengthen inter-agency mechanisms for coordinated actions in the thematic area of Ending Violence Against Women Representative; Deputy Representative; Prog Managers 2023/01 Completed New UNSDCF is adopted and will be signed in March 2023; UN Women co-leads the stand alone pillar on Women and Girls; UNFPA leads the coordination of the UN's support to the One-Stop-Shop under this pillar; UN Women and UNFPA have two soft pipeline Joint Programmes on EVAW now in discussion with the EU and USAID.
Analyze risks linked to having reduced core- resources and strengthen the risk management as well as the sustainability of interventions. Representative; Deputy Representative, Operations Manager 2023/09 Completed Risks are analyzed and well articulated within the ECO's RM Strategy under its newly adopted Strategic Note, in which majority of financing gaps have soft pipeline proposals already in discussion with donors. Majority of programmes under the new SN are embedded into on-going Government programmes, thereby ensuring sustainability of impact. The lack of clarity on the EXB regulations for the Arab States mean that the ECO still has some uncertainty re: regular resources but this will be addressed in Q3. Jan 2023 saw Egypt fall into a serious economic crisis - this will have direct implications for both the operations of the ECO and its programmatic response to beneficiaries. components of some programmes are now being repurposed to ensure beneficiaries' emerging needs are met
Develop approaches such as geographical targeting to increase scale and impact of interventions Representative; Deputy Representative; Prog Managers 2023/01 Completed All emerging programmes under new SN have consolidated geographic focus.
Draw on the reconstructed Theory of Change and develop a revised monitoring framework that measures complex, transformative impact and includes independent feedback Representative; Deputy Representative 2023/01 Completed With this recommendation, the ECO has committed under its new SN to support the UNCT in exploring a) clear methodology for measuring impact of social norm change work (transformative impact work); and b) carrying out this review in 2025/2026
Go beyond formal engagement and reporting to donors Representative; Deputy Representative; Prog Managers 2023/01 Completed On-going with full field trips regularly conducted with all donors of current programmes
Recommendation: The Country Office should facilitate a UNCT strategy to engage civil society in normative advocacy.
Management Response: The recommendation was considered by the evaluation as medium priority and therefore the CO proposes a medium-term deadline. The Office accepts the recommendation and has already begun incorporating the proposed key actions in the design of new programmes and their implementation under the newly adopted SN.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Advocacy, National ownership, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support, Partnership, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Impact, Sustainability, Relevance, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Work with UNCT partners and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office to determine a shared course of advocacy and dialogue on the role and place of civil society organizations in Egypt. Representative 2023/06 Completed UNSDCF 2023-2027 signed by Cabinet on 12th March 2023. Full logical framework of UNSDCF and the draft Joint AWP for the Women and Girls' Pillar are now emerging, with these to be adopted by June 2023. Under these, and with UN Women as one of the lead agencies supporting the RCO in this regard, joint mechanisms and advocacy for CSOs' roles are being planned for. Initially it was discussed to establish a civil society advisory board or mechanism for regular dialogue, but in discussion with Resident coordinator and heads of agencies, the gender theme group (GTG) is the first UN interagency body in the country to establish systematic dialogue with the civil society. in May GTG met under UNW chairmanship and agreed on how to proceed.
Recommendation: The Country Office should develop a long-term, shared vision for change through their private sector partnership.
Management Response: The recommendation is considered by the evaluation as a high priority and ECO partially accepts the recommendation, within the bounds of private sector's willingness to support such actions; and the fact that much of this is being addressed through a Gov of Egypt-UN Women supported mechanism.
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Description: The recommendation is considered by the evaluation as a high priority and ECO partially accepts the recommendation, within the bounds of private sector's willingness to support such actions; and the fact that much of this is being addressed through a Gov of Egypt-UN Women supported mechanism.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018), Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Advocacy, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Engage with private sector partners to develop a Private Sector engagement strategy. Representative; Deputy Representative; Prog Managers/Analysts 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated This recommended action is partially accepted. The ECO does not believe that a cross-sectoral private sector engagement strategy will provide what the recommendation is targeting - a more sustained and predictable engagement with private sector. Nor will companies engage in such a process as the benefit to them is limited, particularly while they grapple with a serious national economic crisis. Companies' interest and willingness to engage on GEWE is something that UN Women has developed adovcacy meessages around; and through the Government's "Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator Platform", the ECO has committed to supporting the Public-private partnership on GEWE through this Platform, which has a strategy. Further, drawing from the good experiences in Jordan and with the support of ROAS, the ECO is now developing sectoral "communities of practice" for WEPs signatories under the Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator.
Develop a network of private sector companies beyond Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatories and facilitate regular dialogues with them. Representative; Deputy Representative; Prog Managers/Analysts 2023/10 Ongoing This is already being done under the ECO's support to the Government's "Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator" Platform, which is a mechanism of public-private dialogue and partnership.
Recommendation: The Country Office should continue to strengthen the gender perspective in national statistics, production and availability of gender data and evidence and its use by the policymakers and planners.
Management Response: The recommendation was considered by the evaluation as medium priority and therefore the CO proposes medium-term deadlines. The Office accepts the recommendation and is committed to start incorporating the proposed key actions in the design of new projects and into project implementation.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management, Advocacy, Capacity development, Innovation and technology
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support, Culture of results/RBM, Partnership, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Impact, Sustainability, Relevance, Efficiency, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop an evidence gap map to identify gaps in the evidence base to inform decisions about new research topics and where UN Women would like to strategically invest its resources. Representative; Deputy Representative 2023/12 Completed
Continue partnership with CAPMAS operationalize gender statistics and data commitments Representative; Deputy Representative 2023/12 Ongoing
Consider opportunities to introduce innovative methodologies to respond to gaps Representative; Deputy Representative 2023/12 Ongoing
Recommendation: The Country Office should augment its social norms change interventions by strengthening its social relations approach involving work with families and communities to achieve and sustain social norms change.
Management Response: The recommendation is considered by the evaluation as a high priority and ECO accepts the recommendation and is committed to incorporating the proposed key actions in the short to medium term.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, National ownership, Alignment with strategy, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Culture of results/RBM, Organizational efficiency, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop guidelines to ensure robust gender and social relations analysis at the programme design stage paying specific attention to identifying gender-based violence related risks associated with challenging social norms. Deputy Representative; Prog Managers/Analysts 2023/09 Completed UN Women and UNFPA have recently entered into two joint programmes (one also involving UNICEF) where gender and social relations analysis are embedded and factored into the shaping and design of the programmes which are set to roll out in Quarter 4 2023 and Quarter 1 2024.
Ensure that the gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation and management measures are embedded systematically in the design of the programmes, implemented and monitored. Deputy Representative; Prog Managers/Analysts 2023/07 Completed UN Women and UNFPA have recently entered into two joint programmes (one also involving UNICEF) where gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation and management measures are embedded and factored into the shaping and design of the programmes which are set to roll out in Quarter 4 2023 and Quarter 1 2024.
Ensure the strengthening of engagement with families and communities to avoid backlash Prog Managers/Analysts 2023/07 Ongoing
Recommendation: The Country Office should embed targeted LNOB outcomes in the next Strategic Note.
Management Response: ECO accepts the recommendation and is committed to immediately start incorporating the proposed key actions in the design of new interventions and into every project implementation.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Advocacy, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Evidence, Data and statistics
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Impact, Relevance, Sustainability, Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Embed a planned intervention for the targeted vulnerable groups in every programme. Representative; Deputy Representative; Prog Managers 2023/09 Completed To be done in coordination with UNCT's work under the UNSDCF 2023-2027.
Collect data and evidence to learn about what is working well and what needs to be changed Deputy Representative; Prog Managers/Analysts 2023/12 Ongoing Embedded into existing programmes and to be strengthened.