Management Response

: Ethiopia
: 2021 - 2025 , Ethiopia (CO)
: UN Women Ethiopia Country Portfolio Evaluation 2022-2025
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Ethiopia

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The management of UN Women Ethiopia country office accepts all the 5 recommendations made by the Country Portfolio Evaluators. The implementation of the recommendations has already started as it coincided with new Strategic Note 2026-2030 development and also the new Leadership for the Country Office and the UNCT in Ethiopia. Most of the CPE recommendations are matching with the new leadership vision and direction to be more agile, innovative and applying an integrated programming and implementation approach which gives us high confidence that all the CPE recommendations will be implemented effectively.

: Approved
Recommendation: SHARPEN STRATEGIC FOCUS AND VALUE PROPOSITION: Prioritize high-impact areas where UN Women has added value and in comparison to other UN agencies and civil society. Focus on operational delivery selectively where there are good linkages with normative and coordination work and where there are expected pathways to institutional uptake and scale.
Management Response: The recommendation has been accepted by the management and implementation started with a strategic prioritization as part of the new Strategic Note 2026-2030 development which is much more refocused to UN Women’s comparative advantage. The next stage of implementing this recommendation will entail convening and coordinating with other UN Agencies for Joint Programming.
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Description: Based on Findings 7, 10 and 13
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact, Human Rights, Gender equality, Coherence
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Convening and coordinating with other UN Agencies for Joint Programming. Jennet KEM, Schadrack DUSABE, Yelfigne Abegaz 2027/12 Initiated
Recommendation: ADVANCE DISABILITY INCLUSION AND INTERSECTIONALITY: Strengthen capacity and systems to deliver inclusive, disability-responsive programming. Integrate disability inclusion systematically across the programme cycle, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy commitments, ensuring coordinated action through the UNCT
Management Response: Recommendation accepted and its implementation has started and is well embedded in the Strategic Note 2026-2030. All programming will ensure in their targeting inclusion of women living with disabilities and the data and evidence from field level monitoring are mandatorily disaggregating data by disability whenever applicable. Additionally, UN Women will strengthen engagement with the UNCT Leave No One Behind Working Group of which UN Women is a member to monitor and contribute to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy commitments.
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Description: Based on Finding 6
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and participation in public life, Women's economic empowerment, Ending violence against women, Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Capacity development, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Sustainability, Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
All programming will ensure in their targeting inclusion of women living with disabilities and the data and evidence from field level monitoring are mandatorily disaggregating data by disability whenever applicable. Yohannes Leta, Bezawit Bekele 2030/12 Initiated
UN Women will strengthen engagement with the UNCT Leave No One Behind Working Group of which UN Women is a member to monitor and contribute to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy commitments Yohannes Leta, Bezawit Bekele 2030/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: STRENGTHEN COORDINATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND JOINT PROGRAMMING: Formalize coordination roles and deepen strategic partnerships with the UN and CSOs.
Management Response: The recommendation is accepted for immediate implementation consisting in redoubling efforts to reinstate the Gender theme Group (GTG) or a similar functional UNCT Working Group. Beyond the UN System coordination, the management commits to create a robust accountability framework on GEWE among Government’s institutions, Development Partners including donors , CSOs and Private sector through Gender Equality Technical Working Group as well as a systematic and institutionalized monitoring of implementation key sectoral strategies on gender equality .
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Description: Based on findings 1, 2 and 10
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and participation in public life, Women's economic empowerment, Ending violence against women, Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Oversight/governance, National ownership, Internal coordination and communication, South-South cooperation
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact, Human Rights, Gender equality, Coherence
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Immediate implementation consisting in redoubling efforts to reinstate the Gender theme Group (GTG) or a similar functional UNCT Working Group. Jennet KEM, Schadrack DUSABE, Yelfigne ABEGAZ, Addisalem Befekadu, Lydia Tujuba, Bezawit Bekele, Desset Abebe, Amen Ayele 2028/12 Initiated
Beyond the UN System coordination, the management commits to create a robust accountability framework on GEWE among Government’s institutions, Development Partners including donors, CSOs and Private sector through Gender Equality Technical Working Group as well as a systematic and institutionalized monitoring of implementation key sectoral strategies on gender equality Jennet KEM, Schadrack DUSABE, Yelfigne ABEGAZ, Addisalem Befekadu, Lydia Tujuba, Bezawit Bekele, Desset Abebe, Amen Ayele 2028/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: IMPROVE M&E, LEARNING, REPORTING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: Strengthen systems to link project-level results with Strategic Note
Management Response: Recommendation accepted. The management commits to strengthen compliance towards UN Women PMER policy according to which all projects’ documents and concept notes must be aligned and copy verbatim the Strategic Note Outcome(s) . The Local Projects Appraisal Committee is set to be the main reference framework and channel for quality assurance over new Projects’ documents and partner projects documents compliance to PMER.
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Description: Based on finding 11
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and participation in public life, Women's economic empowerment, Ending violence against women, Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Knowledge management, Evidence, Data and statistics
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Culture of results/RBM, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The management commits to strengthen compliance towards UN Women PMER policy according to which all projects’ documents and concept notes must be aligned and copy verbatim the Strategic Note Outcome(s). The Local Projects Appraisal Committee is set to be the main reference framework and channel for quality assurance over new Projects’ documents and partner projects documents compliance to PMER. Schadrack DUSABE, Yohannes Leta 2030/12 Initiated
Recommendation: INVEST IN INTERNAL SYSTEMS, PERSONNEL AND LEADERSHIP CONTINUITY: Strengthen internal systems and leadership continuity to support effective delivery and adaptive management.
Management Response: The recommendation is accepted. With the support from UN Women East and Southern Africa , UN Women Ethiopia will conduct a functional analysis from the second quarter of 2026 which aims to assess and determine the right structure, competencies and strategies required for a successful implementation of the strategic Note 2026-2030. Additionally, the management commits to fostering strengthened cross thematic collaboration through an integrated programming, implementation and monitoring framework. To enforce this integration, all Programme Managers’ performance will be assessed in light of the extent to which their teams will have collaborated. Finally, the regular Programme and Operations teams meetings agenda will be purposively framed to ensure that they are conducive platforms to communicate to all staff about the Office priorities and ongoing programmes and projects. This will strengthen Teamwork, solid institutional memory building and collective accountability
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Description: Based on findings 1,10 and 11
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and participation in public life, Women's economic empowerment, Ending violence against women, Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Partnership, Operational activities, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact, Human Rights, Gender equality, Coherence
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Provision of required documentation for the functional analysis as requested by the International Consultant and HRBP and participate the planned interviews and other information gathering as part of the functional analysis process Jennet KEM, Schadrack DUSABE, Frankline Okumu 2028/12 Initiated
Integration of cross thematic collaboration in the programme managers' performance management success criteria Jennet KEM, Schadrack DUSABE, Frankline Okumu 2028/12 Not Initiated
The regular Programme and Operations teams meetings agenda will be purposively framed to ensure that they are conducive platforms to communicate to all staff about the Office priorities and ongoing programmes and projects. This will strengthen Teamwork, solid institutional memory building and collective accountability. Jennet KEM, Schadrack DUSABE, Frankline Okumu 2028/12 Not Initiated