UNCTAD subprogramme on globalization, interdependence and development
ECOPER has begun the independent evaluation of UNCTAD’s Subprogramme 1. This subprogramme aims to advance inclusive and sustainable development, sustained growth, full employment and decent work for all through evidence-based policies and strategies at national, regional and international levels. The evaluation aims to help UNCTAD identify key lessons on strategic positioning, portfolio planning, management arrangements…
Good practices in government-development NGO practices
ECOPER has begun a study to identify good practices in relations between governments and development NGOs. Commissioned by the Spanish network of NGOs, the Coordinadora, the research is being conducted at a time when the new ‘Framework for relations between NGOs and the Government of Spain’ is being adopted. It aims to analyse political, legal…
Cash assistance and its relationship with gender-based violence
The use of cash-based interventions (CBIs) to provide support to vulnerable populations is growing and cash assistance has been found to be effective in contributing to gender-based violence (GBV) risk reduction, mitigation and protection, provided that interventions are adequately designed and implemented. Reflecting this, ECOPER was commissioned by Alianza por la Solidaridad / Action Aid…
Synthesis review of the ILO’s work towards SDG 8
SDG 8 on sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and full and productive employment for all is core to the International Labour Organisation’s mandate. To inform ongoing efforts to contribute to SDG 8, ECOPER was commissioned to conduct a synthesis review of nearly one hundred ILO projects evaluated between 2019 and 2020. The review first…
Trade and gender capacity building
ECOPER has presented its final report on a cluster evaluation of UNCTAD support to ‘Capacity building on Trade and Gender Online Training’. The evaluation, which was conducted in collaboration with an expert on gender and human rights, assessed a series of interventions carried out between 2015 and 2020 which focused on the development and delivery…
Bilbao’s 3rd International Cooperation Master Plan
ECOPER has evaluated Bilbao municipal government’s 3rd International Cooperation for Development Plan covering the years 2016 to 2020. In addition to assessing the extent to which the plan had achieved its aims, the evaluation considered other factors including how well the plan was adapted to the policies, resources and capacities of the municipality; the instruments and processes applied in pursuing its goals; and the impact on and involvement of the city Bilbao and its stakeholders. A key aim was to inform the elaboration of the fourth master plan. Along with the analysis of data and documents, the evaluation included an online survey and focus groups involving cooperation partners; an online survey of citizens of Bilbao; and interviews with Bilbao’s international cooperation team and other actors with knowledge of the plan’s design and execution.
Building capacity in humanitarian emergency management
Humanitarian emergencies frequently require a rapid response from the organisations responsible for providing assistance. In response to this, Caritas has implemented a capacity building programme on emergency preparedness and response, Phase II (ReCIP2) in Mali, which had the aim of improving the organisations’ response to emergencies. ECOPER recently completed its external evaluation of the intervention. The evaluation aimed to both analyse the results of the programme and, where possible, propose improvements which could be adopted for future efforts. It was conducted remotely owing to the COIVD- 19 pandemic, with interviews and surveys taking place online.
Transparency in trade regulation in the Pacific islands
Regulatory transparency is considered a central tenet of international trade and vital to the success of the recently signed Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus. ECOPER recently presented its final evaluation report for the UNCTAD project ‘Transparency in Trade Regulation and Facilitation in the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus’, a…
Agriculture TVET in Jordan
ECOPER has reported on its tracer study of former agriculture TVET students in Jordan. The study aimed to collect information from the students on areas such as their education, current occupation and school-to-work transition. The conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the researchers used an online approach to data collection. A survey was distributed by text message and focus groups were conducted via videoconference to gather further insights. These methods proved to be both efficient and well-suited to the conditions.
Micro credits and cash transfers as development tools
This month the report ‘Cash for Development: The use of microcredits and cash transfers as development tools’ was published by the European Parliament Committee on Development. It was co-authored by ECOPER consultants, following a meta-evaluation of previous studies on cash-for-development tools.The report aimed to provide an overview of cash transfers and microcredits as poverty reduction instruments in order to inform EU development policy ahead of the EU’s reshaping of development finance tools in the 2021-27 period. The study considered the current level of EU support for cash transfers and microcredits, and the efficiency and design of the support provided.