Asia & Pacific

Eradicating child Labour in South Asia

July 29, 2022July 26, 2022

Over sixteen million children between ages 5 and 17 are engaged in labour in South Asia, according to estimates from recent years, with the highest levels in absolute terms found in India, followed by Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. The ILO’s Asia Regional Child Labour Project (ARC) was implemented in 2019 with the aim of reducing …

ECOPER conducts evaluation research at UNESCO in Paris

July 21, 2022March 10, 2022

The 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression was a milestone in international cultural policy. It is a standard-setting instrument which affirms the right of states to formulate and implement policies and measures in support of cultural activities, goods and services. Within this framework, it encourages governments to …

Policies for cultural diversity

March 10, 2022March 10, 2022

The cultural and creative industries are some of the fastest growing sectors in the world and are essential for inclusive economic growth, the reduction of inequalities and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was a cultural policy milestone and reflected the …

Internet metrics and the evaluation of projects

December 22, 2021September 6, 2021

In project evaluation, it is common to use techniques such as document reviews, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and surveys. However, increasingly, development projects can leave their mark on the internet, leading to internet metrics becoming a new evaluation technique. ECOPER regularly evaluates United Nations projects that aim to implement improvements in public policies in developing …

Transparency in trade regulation in the Pacific islands

December 21, 2021February 28, 2021

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 …

ECOPER conducts review of Afghanistan literacy project evaluation

December 22, 2021October 31, 2019

The services of ECOPER were called upon to review an evaluation report on the UNESCO project ‘Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA)’, which had previously been presented by another evaluation team. It was requested that ECOPER consultants rewrite the existing report in order to improve its structure and coherence. The review was conducted in September …

Investing in the Sustainable Development Goals

December 22, 2021October 30, 2019

ECOPER has completed the evaluation of the UNCTAD project ‘Investment promotion partnerships for the development, marketing and facilitation of bankable Sustainable Development Goal projects’. The project aimed to enhance the capacities of investment promotion agencies (IPAs) in the preparation, promotion and facilitation of bankable SDG projects. ECOPER’s evaluation approach involved data collection through diverse information sources and methods: a documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews with project stakeholders and an extensive, multi-lingual online survey of IPAs.

Livelihood programmes for Myanmar refugees

June 2, 2023December 31, 2018

This month ECOPER completed a systematization of the livelihood programmes run for Myanmar refugees by the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) as part of its project ‘Strengthening capacities and developing sustainable livelihood opportunities for the Myanmar refugees largely encamped along the Thai-Myanmar border in preparation for eventual repatriation.’ The project is funded by the EU and Caritas, a partner of COERR. The systemization took the form of a case study and was achieved through a broad document review and interviews with beneficiaries and COERR staff. Three field missions to Thailand were conducted in the course of the study.

Increasing teacher participation in education reform

December 28, 2021January 31, 2018

Recent research by international organisations has found that teachers do not sufficiently participate in key discussions on educational reform in developing countries, therefore depriving the process of teachers’ input and undermining teachers’ sense of ownership and commitment. The UNESCO project ‘Improving Teacher Support and Participation in Local Education Groups (LEGs)’ sought to address this deficit. Having run since 2015, ECOPER and Ockham IPS evaluators have recently completed an evaluation of the intervention. A mixed method approach was used for the evaluation, involving interviews with stakeholders at international and national levels, an online survey and field missions to Ivory Coast, Nepal, and Uganda, which provided a deeper understanding of how the project had operated at a country level.

ASIA & PACIFIC