Evaluation of UNESCO’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic at UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNESCO’s Internal Oversight Service – Evaluation Office – seeks proposals from qualified individual(s) to conduct the Evaluation of UNESCO’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic described in the Terms of Reference available on the UN Global Marketplace at : https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/162583

The evaluation is expected to take place between February 2022 and October 2022. The estimated effort for this exercise is 85-90 working days.

This evaluation will be an opportunity for UNESCO to take stock and reflect on its response in the wake of the COVID19 crisis. It will identify good practices to be maintained, replicated or upscaled and areas needing further improvement. Lessons drawn from this evaluation should further inform management’s strategic thinking in preparation for potential future crises and improve resilience to future shocks. As such, this evaluation will predominantly focus on learning. The evaluation will also include an accountability element, exploring how well UNESCO responded in its areas of mandate and expertise, mobilized its strengths and knowledge, and worked in conjunction with others.

The evaluation will combine elements of ex-post review, looking back to gauge how well UNESCO responded in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak (the first 3-4 months) with a “real-time” approach, assessing responses with a longer-term perspective and that are still ongoing. In terms of geographical scope, the evaluation will integrate a review of both global responses, for the most part developed at Headquarters, and regional and or national responses conceptualized and implemented by Field Offices.