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The European Union sent an exploratory mission to assess the usefulness, advisability and feasibility of an EU EOM for the upcoming general elections in Ecuador.

The purpose of the Exploratory Mission was to collect factual information concerning this election process, in line with the criteria contained in the Commission Communication on Electoral Assistance and Observation [COM(2000)191].

The experts had in particular to:

• Assess the pre-election situation in the light of international standards for democratic elections and national legislation. The assessment will cover: (i) Political situation, (ii) Legal and Electoral framework, (iii) election administration, (iv) voter registration, (v) party and candidate registration, (vi) human rights and fundamental freedoms, (vii) potential for electoral violence, (viii) traditional and online media, as well as social media, (ix) security aspects, (x) logistics and operational matters, (xi) use of electoral ICT and (xii) any other relevant issues relating to the elections and possible deployment of an EU EOM.
• Assess, when relevant, the state of implementation of recommendations of previous EU election missions (both EU EOMs and EEMs).
• Make necessary preliminary logistics related enquiries and provide advice on how to organise the operational component of a possible EU EOM.
• Assess the security situation in the country, in particular in connection with the possible deployment of an EU EOM.
• Advise on the composition, number and length of stay of the Core Team members and long and short-term observers of the EU EOM.
• Draft tentative specifications and Terms of Reference of a possible EU EOM and related estimated costs and budget breakdown.
• Assess the relevance of providing support to domestic observer organisations.
• Acquire updated information on EU election support (both EU and Member States) and other major partners (Canada, Norway and Switzerland) and possible other major actors plans in this field, including in the area of electoral assistance.
• Liaise closely with domestic and international election observation organisations that may be present on the ground regarding the preparation of elections.
• Prepare a number of specific reports as outlined in section 'VI. Output' of the ToR.

The main objectives of this evaluation are to provide the relevant services of the European Union, the interested stakeholders and the wider public with:

• an overall independent assessment of the performance of the 2nd strategic objective of the EUTF on resilience, paying particular attention to its different levels of results measured against its expected objectives; and the reasons underpinning such results.
• key lessons learned, conclusions and related recommendations in order to improve current and future interventions, EU policies, strategies.

In particular, this evaluation will serve to (i) analyse the contribution of EUTF interventions to address specific drivers of fragility, potentially leading to (irregular) migration and forced displacement, (ii) analyse the contribution of the EUTF to strengthen local capacities for resilience – including absorption, adaptation and transformation capacities in response to disasters, shocks and other pressures – (iii) identify enablers for and barriers to the performance in achieving expected outputs and outcomes of these interventions, and (iv) identify the lessons learned and best practices to be further incorporated in the EU policy, strategic and operational responses for fostering resilience.

This evaluation will specifically focus on the following drivers of fragility:

• Limited access to natural resources (land, water, forests, etc.) impacting food systems, aggravated by climate change.
• Limited presence/legitimacy of the state and weak governance in fragility-prone areas limiting preparedness and responsiveness to disasters by local authorities & communities.
• Social/political conflicts in particular in the context of displacement-affected communities.

The purpose of the Election Expert Mission (EEM) was to collect and analyse factual information, assess and report on the electoral process against international commitments, standards and good practice for democratic elections in line with the criteria contained in the Commission Communication on Electoral Assistance and Observation [COM(2000)191]. The experts also formulated recommendations to improve future electoral processes and assess, when relevant, the state of implementation of recommendations made by previous electoral missions.

For the purpose of the EEM, the experts paid a specific attention to the elections of the President and Vice-President and the members of the National Assembly.

This independent evaluation of WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP) in Ethiopia assessed the strategic positioning, added-value and results of WFP operations in the Country from 2019 to 2023.

The evaluation served the double purpose of accountability (performance and result assessment) and learning (why certain results occurred or not, lessons and evidence for decision-making). It is envisioned that the evaluation will inform the design of the new CSP for Ethiopia, which is scheduled for Executive Board consideration in November 2024.

CSP key sectors and activities included:

• Emergency preparedness and response, including cash-based transfers
• Nutrition and school feeding
• Social protection
• Livelihoods activities, including smallholder farmer support
• Institutional capacity strengthening
• Logistics, supply chains and humanitarian aid coordination

Cross-cutting themes included: Gender equality and empowerment of women (GEEW), humanitarian principles and protection, accountability to affected populations (AAP), WFP partnership strategy

The evaluation employed a mixed-method approach that triangulates qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources. For this purpose, the evaluation team conducted interviews with different stakeholders including WFP staff at HQ, regional and country level, WFP cooperating partners, donors, UN agencies, government entities as well as focus group discussions with the beneficiaries.

In accordance with the rules and procedures of the European Union, a final evaluation is planned towards the end of the operational phase of the GCCA+ programme after approximately 50 months of implementation.

The main objectives of this evaluation are to provide the relevant European Union departments, interested stakeholders and the general public with:

• An independent overall assessment of the performance of the action “Strengthening climate governance and resilience in Chad (GCCA+) and its 5 implementation contracts”, paying particular attention to its different levels of results measured against the expected objectives and the reasons underlying these results; and

• Identify the main lessons learned, conclusions and related recommendations in order to inform decision-makers on how to improve current and future interventions to be formulated in 2025.

In particular, this evaluation should:

• Conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis, take stock of the overall results and the level of indicators achieved and the impact of the project. Measure in a factual and documented manner the degree of achievement of the main objectives and results assigned and in relation to the resources allocated to the project.

• Conduct an in-depth examination of the effectiveness of the coordination of the AMCC+ project and the institutional set-up (institutional anchoring, targeting of stakeholders, implementation steering mechanism) and its relevance with regard to the objectives of the AMCC+ project and measure the adequacy with regard to strategies and policies in the fight against climate change.

• Analyze the achievements of the project with tangible impacts, consolidate the elements of good adaptation practices in the form of a summary note with concrete elements that can feed into the reflections on the formulation of the future intervention of 2025.

• Analyze the institutions (Designated National Authority of the Green Climate Fund and National Implementation Institutions-INM) facilitating climate financing, analyze the capacities of Chadian actors to submit bankable projects, describe the main obstacles/weaknesses and propose concrete elements to remove these constraints in order to have efficient institutions and actors.

The exercise will contribute to UNICEF’s efforts in supporting the Government of Serbia and MoESTD to further align national policy, legal and institutional framework to international standards through, i.e. improvement of the IE financing.

The exercise will inform development of the most appropriate model of IE financing, that will secure the adequate funding level, funding methods and mechanisms and contribute to education effectiveness, openness, and equity, and will recommend next steps for all financing levels (national, AP, local and school level).

The final evaluation of the project "Building adaptive capacity to climate change through food security and nutrition actions in vulnerable Afro and indigenous communities in the Colombia-Ecuador border area" (Binational Project) was commissioned by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Colombia and Ecuador. The project was financed by the Adaptation Fund (AF) and implemented from 2018 to 2024 in the two binational river basins of Mira-Mataje and Guaitara-Carchi. It sought to reduce the climate vulnerability of Indigenous Awa and Afro-descendant communities and their ecosystems (promoting food security and nutrition, gender equality, and peace building) and strengthen the capacities of the communities and regional institutions to adapt to climate change.

The evaluation covered the period from 2016 (project design) until April 2024 (six months before project closure) and served the double purpose of accountability and learning. It responded to eight main evaluation questions (which covered all AF evaluation criteria except impact), adopting a theory-based mixed methods approach. The evaluation combined conventional performance assessment (through a comprehensive review of available documents and quantitative M&E data, key informant interviews, and direct observation in the field) with appreciative inquiry workshops and indigenous storytelling in beneficiary communities. The field mission in Colombia and Ecuador lasted more than three weeks.

In addition to the evaluation report, a short video with a summary of evaluation results was produced for dissemination purposes. Both products are available at: https://www.wfp.org/publications/colombia-ecuador-evaluacion-descentralizada-del-proyecto-binacional-de-adaptacion-de

The specific objectives of the action were:

• To monitor the outcomes of each project and their contribution to the objectives of the Programme and to the localization of SDGs
• To promote exchange of experiences and best practices among of the different projects financed by the programme.
• To support the Commission to draw lessons learned and in house knowledge from the partnerships in order to better engage with local authorities.
• To communicate efficiently about the outcomes of programme.

The China-Europe School of Law (CESL) Project was designed to enhance Chinese legal professionals' knowledge of the European legal system, its legislation, best practices, and international and comparative law through the establishment of a China-Europe School of Law.

The objective of this evaluation was to provide the European Union and relevant stakeholders with an independent assessment of the China-Europe School of Law's performance. It focused on how the school met its expected objectives and the factors that influenced these outcomes. Additionally, the evaluation identified key lessons learned, drew conclusions, and provided recommendations to assist decision-makers in improving future interventions.

The specific objectives of this evaluation were:

• To inform the exit strategy of the intervention and ensure the sustainability of its results.
• To assess the feasibility of and propose ideas for achieving a higher level of independence for CESL.
• To draw conclusions and lessons learned that could be replicated in other EU interventions.
• To assess the need for and propose ideas for continued cooperation between the EU and CESL after the project's conclusion.
• To ensure accountability for the use of EU resources in relation to the results of the intervention.

The evaluation assessed the intervention using the six standard DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and impact perspectives. Additionally, the evaluation applied an EU-specific criterion: the EU added value.

The objective of the assignment was to strengthen change and knowledge management at the SADC Secretariat through assessment of opportunities and threats to change and development of tools to implement and monitor change and knowledge management.

The purpose of the Contract was to provide technical assistance to the SADC Secretariat aimed at strengthening change management and institutional capacity for identification, storage, management and preservation of knowledge in the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO).

There were three result areas in which activities are implemented:

• A.
  Develop and Implement a SADC Secretariat Change Management Theory
• B.
  Develop and Implement SADC Knowledge Management Strategy (KMS) and System
• C.
  Train SADC Secretariat staff in specialized areas towards effective management