Evaluation of the Partnership

In 2008, an independent evaluation on the EU-UN partnership gave an external perspective on the cooperation. It assessed which value the European Commission had in channeling development cooperation funds through the UN.

The evaluation concluded that funding of the European Commission through the UN had a positive impact. It also stated that the partnership made delivery of European Commission’s development cooperation aid possible in cases where this would have otherwise been difficult or impossible.

Most fundamentally, the evaluation team concluded that by working together, both partners were able to achieve more on the ground than if they had acted alone.

As demonstrated by the evaluation, the UN adds value to the work of the EU through:

  • Impartiality and legitimacy of the UN;
  • Unique UN global mandates tackling global problems;
  • UN technical and thematic expertise;
  • A worldwide UN operating capacity, including where the international community has no infrastructure;
  • A broader platform that increases impact and efficiency.