The Arab States region is in constant motion—shaped by rapid shifts, emerging challenges, and complex dynamics. In such a landscape, credible evidence is not just a requirement—it is a vital necessity. It helps us understand what’s working, adjust when needed, and stay focused on our shared path toward the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

At the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS), we see high-quality evaluations not just as tools for accountability, but as engines of learning and adaptation—critical for making a real, lasting difference on the ground.

But let us be clear: quality doesn’t happen by accident.

Embedding evaluation into the DNA of institutions takes intention and sustained effort. For us, that has meant putting the right policies, strategies and guidance in place and investing in norms, standards, tools, and structures. Above all, it meant recognizing that none of these matters without strong human capacity at the core.

These building blocks have been at the heart of our journey - driving our commitment to make evaluation not just something we do, but something we live and breathe across the region

The wake-up call

In 2020, only 20% of RBAS evaluations were rated as “satisfactory”. So, we asked ourselves: What are we doing wrong? What needs to change? We were aware that improving our performance wasn’t going to be trouble-free or simple, but we also believed that every journey toward lasting change begins with a courageous first step.

We began by conducting a comprehensive annual gap analysis, using insights from the quality assessment reports in the Evaluation Resource Center. What we found wasn’t surprising—but it was sobering. Gaps in planning, expertise, coordination, tools, internal procedures, and engagement stood out clearly.

Turning insights into action

Rather than tackle these issues in isolation, we took a collaborative route. We engaged in open, honest consultations with Evaluation focal points across the region. We discussed the gaps, looked into the root causes, examined institutional dynamics and co-created pathways for change.

These discussions fed directly into the RBAS Results-Based Management strategy and shaped tailored annual action plans, building regional and country-level evaluation capacities in line with corporate standards and requirements.

To ensure that the guidance was clear and to strengthen internal coordination within country offices, we then developed standard operating procedures that were codified in a digital platform for easy access. And with the support of the Independent Evaluation Office and our partners in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, we designed and delivered a tailored capacity building programme including in-person and virtual webinars and training sessions. The trainings were demand-driven and focused on the capacity gaps and the needs at the country and regional level.

A system that works for quality

For a stronger focus on quality, we established a robust quality assurance system—one that includes both preventive and corrective measures—for evaluations to go through multiple layers of review at both regional and country levels. We also engaged technical expertise in the reviews of the reports and in the capacity building activities, including on cross-cutting issues such as gender.

On top of that, we established an internal monitoring and tracking system for the evaluation implementation process. This allowed us to intervene early, address bottlenecks and make sure evaluations stayed on track.