Evaluating UNDP’s Contribution to Peacebuilding and Resilience

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Why this evaluation matters

Maintaining peace is the core purpose of the United Nations and the foundation upon which all our work is built. Today, that foundation is under growing strain. As crises become more interconnected, development gains are proving increasingly fragile - threatened by rising violence and the compounding effects of displacement, climate shocks, and political instability.

Against this backdrop, the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is undertaking a global evaluation of UNDP’s contribution to peacebuilding and resilience. The evaluation looks at how UNDP helps countries prevent conflict, reduce the risk of relapse into violence, and sustain development even during periods of crisis.

Terms of Reference

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What the evaluation will explore

The evaluation examines UNDP’s work over the period 2020–2025, with a particular focus on the most recent years and a view toward the 2026–2029 Strategic Plan.

A key feature of this evaluation is its focus on UNDP’s contribution to peace, not only in places experiencing open conflict, but also through development choices that help reduce conflict risks before violence escalates.

This will be the third IEO evaluation of UNDP’s work in this area. While previous evaluations focused on UNDP’s work in conflict affected countries, this evaluation focuses mainly on UNDP’s work on conflict - its contribution to peacebuilding and resilience.

This perspective reflects a broader recognition across the UN system that peace outcomes are shaped not only by security responses, but also by governance, livelihoods, justice and social cohesion.

Key questions guiding the evaluation

The evaluation is structured around a set of core questions:

What difference did UNDP make? How did UNDP help to prevent conflict, support countries emerging from prolonged fragility, and keep development efforts going during periods of conflict?
How were results achieved, and what influenced performance? What helped or hindered UNDP’s work, and how effectively were its systems, capacities and resources used to support peacebuilding and resilience?
How did UNDP add value alongside other actors? How effectively did UNDP contribute as part of wider national, UN and partner efforts, including across the humanitarian–development–peace continuum?
How appropriate, consistent and sustainable is UNDP’s approach? How relevant and coherent is UNDP’s approach in conflict‑affected and fragile settings, and how likely are the benefits of its support to last over time?

What types of work are being examined

The evaluation covers the full range of UNDP’s peace related development work, including:

Conflict prevention and risk‑informed development
Institutions, justice and human security
Recovery and essential services during crises
Social cohesion and inclusive dialogue, including women and youth
Economic revitalization and livelihoods
Development‑linked solutions for displacement

Evidence from recent evaluations suggests these areas are most effective when they are linked and sequenced, rather than delivered as stand‑alone interventions, an insight that this evaluation will explore in depth.

How the evaluation will be carried out

The evaluation uses a theory based, mixed methods approach, combining:

Analysis of UNDP portfolios and financial data
Reviews of existing evaluations and evidence
Interviews, surveys and consultations with UNDP staff, partners and stakeholders
In depth country and regional case studies, where conditions allow

The evaluation looks at contribution: how UNDP’s actions, partnerships and choices helped influence outcomes within complex political and social environments.

This approach allows the evaluation to capture both results and learning (including unintended effects) in a way that reflects the realities of working in fragile and conflict affected settings.

Where the evaluation will focus

The evaluation covers 28 countries across Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes 21 current UNDP priority countries affected by conflict, alongside seven fragile countries and territories added for accountability and learning purposes.

Institutionally, the evaluation will consider all layers of operation, including UNDP headquarters, regional bureaux/hubs, and select country offices. UNDP’s partners—including UN system entities, donors, and civil society—will also be consulted.

All countries will be examined through portfolio level analysis, with a smaller number explored in greater depth to better understand how context shapes results.