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Strategic role of evaluation highlighted at ECOSOC 2025
May 22, 2025
New York, May 22, 2025 — The UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) actively contributed to the 2025 ECOSOC Operational Activities for Development Segment, reaffirming the critical role of evaluation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
May 21: Side event "From Evidence to Action"
The IEO co-organized the side event “From Evidence to Action: The Strategic Role of Evaluation in Achieving the SDGs,” moderated by the UN SDG System-Wide Evaluation Office, and with the participation of UNICEF and UN Women. The session brought together Member States and evaluation leaders to explore how national evaluation systems can be strengthened to support the 2030 Agenda.
The event underscored a growing global consensus: evaluation is not just a technical tool - it is a strategic enabler. As highlighted during the session, embedding evaluation into governance structures and processes empowers governments to make informed decisions, build resilient systems, and foster accountability.
Discussions at the event echoed key themes from recent UN resolutions, including the 2024 QCPR, which reaffirm the importance of National Evaluation Capacity Development. Participants emphasized a shift from technical training to adaptive, systems-oriented approaches, with a focus on inclusive, country-led evaluation practices.
Isabelle Mercier presents at the ECOSOC OAS side event “From Evidence to Action: The Strategic Role of Evaluation in Achieving the SDGs”
May 22: Main session on “Effective Accountability: UN System Evaluation.”
Isabelle Mercier, Director of the UNDP IEO and Chair of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), addressed Member States during the ECOSOC session on “Effective Accountability: UN System Evaluation.” The session focused on the implementation of the UN’s system-wide evaluation policy and the role of evaluation in enhancing the effectiveness of operational activities for development.
"For over 50 years, evaluation has played a vital role in ensuring that the work of the United Nations remains accountable and effective", the IEO Director said. "What began as a way to track aid spending has evolved into a powerful tool for learning - helping us see what’s working, where it’s working, and who it’s actually helping".
The IEO Director emphasized three key lessons guiding current efforts across the UN evaluation system:
First, bespoke, context-specific evaluations are essential for surfacing evidence in areas where data is limited, especially for marginalized communities.
Second, evaluative knowledge must be personalized - tailored to the needs of decision-makers and delivered in real time
Third, evaluation must be owned and embedded at the national level as a core component of good governance.
To this end, UNEG has modernized its online portal hosting over 20,000 evaluations, and is integrating AI tools to enhance access and usability. Meanwhile, the SDG Synthesis Coalition - co-founded by the UNDP IEO and UNICEF - is also building a more responsive, AI-enabled evidence ecosystem to accelerate progress on the SDGs.
“This work isn’t something any of us do alone,” the IEO Director noted. “It is something we can achieve together - by continuing to reimagine and invest in learning, evidence, and collective systems.”
About ECOSOC OAS
The Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) operational activities for development segment (OAS) meets annually to provide overall coordination and guidance to the governing bodies of the United Nations development system. General Assembly resolution 72/305 determines that ECOSOC, through its strengthened OAS, shall serve as a platform to ensure accountability for, and acceleration of, system-wide performance and results in relation to the 2030 Agenda and provide guidance to and overall coordination of the United Nations development system.
Looking ahead
IEO’s engagement at ECOSOC 2025 reflects its ongoing commitment to strengthening the role of evaluation across the UN system and within national contexts. As the global community accelerates efforts to achieve the SDGs, IEO continues to advocate for evaluation as a strategic enabler of accountability, learning, and sustainable development.
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