UNICEF requested IOD PARC to conduct a Formative Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) to assess the performance of the UNICEF programme in Uzbekistan for 2016-2020.

The UNICEF programme is aligned with national strategies and action plans for education, reproductive health, maternal and child health and combating HIV-AIDS. Responding to the changes in government, UNICEF reviewed its priorities and now emphasises “upstream” system strengthening working on social policy and programmes with state bodies, public agencies, academic institutions and Civil Society Organisations; all this within its global mandate to fulfil child rights with an equitable approach. The evaluation involves an inception visit to meet with key stakeholders in Uzbekistan, detailed secondary data analysis and a field visit to four regions in Uzbekistan as well as Tashkent.

The evaluation included valuable learning from the first phase of the new reforms and will help design UNICEF’s next strategy, ensuring alignment with gender and other cross-cutting objectives, as well as its alignment with the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) outcomes. The evaluation will maximise opportunities for learning, particularly in relation to informing future strategic decision-making about UNICEF’s co-operation in Uzbekistan in the light of the factors above, and more broadly within UNICEF.