This evaluation is being conducted in accordance with UNCDF’s commitments under its Evaluation Plan 2022-2025[1] and in line with UNDP’s Evaluation Policy[2] (to which UNCDF is party) which sets out a number of guiding principles and key norms for evaluation in the organization following the Norms and Standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG)[3].

Amongst the norms that the Policy seeks to uphold, the most important are that the evaluation exercise be independent and provide technically and methodologically credible findings that are useful and relevant to support evidence-based programme management.

With this in mind, the evaluation has been designed with the following overall objectives:

·       To allow UNCDF and partners to meet their accountability and learning objectives;

·       To capture good practices and lessons learned;

·       To inform the updating of UNCDF global strategies within the 2022-2025 Strategic Framework as well as the design of the new Strategic Framework and the organisational repositioning in line with UNCDF’s mandate.[4]

The final evaluation is expected to assess the results of the intervention to date (direct and indirect, whether intended or not) across SGAC full theory of change in a sample of cities and countries in which SGAC has been active, from its first year of implementation.

Critical to this evaluation is the assessment of the effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the intervention and instruments in promoting sustainable urbanization in ASEAN cities that reduces environmental footprint and improve the quality of life for citizens.

The specific objectives of the evaluation are:

·       To assist UNCDF and partners to understand the relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, and the likely pathways towards impact and sustainability of SGAC while understanding the context and challenges in which SGAC operates.

·       More specifically, to understand the programme’s results in strengthening subnational capacity for green and smart city development, enhancing implementation of green and smart city solutions in the selected cities, and increasing exchanges of green and smart city management practices from the EU and ASEAN, at the subnational level.

·       To assess UNCDF’s contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment and the broader LNOB agenda.

·       As final evaluation, to validate the theory of change and instruments and tools deployed to meet the programme’s objectives.

·       To understand better how SGAC is working with UN agencies and other UNCDF programmes as well as with national and international partners in achieving its objectives.