UNICEF Evaluation

UNICEF Malaysia Country Programme #Evaluation (CPE) [2022-2025]. How is UNICEF making a difference for children in Malaysia?    🌱 What's changing? - Better access for stateless & migrant children  - Stronger systems for inclusion & child rights  - Evidence-backed support for #Malaysia's Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 - Future Skills for All (FS4A) digital skills embedded in a formal government initiative   📌 Key lessons from the 2022–2025 Country Programme Evaluation: ✔️ Inclusive policies need strong follow-through  ✔️ Marginalized children face persistent barriers  ✔️ Data gaps limit impact  🛠️ Recommendations  - Strengthen inter-agency coordination and data systems.  - Expand social protection coverage, especially for undocumented children.  - Invest in inclusive education and mental health services.  - Prioritize care reform and professionalize the social service workforce.     🔗 Read the full #evaluation: https://lnkd.in/eyceiA22 👈   #UNICEF #Malaysia #ChildRights #LeaveNoChildBehind #SocialProtection #ForEveryChild Beijie Lai, Jane Mwangi, Wassana Kulpisitthicharoen, Peter Leth, Mohammed Shafiqul Islam, PhD, Mercy Kolok, Kerry Albright, Robert McCouch

It’s Global Handwashing Day 🌍🧼 Handwashing saves lives but only when it’s practiced consistently and supported by strong systems. That’s why UNICEF Evaluation champions Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes that go beyond awareness to create lasting change. Evaluating WASH programmes helps UNICEF and partners ensure that hygiene interventions are effective, inclusive, and sustainable. It tells us whether handwashing stations are accessible, whether behavior change is happening, and whether communities are truly empowered. 💧 On this #GlobalHandwashingDay, let’s celebrate clean hands and commit to measuring impact. Because every child deserves safe water, sanitation, and hygiene and strong data helps us deliver it. Here’s how evaluation is shaping WASH results across eight countries https://lnkd.in/dsGJtP29 Kerry Albright Robert McCouch Mercy Kolok Elke Johanna de Buhr Beth Plowman UNICEF Côte d'Ivoire UNICEF Burkina Faso UNICEF Niger UNICEF Nigeria UNICEF Tanzania UNICEF Moçambique #WASH #GlobalHandwashingDay #CleanHandsHealthyLives #ImpactMatters #ForEveryChild

UNICEF Evaluation celebrates the rising generation of evaluators who are not only stepping forward with purpose but reaching back to lift others with them. Their commitment to mentorship is shaping a future where growth is shared, and impact is multiplied. Tag an evaluator who inspires you and is mentoring others! Let’s recognize and amplify their leadership. Rai Sengupta Kerry Albright Robert McCouch UNICEF India

“Evaluation is no longer a retrospective rear-view-mirror assessment; it is a key source of healthy risk management.” – Robert McCouch, Director of Evaluation From 7–9 October, Robert McCouch and Souraya Hassan.H West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCAR) Regional Evaluation Adviser, joined the WCAR Regional Management Team meeting in Dakar. During a panel discussion, Mr. McCouch emphasized the strategic role of evaluation in guiding development, managing risk, and optimizing resources to deliver better results for children. We are proud to see evaluation positioned as a forward-looking tool that strengthens decision-making and accountability across UNICEF. How is your team using evaluation to manage risk and drive results? Share your experiences, insights, or questions in the comments below. We would love to hear from you. #UNICEFEvaluation #ResultsForChildren #StrategicEvaluation #RiskManagement #LearningAndAccountability #UNICEFWCAR #EvaluationLeadership

How can we strengthen programming to address both collective and interpersonal violence in fragile settings?   This question was at the heart of the opening keynote by Amber Peterman, Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF at the #FragileLives conference last month in Berlin, hosted by the International Security and Development Center (ISDC).   Representing UNICEF Evaluation, Amber shared insights into the dual burden of violence faced by children and families across the globe, and how integrated approaches across sectors can create synergies to reduce harm.   UNICEF was also represented by UNICEF Egypt’s Natalia Winder Rossi who joined a policy panel on empowering women and girls, highlighting the importance of generating evidence with and for girls to inform transformative policy.   A heartfelt thank you to Amber and Natalia for their thoughtful contributions and for representing #UNICEF so powerfully.   Check out the program & all presentations here:  https://lnkd.in/eMK6HawX We look forward to engaging further on evidence, innovation and policy discussions with & for children in settings of fragility across the globe 🙏🏽 Kerry Albright Robert McCouch Mercy Kolok

To mark the #DayOfTheGirl, we spotlight @UNICEF ESARO’s formative #evaluation on gender-transformative programming in Eastern & Southern Africa. 📊 Findings show: ✅ Investments in adolescent girls’ leadership boost voice, agency & social inclusion ✅ Promising practices: mentorship, upskilling, capacity-building ✅ Outcomes: stronger individual empowerment, but gaps in youth participation & policy alignment remain 🔍 Recommendations: ➡️ Strengthen financial and human resources & youth engagement ➡️ Embed gender-transformative approaches across systems ➡️ Scale inclusive models for lasting impact ➡️ Men/boys engagement and involvement to promote positive masculinities and gender equality. 📘 Explore the evaluation: http://bit.ly/4mNXri7 #GirlsLead #GenderEquality #YouthEmpowerment #UNICEF #Leadership #ESAR Kerry Albright Robert McCouch Erica Mattellone Barsha Pradhan Mercy Kolok

From Policy to Practice: Girls’ Rights in Focus For #InternationalDayoftheGirl, marked every 11 October, we spotlight UNICEF’s journey in advancing gender equality through its Gender Policy and Action Plans. Between 2018–2023, UNICEF supported adolescent girls with access to education, digital skills, health services, and leadership opportunities—from robotics clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina to storytelling and youth parliaments in Egypt. As we move toward the 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, UNICEF is doubling down on its commitment to adolescent girls as agents of change. Evaluation insights are shaping stronger, more inclusive programming that engages girls, boys, families, and communities. 📖 Read the full story of progress, challenges, and future vision:   🔗 https://lnkd.in/d7EabNUa #GenderEquality #AdolescentGirls #UNICEFEvaluation #IDG2025 #GirlsLead #FromPolicyToPractice Barsha Pradhan Erica Mattellone Giuliano Bianchini Kyra Variyava Kerry Albright Robert McCouch

UNICEF Evaluation's latest report on #MentalHealth and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) from 2018-2021 highlights the crucial strides made in supporting mental well-being globally. This #EvaluativeBaseline provides insights into strategies, programmes, and achievements that pave the way for future improvements. 🧠 Key Findings: The Strategic Plan 2018–2021 gave limited attention to MHPSS. The lack of theories of change limited the strategic and conceptual focus of MHPSS interventions. By mid-cycle, corporate priorities had evolved substantially in response to learning needs and the urgency spread due to effects of the COVID pandemic and mitigating actions taken by governments (e.g. school closures). The mid-term review of the Strategic Plan reflected the change; MHPSS was included in the revised guidance for emergencies (Core Commitments for Children), and it became a global advocacy priority for #UNICEF. Central to the new positioning is the new global framework on MHPSS; this is geared towards country offices and partners, is financially supported and provides a comprehensive approach, building on UNICEF’s multisectoral strengths (child protection, education and health). 📖 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/ehSbnwt5 👈 #MentalHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay #Evaluation #UNICEF Eduard Bonet, Beth Plowman, Zlata Bruckauf, Mercy Kolok, Kerry Albright, Robert McCouch

Why evaluating mental health during emergencies matters  When crises hit, whether conflict, disaster, or displacement, mental health support becomes essential. But how do we know if it is working?  Evaluation helps us understand what is reaching people, what is making a difference, and what needs to change. It is not just about data, but about people, their stories, and their healing.  As evaluators, we have a responsibility to look deeper. To ask the right questions. To ensure mental health programs not only help but heal. When we evaluate mental health programs well, we are not just improving services; we are affirming that every person’s wellbeing matters.    #WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealthMatters #EvaluationForImpact #EvidenceWithEmpathy #UNICEF #Evaluation Robert McCouch, Kerry Albright, Mercy Kolok, Gabriel Ortega Hernández

In recognition of #WorldMentalHealthDay, see this UNICEF Evaluation report focusing on the impact of #MentalHealth and Psychosocial Support (#MHPSS) interventions. Seven reports resulted from the Impact Feasibility Assessment (IFA) of #UNICEF MHPSS interventions, where interventions were assessed and conditions identified to conduct rigorous impact evaluations across diverse contexts. Key Findings: The IFA identified significant evidence gaps, particularly in digital interventions, early and middle childhood outcomes, caregiver mental health, and in general across sub-Saharan Africa and Europe and Central Asia—especially outside humanitarian settings. Four types of interventions were identified and used to demonstrate robust evaluation designs based on counterfactuals. Key recommendations to prepare for impact evaluations in MHPSS interventions include promoting stakeholder buy-in of evaluations, integrating qualitative methods, adapting measurement tools locally, ensuring implementation fidelity and planning for long-term data collection, ensuring gender and age sensitivity, and strengthening local evaluation capacity. For more details, read this #evaluation report: https://lnkd.in/eyJEmh89 👈 Beth Plowman, Zlata Bruckauf, Eduard Bonet, Mercy Kolok, Kerry Albright, Robert McCouch