Early Lessons and Evaluability of the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery MPTF

Since early 2020, the world has struggled with the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating impact on our society, healthcare, and economy. The pandemic is reversing crucial progress on SDGs during the decade of action. Because of the terrible toll this pandemic has taken, it is a moral imperative for the UN Development System to learn timely shared lessons to better manage its efforts to support the world to recover better.

This report was commissioned by the SG’s Designate for COVID-19 in line with the SG’s April 2020 report on the quadrennial policy review to evaluate COVID-19 MPTF as a system-wide evaluation. It represents a first effort to realise the potential of System-Wide Evaluation as an approach to contribute to shared learning and provide an assessment of mutual accountability. This report has been produced in a timely manner so as not to be too late to make a difference in providing lessons to recover better.

It is hoped that the report will contribute to member states’ and UN entities’ understanding of the value of pooled funds as an incentive for the UN Development System to work together and the importance of collaborative work on strengthening gender, disability inclusion, leave no one behind, and human rights.