Fund for Gender Equality evaluations 2011–2015: Meta analysis

UN Women’s multi-donor Fund for Gender Equality (FGE) was launched in 2009 to fast-track commitments to gender equality focused on women’s economic and political empowerment at local, national and regional levels. The Fund provides multi-year grants ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 3 million directly to women’s organizations in developing countries.

The evaluation function is a stated priority of the FGE to ensure institutional accountability, learning, and communication of results. Using a decentralized approach to evaluation in which grant holders, with FGE guidance, undertake independent evaluations using UN standards, the Fund has developed a vast library of evaluation reports in the past six years containing a rich set of findings and recommendations.

This independent meta analysis is a systematic review of findings, conclusions, lessons and recommendations from FGE evaluations produced between 2011 and 2015 that were rated as satisfactory or above according to the UN Women Global Evaluation Report Assessment and Analysis System (GERAAS) standards for evaluation reports.

The primary objective of the meta analysis was to extract, analyse and communicate evidence from high-quality evaluation reports in order to support the FGE to develop constructive lessons for future systematic strengthening of programming, organizational effectiveness and the evaluation function. The meta analysis also provides evidence-based information and insights about what works for whom in regards to women’s political and economic empowerment and the processes and approach of the FGE. Apart from an important internal learning and accountability tool for UN Women, its donors and grantees, the report intends to be of use to women’s rights funders, civil society organizations and development practitioners.