The ILO has reinforced its commitment to transparency, effectiveness and organizational learning by establishing a more substantial, effective and independent evaluation function in the ILO. In 2005, the ILO established a central Evaluation Unit and revised its policy to conform to United Nations norms and standards for evaluation.
The ILO evaluation policy specifies five types of evaluation:
- Strategy and policy evaluation
- Country programme evaluation
- Thematic evaluation
- Project evaluation
- Internal review
Annual reporting of the evaluation function at ILO:
EVAL reports to the Governing Body every year during the November session. This year's November 2010 report will present a strategy and policy evaluation on social security and two high-level country evaluations on Kyrgyzstan and the United Republic of Tanzania. Summaries of high level evaluations are available as Governing Body documents (right menu). The full evaluations are available through our section on either Country Programme Evaluations or Strategic Evaluations.
In each Annual Evaluation Report, the unit compiles a list of the independent project evaluations conducted during the reporting period. Summaries of these are available under Project Evaluations. There is a free text search box in the right menu of the Evaluation Reports page, with the additional option of searching by year. For Spanish and French evaluation reports, please click on the other language versions of the website.
Additionally, the summaries can be searched through the Eval i-Track Database. Go to http://www.ilo.org/itrack and conduct a search: in "Document Type" select Evaluation Summary, and additionally you may select a "Region" to refine your query results. For questions concerning i-Track searches, please email the database administrator.
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Internal guidance documents and internal evaluations are listed on the EVAL Intranet site only.
Independent External Evaluation of the evaluation function at ILO (2010):
The ILO is currently conducting an independent external evaluation of the evaluation function, as mandated in its original policy document in 2005. The Terms of Reference have been finalized for submission to the Governing Body, November 2009 and can be consulted in English, Spanish and French language versions. (See Evaluation Reports under the title "Terms of reference of the independent external evaluation of ILO's evaluation function".)
Key elements of ILO's evaluation policy
Strengthening independent and strategic evaluations within the ILO
This includes the drafting of a revised set of priorities and guidelines for selection, scheduling and financing independent evaluations.
Reinforcing self-evaluation as a management tool
Based upon the ILO's commitment to managing for results, EVAL advises on improved practices for self-assessment and participatory internal review to facilitate organizational learning and re-alignment.
Building evaluation capacity and accountability within the ILO
Through improved oversight of evaluation activities and upgrading knowledge management systems and practices linked to evaluation work.
Knowledge development
Learn from evaluations which approaches work and which don’t and why in order to continuously improve ILO’s technical work.