System-Wide Evaluation Office
The first Annual Report of SWEO is published!
The 2024 Annual Report provides an update on the work and achievements of the office and highlights lessons learned from system-wide evaluation activities. It also sets out the programme of work for 2025 and details of Cooperation Framework Evaluations at country level. The report will be presented at the Operational Activities for Development Segment of ECOSOC, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 79/226.
The official publication is available in all 6 UN languages on the . View the annual report in our document library
About What We Do
The United Nations Sustainable Development Group System-Wide Evaluation Office (SWEO) is responsible for the provision of independent evaluation evidence to strengthen learning, transparency, and accountability, to incentivize joint work and collective learning, and to conduct system-wide evaluations and advance evidence on the United Nations development system’s contribution towards achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
To ensure independence, impartiality, and credibility, the UNSDG SWEO is a standalone independent office within the United Nations Secretariat. It provides leadership and strategic guidance for the system-wide evaluation function in accordance with the UNSDG System-Wide Evaluation policy. The Office is led by the , reporting directly to the Secretary-General, but exercising operational independence in the performance of the evaluation function.
What is a System-Wide Evaluation?
- A system-wide evaluation is an impartial assessment of the United Nations development system’s overall results and performance.
- Its goal is to provide comprehensive support to address the challenges of the 2030 Agenda and achieve the SDGs.
- These evaluations focus on collective results across the UN system, beyond what individual accountability measures can address.
- Unlike joint evaluations, system-wide evaluations assess the performance of the entire system, not individual agencies.
- The purpose is to promote accountability and learning, offering credible, evidence-based insights that inform timely decision-making across the UN development system.
Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs
System-Wide Evaluations
Conduct system-wide evaluations and advance evidence on the UN development system's contribution towards achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
Independent Evaluation Evidence
Contribute independent evaluation evidence to strengthen learning, transparency and accountability to inform decision-making across the UN development system.
Collective Learning
Incentivize joint work and collective learning among UN development system entities to achieve the goals and targets set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UNSDG System-Wide Evaluation Policy
Learn about the rationale, purpose, scope, and definitions for system-wide evaluation, as well as the guiding principles, evaluation procedures, and mechanisms for maximizing the use of evaluation evidence in the UNSDG System-Wide Evaluation Policy.
Latest Evaluation Evidence
SWEO has an important role in strengthening the learning and use of UN evaluation evidence. The latest evaluation reports, digital evidence maps, and summaries of evaluation evidence are here:
Evaluation Reports
- Evaluation of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy
- System-wide evaluation on progress towards a "new generation of United Nations country teams"
- Final Evaluation of the Spotlight Initiative
- Value for Money Assessment of the Spotlight Initiative
Maps
Summaries
- UN System-Wide Evaluation Evidence Summary for the Resident Coordinator System
- UN System-Wide Evaluation Evidence Summary for the UN Development Systems Regional Architecture
- UN System-Wide Evaluation Evidence Summary for the Building a Whole of System Response to Complex Settings
- UN System-Wide Evaluation Evidence Summary of Funding Quality
- UN System-Wide Evaluation Evidence Summary Food Systems
Publications
All of our documents are available in English and can be found in our document library.