Module 2 The SDG Agenda: No-one left behind Technical Assistance on Evaluating SDGs: Leave No One Behind EvalGender+ Network together with EvalPartners, IOCE and UN Women

Presentation developed by Michael Bamberger and Asela Kalugampitiya based on Chapter 1 of ”Evaluating the Sustainable Development Goals within a “No-one left behind” lens through equity-focused and gender-responsive evaluations”

Outline The origin and goals of the SDGs Comparing the MDGs and SDGs Rethinking evaluation methodology The implications of the data revolution The implications of the EFGR dimensions Tailoring the SDG evaluation to the national contexts.

SDGs

2030 Agenda/SDGs

1. The origin and goals of the SDGs A new world vision – the world we want The principle of universality The challenge of the country-driven focus Prioritizing gender equality and women’s empowerment The focus on social inclusion The SDG agenda is a political agenda

No one left behind!

From MDGs to SDGs Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000-2015) Goal 3:  Promote gender equality and empower women Target 3.A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015 Goal 5: Improve maternal health Target 5.A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio Target 5.B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health Sustainable Development Goals (2016-2030) Goal 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” 9 targets, 14 indicators addressing  multiple concerns (none covered in the MDG framework) Around 34% (58 out of 169) of Targets explicitly or implicitly address GE & EWG Strong emphasis on disaggregation, including by sex and other relevant characteristics to capture intersecting inequalities (TG 17.18; para 74.g)

2. Comparing the SDGs and the MDGs Universality Sustainability Complementarities among all SDGs Cross-cutting SDGs Gender Reducing inequality Gender: focus on underlying causes of inequality – not just measuring targets A normative focus

Comparing SDGs and MDGs [continued] Moving beyond aggregate indicators on gender and reducing inequality: Inequality within and between countries Barriers to achieving gender equality Understanding the complex mechanisms of social control “Were any groups left behind” Focus on gaps between most vulnerable and the poor Evaluations will be designed, implemented and used in a participatory way

3. Rethinking evaluation methodology 1. The main types of evaluation methodology Levels at which the evaluation is conducted Policy level Program level Project level Types of evaluation Policy Formative Developmental summative

2. Key evaluation questions A. Policy evaluation questions Rating policy outcomes in terms of OECD/DAC-type evaluation criteria Relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, sustainability, equality Can changes be attributed to the policy intervention? How influential was donor agency advice? Initial indicators of potential effects of long-term policy interventions Contribution to EFGR outcomes

Key evaluation questions [continued] Formative evaluation questions Likelihood of achieving SDG objectives Effectiveness of implementation Are any sectors excluded? Contribution to EFGR objectives Unintended outcomes

Key evaluation questions [continued] Developmental evaluation questions Mechanisms to ensure all sectors are consulted Are services and benefits reaching all sectors of the population? Are complexity dimensions addressed? Does project implementation have the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances? Do projects contribute to EFGR goals?

Key evaluation questions [continued] Summative evaluation Attribution Did the intervention make a difference? How did it make a difference? Replicability – factors contributing to replicability Is a complexity-responsive design required? Contextual factors affecting different outcomes How does coordination affect outcomes? Contribution to EFGR outcomes

Other methodology dimensions to address The emergence of complexity theory Greater focus on process and context Advances in gender analysis and feminist methodology Intersectionality Using social exclusion framework Advances in mixed-methods evaluation Incorporating values and different voices

4. The implications of the data revolution Rapid increase in the use of smart phones and other hand-held devices New sources of big data Rapid evolution of smart data analytics The next few years will see dramatic changes in how ME data is collected, analyzed and used Great potential but also serious challenges Potential of big data to close gender gaps

5. The implications of the EFGR dimensions More in-depth and broader focus on gender Requiring innovative methodologies combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies Broader social systems analysis required Gender and reducing equalities defined as cross-cutting themes New and more complex methodologies required Need to identify gender and equality dimensions of every SDG Commitment to a participatory focus Implications for who owns the evaluations, how they are organized, disseminated and used

6. Tailoring the SDG evaluations to national, sub-national and local contexts UNDG has prepared a useful guidance note on tailoring the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development to the national context which also provides some general guidance on how to develop country M&E systems. The guidance proposes a 4 step process: Reviewing existing strategies and plans and identifying required areas of change Making initial recommendations to the leadership of the national government Setting nationally relevant targets Formulating strategies and plans using systems thinking

Resources Sustainable Development Goals https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs Evaluating SDGs with an equity-focused and gender-responsive lens http://www.mymande.org/evalgender/SDGs http://mymande.org/evalgender/evaluating-sdgs-equity-focused-and- gender-responsive-lens UN Development Group 2015 “Guidance note: On supporting the tailoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to national contexts”. Version 1.