EVALUATION OF UNHCR-LED INITIATIVES TO END STATELESSNESS – FINAL REPORT – VOLUME I
that UNHCR and its partners should take to continue progress on ending statelessness at global,
regional and country levels.
8.
The evaluation questions presented in the ToR were adjusted during the inception phase, reviewed with
the Evaluation Reference Group (comprised of UNHCR stakeholders and external experts on
statelessness) and approved by the ES. Changes to the questions were related to improving clarity and
reducing duplication across questions. The revised evaluation questions are shown in Table 1. A full
evaluation matrix linking key evaluation questions to sub-questions, criteria, indicators, data sources,
collection methods, analysis approach and evaluability is presented in Annex 2.
Table 1 – Key evaluation questions
Revised Evaluation Questions
1
What contributions have UNHCR and partners made at global, regional and country levels to ending
statelessness? To what extent have these contributions led to sustainable and intended results? How does
COVID-19 and other possible crises affect the sustainability of such contributions?
2
To what extent have UNHCR initiatives on statelessness led to demonstrable change in the lives of stateless
people, formerly stateless people and those at risk of statelessness?
3
To what extent have UNHCR and partners successfully implemented actions and activities outlined in the GAP?
What course corrections or alternative activities / interventions are needed from UNHCR to better support States in
implementing the 10 Actions outlined in the GAP and to achieve the goals of the GAP?
4
What promising practices, innovations and other key learning can be distilled from the initiatives of UNHCR and
partners in the case study contexts or other evidence sources?
5
To what extent has UNHCR effectively integrated / mainstreamed actions to end statelessness in its operational
programming, partnering strategies, advocacy efforts, coordination efforts and institutional culture since 2001 to
the midway point of the #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness? How might ongoing institutional reforms and
change processes affect the focus and prioritization of UNHCR and partners' actions to prevent and eliminate
statelessness?
6
What recommendations can be made to further improve UNHCR and partners' strategy for assisting countries in
preventing and reducing statelessness in the future?
9.
The evaluation covered the period of 2001 to 2019, to cover the period since the last UNHCR global
evaluation of statelessness, with particular focus on actions and advocacy efforts of UNHCR and
partners to support the GAP since 2014. The evaluation considered UNHCR-led work and initiatives at
global, regional and country levels including their interconnections.
10. The primary intended users of this evaluation are UNHCR senior management including the High
Commissioner and other members of the Senior Executive Team; in particular the Assistant High
Commissioners for Protection and Operations; Directors for the Divisions of International Protection (DIP)
and External Relations; the Statelessness Section within DIP; Regional Bureau Directors and Country
Representatives. The evaluation is also intended to be of use to external partners, including UN Member
States, civil society partners and all others with an interest in ending statelessness, notably including
affected persons themselves. The evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are intended to
be used by UNHCR leadership, management, and staff to inform the development of priorities, strategies
and tactics to improve statelessness initiatives during the remainder of the campaign, and to develop
UNHCR’s strategic approach for this area of its mandate once the campaign concludes in 2024.
3. Evaluation methodology
11. The evaluation design was based on an iterative process split into five distinct phases. Each phase
included a combination of evaluation activities and key inputs and results in a specific set of deliverables.
An Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) was established by the UNHCR ES to review key deliverables
and provide insights based on their roles and expertise at key points in the evaluation. Annex 14 lists the
members of the ERG.
12. Phase 1 – Inception – During this phase the evaluation team conducted an initial literature review,
assessed stakeholder interests, identified adjustments to the scope and evaluation questions, designed
the evaluation methodology and tools for data collection and proposed adjustments to the evaluation
work plan. Draft field work protocols were reviewed by an independent Global Ethics Committee to
assess risks to persons of concern for remote data collection in the context of COVID-19. Based on the
UNHCR / May, 2021
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