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This paper provides a summary of the key findings and conclusions of the system-wide evaluation on progress towards a new generation of United Nations country teams for information in advance of the publication of the evaluation report. The evaluation was requested by the UNSDG and was conducted between August 2024 and May 2025. It provides lessons and insights on two key elements of the repositioning of the United Nations development system proposed by the Secretary-General in 2017, and mandated by Member States in 2018 (A/RES/72/279):

1. Alignment/derivation: the status of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework as the ¡®most important instrument for the planning and implementation of United Nations development activities in each country¡¯ ¨C i.e. that UNSDG entity programmes are ¡®derived from¡¯ and ¡®aligned with¡¯ Cooperation Frameworks
2. United Nations country team configuration: the extent to which UNCTs are able to (re)configure to deliver shared results in response to the priorities set out in Cooperation Frameworks

The evaluation provides independent analysis on how these reform elements have been implemented and their contribution to the wider goal of a more coherent, effective, efficient, and accountable United Nations development system.

This annual report provides an update on the functioning and the work of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) System-Wide Evaluation Office. This report is presented pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/226 which requests the Executive Director to present the annual report to the Economic and Social Council at its operational activities for the development segment. The Office was established, as set out in the Secretary-General¡¯s report (A/72/684-E/2018/7), to provide a unique function of assessing the system-wide contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. Since the appointment of its first Executive Director in September 2023, the System-wide Evaluation Office advanced on a series of administrative and evaluative matters, including releasing the UNSDG System-Wide Evaluation Policy and a series of evaluations. Despite the initial success establishing the office, the scarcity of financial resources for the office has hindered the ability of the office to provide evaluations at the pace intended and presents longer term concerns about the ability of the office to survive with limited voluntary resources. The report highlights the value and strategic importance of the work of the SWEO in meeting the expectations of the General Assembly first affirmed in resolution 64/289. It provides information on the system-wide evaluation function, highlighting learning from system-wide evaluation activities, the main achievements for 2024, including the adoption of the UNSDG System-Wide Evaluation Policy. It also presents the 2025 programme of work and budget for the System-Wide Evaluation Office and the resourcing plans, and information on country-level United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework evaluations.

Highlighting the value of mapping and summarizing evaluation evidence across the UN system, this paper highlights the process followed, introduces the summaries and maps developed and the main lessons learned for improving UN evaluations and policy-making.

This document is part of the Final Evaluation of the Spotlight Initiative. The Management Response Action Plan to Implement the Recommendations includes a table with recommendations and action points, management response and actions, action lead office, and status.

The Value for Money Assessment of the Spotlight Initiative responds to observations in the European Court of Auditors¡¯ Special Report on the Spotlight Initiative. It assesses the economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity of the Spotlight Initiative, to inform the evaluation.

The Value for Money Assessment of the Spotlight Initiative responds to observations in the European Court of Auditors¡¯ Special Report on the Spotlight Initiative. Here a brief version of the assessment and main findings.

The evaluation assessed the Spotlight Initiative's overall performance, including its contribution to United Nations Development System reform. It informs the design of the next phase of the Spotlight Initiative. It presents findings under seven main areas of investigation including lessons learned.

The evaluation assessed the Spotlight Initiative's overall performance, including its contribution to United Nations Development System reform. It informs the design of the next phase of the Spotlight Initiative. Here, the body of annexes accompanying the main full evaluation report.

The evaluation assessed the Spotlight Initiative's overall performance, including its contribution to United Nations Development System reform. It informs the design of the next phase of the Spotlight Initiative. Here a brief version of the evaluation and main findings.

Â鶹´«Ã½ development system reform calls for more coherent, accountable, and effective support to help Member States achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Driven by the vision and proposals of the UN Secretary-General, the reform was mandated by the General Assembly (GA) in 2018 and includes a reinvigorated Resident Coordinator (RC) System and a new generation of UN Country Teams (UNCT) delivering shared results in response to national development needs and priorities.

In this context, GA Resolutions 72/279 and 75/233 have recognised UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks as the ¡°most important instrument for the planning and implementation of UN development activities in each country¡±.

The Terms of Reference captures the background, objectives, scope, evaluation criteria, team and timeline of the ongoing system-wide evaluation of the Country Programmes aligning with UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, and UN Country Team configurations emerging from this reform.