EIO - Report of "Independent Strategic Evaluation of UNIDO’s Engagement with the Private Sector"

This evaluation assessed UNIDO’s overall approach to private-sector partnerships and their contribution to UNIDO’s overall goals. The evaluation is based on desk research and on the analyses of primary data, which was collected through interviews with private partner representatives and through interviews, and a survey among UNIDO staff with direct or indirect experience in initiating and managing partnerships. The target audience for this report is UNIDO management and personnel as well as external stakeholders of UNIDO, and potential partners. The evaluation found the absence of a clear and coherent partnership strategy that guides both the initiation and management of UNIDO’s private sector engagement. Current practice is the existence of both bottom-up and top-down processes to initiate partnerships, which contributes to increased complexity and potential fragmentation. The evaluation also found scope for improvement in the management and development of UNIDO’s portfolio of partnerships in line with a coherent strategy and the creation of an integrated system of managing and sharing experiences and best practices across UNIDO. The development of a coherent partnership strategy, its implementation in the initiation and management of individual partnerships and UNIDO’s portfolio of partnerships as a whole, as well as the development of a knowledge management system with regard to private partnerships, are recommended.