Frequently asked questions

Evaluation is a systematic assessment of a programme, project, strategy or policy to understand what’s working, what is not and why. It focuses on learning and improvement. Evaluation uses participatory methods involving stakeholders, and all evaluations are public documents along with their management responses.

Unlike monitoring, which tracks activities during implementation, or audit, which assesses compliance and internal controls using risk assessments, evaluations identify lessons learned for longer-term planning and are a key part of the results-based management cycle. They help ensure accountability, performance improvement and informed decision-making and planning.

Independent evaluation plays a vital role in strengthening WHO’s effectiveness, accountability and transparency. It provides evidence to improve programmes, supports strategic planning, provides real-time learning, helps allocate resources wisely and demonstrates WHO’s value to Member States, donors and partners.

Independent evaluation is essential for ensuring Member States’ and donors’ trust in WHO.

WHO evaluates a wide range of areas of work and organizational systems, including policies, strategies, programmes, projects, administrative, managerial and governance systems, partnerships and related mechanisms, headquarter divisions or departments, regional and country offices, and institutional or thematic priorities.

Evaluations can be organization-wide or focused on specific levels of the Organization and/or entities, countries or areas of work.

Evaluations are timed to support decision-making at different possible points in the life cycle of the intended evaluation object. For example, evaluations are often carried at a mid-pint of a multi-year strategy or programme or at the end of the latter. Evaluations and the lessons identified are key to development of successor strategies or programmes.

Different evaluation methodologies are used respectively as follows:

• Formative evaluations are conducted during implementation to inform improvements.
• Summative evaluations happen at or after completion to assess results and impact.
• Real-time evaluations occur early in emergency responses to support rapid learning.
• Developmental evaluation approaches (highly participatory) are used to enhance buy-in and facilitate change, particularly for innovative or complex systems or initiatives.

There are several guiding factors:

• Through consultations within WHO evaluations can be identified for inclusion in the organization-wide evaluation biennial evaluation workplan, presented to the Executive Board (January of the beginning year) for its review/approval.
• The new evaluation coverage norms defined by the Evaluation Policy (2025).
• Of the latter, programmes/projects with a life-of-project budget of US$ 10 million need to plan for an evaluation, to include a specific evaluation budget line.
• A decision or resolution of the governing bodies may require an evaluation (or a governing body-approved strategy, for example, containing an evaluation requirement).
• Evaluations may be required by donor agreements or submitted as part of proposals.
• When a Country Office is planning for its next Country Cooperation Strategy.
• Evaluations can be initiated in the context of a given department, programme, strategy’s evolution – including when there are delivery challenges, strong performance worth replicating, or strategic needs. If not pre-determined, WHO’s internal guidelines are used to assess whether and when an evaluation should take place. Any business owner can plan for an evaluation. For further support, please contact evaluation@who.int.
• Within the Secretariat, evaluations can be included and integrated into the Programme Budget operational planning process (organization-wide).

In conducting an independent evaluation, whether corporate, decentralized or a Country Programme Evaluation, there are factors and steps as follows:

• The Evaluation Office or Regional Office evaluation officers take the lead in conceiving and designing the evaluation in collaboration with the business owner.
• The business owner whose programme, organizational entity or other object will be evaluated cannot manage the evaluation (to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure credibility and impartiality).
• The Evaluation Office or Regional Office evaluators develop the initial scoping and terms of reference in collaboration with the business owner. In most cases, the business owner will be asked to secure/allocate the necessary resources.
• The evaluation manager (either the Evaluation Office, Regional evaluation focal points) will conduct any contracting of expert independent consultants or LTAs, organize Evaluation Reference and/or Management Groups, and oversee the conduct of the evaluation, including quality assuring various products.
• Key components of an evaluation cycle: Terms of Reference, inception report, data collection and analysis, consultation on findings and recommendations, report writing (typically several drafts).
• Business centers being evaluated will be asked to support the evaluation by providing documentation, participating in key informant interviews and supporting any logistics, if required (e.g., a case study).

Evaluators will have discrete requests for the programme that should not be onerous. These include:

• (a) obtaining relevant documents (for desk review);
• (b) lists of potential key informants to interview (conducted by the evaluator);
• (c) produce any summary programme cost data (e.g., from GSM/BMS); and
• (d) participate in one or two stakeholder workshops.

Evaluations typically take six to eight months, depending on the complexity and choice of implementing partner and related procurement mechanism.

A credible evaluation is impartial, transparent and based on sound methods and adheres to evaluation standards and be quality assured. It includes stakeholder perspectives and uses valid, reliable data. For an evaluation to be useful, its findings and recommendations must be timely, clearly presented and relevant to decision-makers’ needs.

Findings help improve programmes, revise strategies, policies, plans, guide strategic decisions and future planning, and enhance accountability. An important part of evaluation planning with business owners is to develop a specific dissemination plan to ensure timely communication of the results. Using participatory methods can also significantly increase buy-in and use of evaluation recommendations. WHO requires formal management responses to evaluations, and progress on implementing recommendations is tracked to ensure follow-up and learning.

Evaluation findings and recommendations are used by a wide range of stakeholders – WHO leadership, programme teams, regional and country offices, Member States, donors, and partners – to inform planning, strengthen accountability, and improve programme effectiveness.

All WHO evaluation reports are published on the WHO Evaluation website, and on some Regional Office websites