Evaluation Brief: India The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted an Independent Country Programme Evaluation (ICPE) of UNDP India in 2021. The evaluation covers the programming period of 2018–2022. This is the third assessment carried out by the IEO for the country; the previous assessment was conducted in 2012. The purpose of the evaluation was to strengthen accountability to national stakeholders and the UNDP Executive Board, promote organizational learning, and inform the development of the next UNDP country programme. India has recorded significant economic growth over last three decades. As the 6th largest in the world, the Indian economy now contributes to 3 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). Notwithstanding major accomplishments in poverty reduction, poverty and hunger continue to be a major challenge. While there have been improvements in healthcare delivery, overall progress remains slow. The country will soon have one of the youngest and largest working age populations in the world. However, only 2.3 percent of the current total workforce has undergone formal skill training. India’s gender equality record is especially concerning. It is estimated that India’s GDP would increase by 27 percent if Indian women had the same access to the job market as men. India has diverse bio-climatic regions: the Himalayas in the north, the arid and semi-arid central region, the tropical rain forests in the south, and a long coastline. India is the third largest energy consumer and fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. Its per capita emissions, however, are less than half of the global average. India is also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is prone to disasters. The current UNDP country programme in India (2018–2022) is part of the United Nations assistance for India, defined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) 2018–2022. UNDP’s work focuses on three interlinked priority areas: institutional and systems strengthening for service delivery; inclusive growth; and energy, environment and resilience. In 2016 and 2017, the country office (CO) set up state offices in four states and one regional office. In 2019, the Accelerator Lab was established.
Expenditure by outcome (Million US$) Outcome 1-Institutional and systems strengthening for service delivery
$62.8 $28.4
Outcome 2-Inclusive growth
$67.3
Outcome 3-Energy, environment and resilience Other crossectional projects
$1.3
INDEPENDENT COUNTRY PROGRAMME EVALUATION: INDIA
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