This chapter presents the results of the outcome analysis, an assessment of crosscutting issues and analysis of the main factors that influenced UNDP performance and contributions to results. The assessment was based on an analysis of the correlation between project results, their contribution to the expected outputs under each outcome, and consequently to the overall outcome objectives.
2.1 Overall programme implementation
and experience, and its strategic positioning, have helped to secure substantial funding for climate change and sustainable development.
Finding 1. Strategic positioning: UNDP has strategically positioned itself as a thought leader and trusted partner of the Government of Viet Nam. Its multipronged, multilevel and multi-stakeholder approaches have helped to strengthen its position as a strong and credible development partner. There is, however, a need for UNDP to rethink its resource allocation strategy for the implementation of new policies and innovations, as this varies across the different outcome areas. UNDP needs to understand and document successes and barriers in the policy and innovation implementation process to better inform future programming and improve sustainability.
Discussions across the portfolios with key informants from government ministries, departments, development partners and civil society highlighted appreciation for the knowledge and technical guidance provided by UNDP. UNDP was praised for its longstanding track record in providing policy and technical advice for poverty reduction, governance and the environment, leveraging policy dialogue to advance policy development and implement reforms, and its ability to work across ministries and institutions. UNDP is also seen by the Government as an impartial and objective broker and facilitator of projects, driven by partner needs and understanding of suitable technological and technical approaches, rather than other agendas tied to donor country politics and global positions. Interviews with stakeholders confirmed the UNDP position as a strategic partner which brings strong technical and policy advisory capacity to address compliance with international conventions and national directives, helping to bridge the gap between international obligations that the country has assumed and the challenge of implementing actions on the ground. This is further confirmed by results from the UNDP 2020 Partnership Survey, which indicate that over 88 percent of partners have a favourable perception of UNDP, 76 percent consider UNDP as a valued partner, and nearly 94 percent think that UNDP plays a relevant role in the country.46
UNDP has played a central role in leading discussions on addressing poverty and inequalities, the utility of the AAA (anticipatory, agile and adaptive) governance concept, enhancing citizen participation and achieving sustainable development in Viet Nam. UNDP has worked closely with the Government, ministries, national research institutions, and the Vietnamese Communist Party’s policy institutions. It has led development partners in the preparation of position papers for SEDS pertaining to the SDGs and sustainable development, climate change, the circular economy and natural resources and environment, and bottleneck and impact analysis to identify accelerated actions to transform Viet Nam’s economy towards green and sustainable pathways. UNDP is also a member of the MPI Ministerial Advisory Group, co-chairs technical groups with ministries, and coordinates and shares relevant information among development partners and government authorities. The extensive UNDP international network
46
16
In the context of declining official development assistance (ODA), UNDP was also seen as responsive to new opportunities, collaborating with different ministries to formulate and submit innovative initiatives to funding agencies. For example,
UNDP Global Partnership Survey, 2020.
INDEPENDENT COUNTRY PROGRAMME EVALUATION: VIET NAM
