UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage - Joint Evaluation

This report presents the findings of the evaluation of the first phase of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage (GPECM). The programme is jointly managed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with UNICEF serving as the convener and administrator.

Ending child marriage is a key priority for both UNFPA and UNICEF. The GPECM is designed to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 5.3. The programme is implemented in 12 countries in 4 regions with multiple partners and stakeholders at the national, regional and global levels.

The programme’s strategic objective is to accelerate action to address child marriage by enhancing investments in and support for married and unmarried girls and making visible the corresponding benefits; engaging key actors – including young people as agents of change – in catalysing shifts towards positive gender norms; increasing political support, resources, positive policies and frameworks; and improving the data and evidence base.

The evaluation was conducted between October 2018 and January 2019.The key objective of the evaluation is to provide an independent assessment of progress towards results, sustainability of interventions and programme efficiency and effectiveness, bearing in mind the complexity of operations across the 4 regions and 12 countries. The evaluation highlights good practices and lessons learned from the first phase of implementation to inform future programming.

The evaluation covered the different pro- gramme levels (global, regional and national), focusing on issues related to programme relevance, responsiveness, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. Team members visited three countries for case studies; the other nine countries and four regional offices were handled through desk review and remote interviews.