Tajikistan

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

E264: Enhancing coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts

I. Purpose The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the objectives of the UNECE project E264 “Enhancing coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts” were achieved.

The evaluation will assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the project.

The evaluation will also assess any impacts the project may have had on progressing human rights, gender equality, disability inclusion, climate change and disaster risk reduction in the context of this engagement. The evaluation will finally look at the activities repurposed to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and assess, to the extent possible, UNECE’s COVID-19 early response through this project.

II. Background The project aimed at increasing the capacity of countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of international statistical standards. The activities of the project included the following four modules:

1) Methods and compilation techniques for implementation of the 2008 SNA and supporting economic statistics.

2) Price statistics - development of price indices and deflators for national accounts aggregates. 3) Statistical business registers - improving coverage and accuracy of national statistical business

registers. 4) Expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and

remittances.

The activities were carried out in cooperation with other international and regional partners, including CIS-STAT, EFTA, Eurostat, ILO, IMF, OECD and World Bank.

III. Evaluation objectives, scope and questions The evaluation will be guided by the objectives, indicators of achievement and means of verification established in the logical framework of the project document. The evaluation will be conducted in Q3 of 2023. It will cover the full implementation of the project, from June 2017 to June 2023 in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan)

The final evaluation of the project has the following specific objectives:

• Determine as systematically and objectively as possible the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the project results in light of its goals and objectives.

• Assess how the project activities contributed to gender equality and women’ s empowerment, as well as the realization of human rights, with an emphasis on ‘leaving no one behind’ and, if needed, it will make recommendations on how these considerations can be better addressed in future activities of the subprogramme.

• Identify good practices and lessons learned from the project and formulate action-oriented, forward-looking recommendations addressed to the subprogramme for improving future interventions.

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The evaluation criteria are relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.

Relevance 1. To what extent was the project design appropriate for meeting the needs of beneficiary

countries? 2. To what extent did the project respond to the priorities and needs of national statistical offices

in beneficiary countries? How relevant were the project activities to the countries’ needs and priorities?

3. To what extent was the project aligned with the SDGs? 4. What takeaways are there for ensuring relevance of future projects of UNEE Statistical

Division? 5. To what extent were gender, human rights and disability perspectives integrated into the design

and implementation of the project? What results can be identified from these actions? How can gender and human rights perspectives be better included in future projects design and implementation?

Effectiveness

6. To what extent were the project objectives and expected results achieved? 7. To what extent did the project improve the competencies of national statistical offices in the

beneficiary countries to produce and use macroeconomic statistics in their countries? 8. To what extent are the project activities coherent and harmonized with those of other partners

operating within the same context, particularly those of other UN system entities? 9. What were the challenges/obstacles (including COVID-19 and sub-regional instability) to

achieving the expected results? How successfully did the project overcome these? 10. What (if anything) has prevented the project from achieving the desired results?

Efficiency

11. Were the resources adequate for achieving the results? 12. Were the results achieved on time and were all activities organized efficiently? 13. To what extent were the resources used economically and how could the use of resources be

improved? Sustainability

14. What measures were adopted to ensure that project outcomes would continue after the project ended and to what extent have these measures addressed the existing risks for sustainability?

15. To what extent do the partners and beneficiaries ‘own’ the outcomes of the work? How is the stakeholders’ engagement likely to continue, be scaled up, replicated, or institutionalized?

IV. Evaluation approach and methodology The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with: the ECE Evaluation Policy1; the Administrative instruction guiding Evaluation in the UN Secretariat 2; and the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation3. Human rights and gender equality considerations will be integrated at all stages of the evaluation4: (i) in the evaluation scope and questions; (ii) in the methods, tools and data analysis techniques; (iii) in the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the final report. The evaluator will explicitly explain how human rights, gender, disability, SDGs, and climate change considerations will be taken into account during the evaluation.

1 UNECE Evaluation policy 2 ST/AI/2021/3 3 UNEG 2016 Norms and Standards for Evaluation 4 In line with UNEG Guidance contained in Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluations

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The evaluator is required to use a mixed-method approach, including qualitative as well as quantitative data gathering and analysis as the basis for a triangulation exercise of all available data to draw conclusions and findings.

The evaluation should be conducted based on the following mixed methods to triangulate information:

1. A desk review of all relevant documents, including the project document and information on project activities (monitoring data); materials developed in support of the activities (agendas, plans, participant lists, background documents, donor reports and publications); Proposed programme budgets covering the evaluation period; project reports to the donor.

2. Online survey of key stakeholders and beneficiaries: the survey will be developed by the consultant on her/his preferred platform.

3. Interviews (in-person and/or by telephone/video): the evaluator shall interview a wide range of diverse stakeholders and beneficiaries.

4. Remote observation of virtual workshops and meetings, including recordings of meetings.

The evaluator will further elaborate on the evaluation methodology in the Inception Report that will among others include the survey questions and whether any of the 12 countries will be selected for an in-depth assessment. The evaluation report will be written in English, will consist of approximately 30 pages and will include an executive summary (max. 2 pages) describing the evaluation methodology, key findings, conclusions and recommendations. The evaluator will also produce an Evaluation Brief summarizing key evaluation findings, lessons learned and recommendations, including through images and infographics.

V. Evaluation schedule5 May 2023 ToR finalized June 2023 Evaluator selected June 2023 Contract signed. Evaluator starts the desk review July 2023 Evaluator submits inception report including survey design August 2023 Launch of data gathering, including survey and interviews September 2023 Evaluator submits draft evaluation report and evaluation brief October 2023 Evaluator submits final evaluation report and evaluation brief

VI. Resources and Management of the evaluation An independent consultant will be engaged to conduct the evaluation under the management of the PMU. Payment will be made upon satisfactory delivery of work. The Programme Management Unit (PMU) will manage the evaluation and will be involved in the following steps: Selection of the evaluator; Preparation and clearance of the Terms of Reference; Provision of guidance to the Project Manager and evaluator as needed on the evaluation design and methodology; Clearance of the final report after quality assurance of the draft report. The Project Manager, in consultation with the Division Director, will be involved in the following steps: Provide all documentation needed for desk review, contact details, support and guidance to the evaluation consultant as needed throughout the timeline of the evaluation; Advise the evaluator on the recipients for the questionnaire and for follow-up interviews; Process and manage the consultancy contract of the evaluator, along the key milestones agreed with PMU.

5 Final timetable to be agreed following engagement of the evaluator

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VII. Intended use / Next steps The results of the evaluation will be used in the planning and implementation of future activities of the UNECE Economic Cooperation and Integration Subprogramme. Findings of this evaluation will be used when possible to:

• improve direct project’s follow up actions, implementation of products by project beneficiaries and dissemination of the knowledge created through the project;

• assess the gaps and further needs of countries in the area of this project; • formulate tailored capacity building projects to strengthen the national capacity in enhancing

innovation. The results of the evaluation will be reported to the Conference of European Statisticians Following the issuance of the final report, the Project Manager will develop a Management Response for addressing the recommendations made by the evaluator. The final evaluation report, the management response and the progress on implementation of recommendations will be publicly available on the UNECE website.

VIII. Criteria for evaluators The evaluator should have:

1. An advanced university degree or equivalent background in relevant disciplines. 2. Knowledge of and experience in working on data and statistics; knowledge of and experience in

economic statistics desirable. 3. Relevant professional experience in design and management of evaluation processes with multiple

stakeholders, survey design and implementation, project planning, monitoring and management, gender mainstreaming and human-rights due diligence.

4. Demonstrated methodological knowledge of evaluations, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for end-of-cycle project evaluations, including demonstrated experience in conducting questionnaires and interviews.

5. Fluency in written and spoken English.

Evaluators should declare any conflict of interest to UNECE before embarking on an evaluation project, and at any point where such conflict occurs.

EVALUATION BRIEF

Enhancing coherence and integration of

economic and social statistics in support of

the implementation of 2008 System of

National Accounts (SNA)

UNECE PROJECT E264 – 2017-2023

BACKGROUND

Since 2010, the UNECE has been actively working to support the implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts and supporting statistics in countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia (EECCA). This project was intended to enable the UNECE in carrying out its mandate to support its implementation in the region and build on the activities and progress achieved since 2010. The project was part of the ECASTAT regional trust fund established by the World Bank for assisting countries to improve their statistical systems. The work on the project was guided by the Steering Group on National Accounts. METHODOLOGY The evaluation was conducted using a mixed- method approach to assess whether the planned objectives were met and to assess their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. Cross-cutting issues such as human rights and gender equality were considered at all stages of the evaluation. The review consisted of a desk review of over 75 available project documents, analysis of the results from the two on-line surveys designed for the purpose of this evaluation and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders/partners to gather more information and assessment of results. Key findings were triangulated and presented in line with the questions contained in the Evaluation Matrix. FINDINGS

The evaluation determined that the project was fully relevant to the objective of the UNECE to increase the capacity of target countries in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of the 2008 SNA and other relevant international standards by focusing on the outstanding

priorities identified by the countries. The needs of the countries formed the basis of regional workshops and special sessions designed to address their specific issues or challenges.

The evaluation determined that the project was effective by deploying both traditional and innovative methods to ensure that the objectives and results were achieved. The project consisted of four-interrelated modules with the goal to enhance coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of 2008 SNA. All activities were completed, and additional ones added with the project extension.

The most significant challenge the project faced was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. All planned results for 2020 were delayed and had to be realigned. The UNECE quickly adapted to the new global reality and implemented the use of online/virtual meetings to continue the momentum of the project during unprecedented times.

The evaluation determined that the project efficiently achieved its objectives within the allocated budget and adjusted timeframe. The savings associated with the new way of doing business (described above) and the UNECE’s ability to draw on established partnerships to obtain additional resources through in-kind or financial contributions, extended the project to the benefit of the targeted countries. A no-cost extension (granted from 2020-2023) expanded the scope of the project to address outstanding issues, identified by the EECCA countries, resulting from the pandemic.

The benefits of the project will continue after its completion although there will be some challenges. By nature of their mandates, the UNECE Statistical Division and the Steering Group on National Accounts are committed to maintaining and progressing the work undertaken during the project. For the EECCA countries, lack of funding, insufficient experienced staff, staff turnover and limited technical capabilities are likely to be a significant challenge in sustaining the work.

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CONCLUSIONS

The evaluation has determined that the project met is overall aim and achieved its stated objectives. However, the following limitations were identified and should be considered in future action plans. All UNECE work is designed to be as inclusive as possible, however the human rights dimension is a difficult aspect to cover. The human rights dimension was not incorporated in the project proposal and the project outcomes make no explicit reference to human rights. It was evident through the evaluation that women and youth were involved in the project activities and in the evaluation process. However, no gender consideration was recorded in the project’s proposal and no indicator established. It was difficult to determine whether the knowledge and expertise of the staff in national statistical offices improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations in practice increased. To properly assess these elements could only be achieved through an in-depth country peer review or an update to the Global Assessments. This was not done as part of this evaluation.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In the spirit of continuous learning and based on the findings and good practices identified throughout evaluation, a series of recommendations are intended to help improve future UNECE projects.

1. The global pandemic forced the UNECE to rethink the way it conducted business to ensure continuity of the project. These innovative solutions introduced good practices that should be continued. The UNECE is encouraged to use a hybrid model when organizing its meetings, workshops, and regional sessions in the future. The

introduction of short webinars and the video capture of in-person sessions provided additional learning opportunities. A combination of face-to-face activities and virtual offerings reaches a broader group of people. Using appropriate and tested technologies that accommodates everyone’s participation is encouraged.

2. To properly assess the degree to which the knowledge and expertise of the staff in the national statistical offices of EECCA countries improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations increased, an in-depth country peer review or update to the Global Assessments should be conducted.

3. Continued sharing of experience and lessons

learned is critical to the ongoing improvement of the statistical system in the beneficiary countries. EECCA participation in the Expert Group meetings is encouraged and where possible regional workshops or special sessions would continue to offer continuous growth and learning.

4. To ensure sustainability, future activities

should continue to be linked to the work programme of the UNECE Statistical Division. Although the budget of the UNECE Statistical Division is limited, it is encouraged to use its exceptional collaboration and outreach skills to secure additional funding from key project stakeholders, be it in-kind or financial resources to expand the scope of its work.

5. For gender and human rights perspectives to

be better included in future projects, there should be an explicit objective built into the project design that can be monitored and evaluated during and at the end of the project. Expertise in gender quality, disability inclusion, environment and or human rights should be sought in the development of these objectives and with the evaluation process.

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE - PROJECT E264

ENHANCING COHERENCE AND INTEGRATION OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STATISTICS IN SUPPORT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 2008 SYSTEM OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTS (SNA)

2017-2020 (EXTENSION FOR 2021-2023)

EVALUATION REPORT

Period of evaluation: July – October 2023

Evaluator: Constance Graziadei

Evaluation commissioned by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

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EVALUATION REPORT

The Evaluation report compiled by Constance Graziadei evaluates the UNECE project “Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts” implemented from 2017-2023.

The views and interpretations are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Ms. Graziadei would like to thank all who contributed to successful completion of this evaluation: to the UNECE Statistical Division who provided access to all the project documentation and support to the process, to all who responded to the two online surveys and to those who generously gave their time to be interviewed. Your contributions are truly appreciated.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................ 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... 6

1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 9

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION .................................................................................................................. 10 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION .............................................................................................................. 10 1.3 SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION ....................................................................................................................... 10 1.4 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 11

2.0 FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................................ 12

2.1 RELEVANCE ................................................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 1: Evaluation of the UNECE Project on Economic and Social Statistics ................................................. 13

2.2 EFFECTIVENESS ........................................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 EFFICIENCY .................................................................................................................................................. 17

Table 1: Budget Allocation ................................................................................................................................. 17 Table 2: Initial Project Allocation of Funds and expenditures per module (2017-2020) .................................. 18 Table 3: Budget Allocation for 2021-2023 ......................................................................................................... 18

2.4 SUSTAINABILITY ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 2: Evaluation Survey – Evaluation of the UNECE Project on Economic and Social Statistics ................ 20

2.5 GENDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONSIDERATIONS ..................................................................................... 21

3.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................. 22

3.1 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 22 3.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 23

4.0 ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................................. 24

4.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE EVALUATION ........................................................................................... 24 4.2 ONLINE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE – BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES ................................................................. 28 4.3 ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS – BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES .............................................................................. 30 4.4 ONLINE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE – STAKEHOLDERS/PARTNERS ............................................................. 36 4.5 INTERVIEW GUIDE – KEY STAKEHOLDERS .................................................................................................. 38 4.6 LIST OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES BY MODULE .................................................................................................. 39 4.7 STAKEHOLDERS INVITED FOR IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW ................................................................................. 41 4.8 LIST OF DOCUMENTS REVIEWED ................................................................................................................ 42

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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CES Conference of European Statisticians

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

ECASTAT European and Central Asian Statistics

EECCA Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia

EFTA European Free Trade Association

ILO International Labour Association

IMF International Monetary Fund

NSO National Statistical Office

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

ROSSTAT Russian Federal State Statistical System

SBR Statistical Business Registers

SNA System of National Accounts

SEE South East Europe

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals

UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

UNSC United Nations Statistical Commission

UNSD United Nations Statistical Division

WB World Bank

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the objectives of the UNECE Project “Enhancing coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of 2008 SNA” were achieved. This evaluation assessed the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the project considering its stated goals and objectives.

The evaluation also attempted to assess how the project’s activities contributed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as the realization of human rights. The evaluation considered good practices and lessons learned from the project to formulate recommendations aimed at improving future projects.

The evaluation was carried out through a desk review of all relevant project documentation, analysis of the results of two on-line surveys designed for the purpose of this evaluation and in-depth interviews with key project stakeholders/partners.

The evaluation determined that the project was fully relevant to the objective of the UNECE to increase the capacity of target countries 1 in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of the 2008 SNA and other relevant international standards by focusing on the outstanding priority areas identified by the countries. These priority areas were derived from the Global Assessments of countries in the EECCA region, which was jointly carried out by the UNECE, Eurostat and EFTA as well as the regional and national plans for implementation of the 2008 SNA. The project work was guided by the UNECE Steering Group on National Accounts. The project built on the activities and progress achieved in the work to support the implementation of the 2008 SNA and supporting economic statistics in the EECCA region, prior to its inception. Throughout the project, the needs and priorities of the EECCA countries formed the basis of regional workshops and special sessions designed to address their specific issues or challenges.

The most significant challenge to achieving the expected results on time was the onset of the global pandemic in early 2020. All planned activities for 2020 were delayed and had to realigned. The UNECE quickly adapted to the new global reality and implemented the use of online/virtual meetings in order to complete the planned activities. Face-to-face meetings were replaced with online sessions and adjustments were made to accommodate the new way of conducting the project (i.e. shorter sessions over many days). A dedicated wiki page was created to share the results of the activities.

The evaluation determined that the project was effective deploying both traditional and innovative methods to ensure the objectives and results were achieved. The project consisted of four inter-related modules with the goal to enhance coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of the 2008 SNA. Each module had specific objectives with activities designed to achieve the objectives. All the activities were completed, and additional activities were added with the project extension.

The evaluation determined that the project efficiently achieved its objectives within the allocated budget and adjusted timeframe. As mentioned above, the UNECE introduced virtual meetings to continue the momentum of the project during unprecedented challenges. The savings associated with the new way of doing business and its ability to draw on established partnerships to obtain additional resources through in-kind or financial contributions extended the project to the benefit of the targeted countries. The no-cost extension expanded the scope of the project to address outstanding issues, identified by EECCA countries, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of virtual meeting platforms granted a broader access allowing additional stakeholders and partners to participate. This included not only experts from national statistical offices but from their central banks and ministries of finance.

1 The target countries for the project were the 12 EECCA countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan

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There were limitations to the evaluation. Although all UNECE work is designed to be as inclusive as possible, the human rights dimension is a difficult aspect to cover. The human rights dimension was not incorporated in the project proposal and the project outcomes make no explicit reference to the human rights. No gender consideration was recorded in the project’s proposal and no indicator established.

In addition, to properly assess whether the knowledge and expertise of the staff in the national statistical offices of EECCA countries improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations in practice could only be achieved through an in-depth country peer review or update to the Global Assessments. This was not done as part of this evaluation.

The benefits of the project will continue after its completion although there will be some challenges. The UNECE has a mandate to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting economics statistics in the EECA region. The Steering Group on National Accounts, established by the Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians guides the work of the UNECE Statistical Division in the area of national accounts and supporting economic statistics, including activities to support and monitor the implementation of the 2008 SNA in the EECCA and to advise on the provision of methodological recommendations, training and other capacity building activities on national accounts. Country representatives from the EECCA are members of the Steering Group. By nature of their mandates these partners/stakeholders are committed to maintaining and progressing the work undertaken during the project.

Continued sharing of experiences and lessons learned is critical to the ongoing improvement of the statistical system in the beneficiary countries. EECCA participation in the Expert Group meetings is encouraged and where possible special regional workshops would continue to offer continuous growth and learning opportunities. For the EECCA countries, lack of funding, insufficient experienced staff, staff turnover, and limited technical capabilities are likely to be significant challenges in sustaining the work.

In the spirit of continuous learning and based on the findings and good practices identified throughout the evaluation, a series of recommendations are intended to help improve future UNECE activities.

1. The global pandemic forced the UNECE to rethink the way it conducted business to ensure continuity of the project. These innovative solutions introduced good practices that should be continued. The UNECE is encouraged to use a hybrid model when organizing its workshops and regional sessions in the future. The introduction of short webinars and the video capture of in person sessions provided additional learning opportunities. A combination of face-to-face activities and virtual offerings reaches a broader group of people. Using appropriate and tested technologies that accommodates everyone’s participation is encouraged.

2. To properly assess the degree to which the knowledge and expertise of the staff in the national statistical offices of EECCA countries improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations increased, an in-depth country peer review or update to the Global Assessments should be conducted.

3. Continued sharing of experience and lessons learned is critical to the ongoing improvement of the

statistical system in the beneficiary countries. EECCA participation in the Expert Group meetings is encouraged and where possible regional workshops or special sessions would continue to offer continuous growth and learning.

4. To ensure sustainability, future activities should be linked to the work programme of the UNECE Statistical Division. Although the budget of the UNECE Statistical Division is limited, it is encouraged to use its exceptional collaboration and outreach skills to secure additional funding from key project stakeholders, be it in-kind or financial resources to expand the scope of its work.

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5. For gender and human rights perspectives to be better included in future projects, there should be an explicit objective built into the project design that can be monitored and evaluated during and at the end of the project. Expertise in gender quality, disability inclusion, environment and or human rights should be sought in the development of these objectives and with the evaluation process.

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1.0 INTRODUCTION2 In 2009 at the 40th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC), it supported the Global Implementation Strategy for the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA) and requested to pay particular attention to improving basic economic statistics and to the need for consistency and harmonization across sectoral statistics from other macroeconomic frameworks. The UNSC recognized the role of the UN regional commissions in facilitating coordination and regional cooperation towards the implementation of 2008 SNA. 3 Following the decision, the UNSC, the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) requested that regional commissions develop regional implementation plans and establish Steering Groups to guide and coordinate activities.

Since 2010, the UNECE has actively been working to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting statistics in countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA)4. At the request of the UNSC, UNECE developed a regional plan for implementation of 2008 SNA in close cooperation with EECCA and South-East European (SEE) countries.

The regional implementation plan was developed in consultation with the Steering Group on National Accounts, established by the Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians (CES). The Steering Group on National Accounts guides the work of the UNECE Statistical Division in the area of national accounts and supporting economics statistics, including activities to support and monitor the implementation of the 2008 SNA in the EECCA region and to advise on the provision of methodological recommendations, training and other capacity building activities on national accounts. The Steering Group is composed of representatives of all major regional partners such as CIS-Stat, Eurostat, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and UNSD, as well as country representatives from each UNECE sub-region, including from the EECCA.

The ECASTAT project was intended to build on the activities and progress achieved in the work to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting economic statistics in the EECCA region. The project was intended to enable the UNECE in carrying out its mandate to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting statistics in the region.

The project was part of the ECASTAT regional trust fund established by the World Bank for assisting countries to improve their statistical systems.

The overall objective of the Project was to increase the capacity of countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of international statistical standards.5 Another objective was to include overall improvement of the knowledge and

2 ECASTAT Project for 2017-2020. Implementation of 2008 SNA. Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics Support of the Implementation of 2008 SNA. Project Proposal – Concept note 2016

3 Statistical Commission. Report on the fortieth session (24-27 February 2009). https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc09/Report-English.pdf

4 The target countries for the project were the 12 EECCA countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

5Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 SNA https://www.statswiki.unece.org/display/EC/ECASTAT+Home

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expertise of the staff in the NSOs of EECCA countries regarding relevant international standards and recommendations in practice.

The project was intended to build on existing UNECE programmes to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting statistics in the region, in addition to the global assessments of national statistical systems. It intended to draw on established partnerships with national and international statistical agencies involved in statistical capacity building activities in the region, and in particular, the WB, UNESCAP, IMF, Eurostat, OECD, European Free Trade Association (EFTA), International Labour Organization (ILO), Russian Federal State Statistical System (ROSSTAT), CIS-STAT and other relevant multinational and bilateral partner organizations.

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the objectives of the UNECE Project “Enhancing coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of 2008 SNA” were achieved.

The evaluation assessed the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the aforementioned project.

The evaluation also attempted to assess any impacts the project may have had on progressing human rights, gender equality, disability inclusion, climate change and disaster risk reduction in the context of this engagement. The evaluation considered the activities repurposed to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and assessed UNECE’s COVID-19 early response.

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation of the project has the following specific objectives:

1. Determine, as systematically and objectively as possible, the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the project results considering its goals and objectives.

2. Assess how the project activities contributed to gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as the realization of human rights, with an emphasis on “leaving no one behind” and, if needed, make recommendations on how these considerations can be better addressed in future activities of the sub programme.

3. Identify good practices and lessons learned from the project and formulate action-oriented, forward- looking recommendations addressed to the sub programme for improving future interventions.

1.3 SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION The evaluation covered the full project implementation period 2017-2023 (initially 2017-2020), including the no- cost extension that was granted to the project to cover the period of 2021-2023.

The evaluation was guided by the objectives, indicators of achievement and means of verification established in the initial project proposal and the no-cost extension.

The scope was limited to the activities described in project documents and the evaluation criteria established by the UNECE in its Terms of Reference (see Annex 4.1) for the project evaluation.

The evaluation was conducted ensuring accessible data collection and inclusive consultation, adhering to ethical standards and triangulation of data for inclusion.

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1.4 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with: the ECE Evaluation Policy6; the Administrative instruction guiding Evaluation in the UN Secretariat7; and the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation8. Human rights and gender equality considerations were integrated at all stages of the evaluation.

The evaluation was guided by the evaluation matrix articulated in the Inception Report and assessed the degree of alignment between the project’s stated objective and outcomes with the results of the activities carried out by the UNECE in the implementation of the project.

The evaluation process included a desk review of all available project documentation, analysis of the results from the two on-line surveys designed for the purpose of this evaluation and interviews with key stakeholders and partners to gather more in-depth information and assessment of results.

1.4.1 Desk Review

The desk review included all project documentation provided by the UNECE Statistical Division, relevant websites and a review of the global assessments conducted jointly by the UNECE, Eurostat and EFTA. The documents reviewed included: the Project proposals - 2017-2020 and 2021-2023; the 11 semi-annual Project progress reports; reports from the meetings, workshops and webinars (including a review of the material presented); the meeting evaluations; the draft World Bank’s Implementation Completion and Results Report, and the 8 available unaudited interim financial reports (June to December 2017 to 30 June 2022). Unfortunately, the final interim financial report covering the final year of the project and the final program financial report were not completed in time for inclusion in the evaluation process. A complete list of documents reviewed are provided in Annex 4.8.

1.4.2 Surveys

Two surveys were conducted in English; one with all beneficiary countries and the second with a select group of stakeholders and partners. The survey questions are included in Annex 4.2 and 4.4 of this report. The surveys were conducted online and available to respondents from 4 - 29 September 2023.

The first survey was sent to beneficiaries of the target countries for the project. 36 individuals (20 women; 16 men) representing 12 countries were invited to participate in the survey. At the close of the collection period, 15 individuals from 8 countries responded (41.6% response rate). Of these responses, 12 respondents represented national statistical offices; 3 represented other domestic agencies; 11 were women and 4 were men. Full results are included in Annex 6.4 to this report.

The second survey was sent to 18 key stakeholders and partners (6 women; 12 men). Even with an extension of the collection period, only 6 responses were received (33% response rate) from 4 men and 2 women. The low response rate limited the type of analysis that could be conducted. The results were used to confirm/challenge the findings identified through the desk review and the in-depth interviews.

6 UNECE Evaluation Policy. https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-12/Item10_ECE_EX_2021_35_Evaluation%20Policy.pdf

7 ST/AI/2021/3

8 UNEG 2016 Norms and Standards for Evaluation. https://www.unevaluation.org/document/detail/1914

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1.4.3 Interviews

A series of interviews with the stakeholders/partners were conducted to further gather both qualitative and quantitative information. The interviews were conducted by video conference during the month of September 2023. The interview guide is included in Annex 4.5 to this report.

The invitation was sent to 10 key stakeholders/partners (3 women; 7 men) who represented the various components of the project (SNA, CPI, SBR, Informal Sector and Remittances). Nine individuals (2 women; 7 men) graciously gave their time and feedback regarding the various activities and outcomes. Their insights and views were valuable in forming the findings, recommendations and the lessons learned of this evaluation. A list of the key stakeholders is included in Annex 4.7 of this report.

2.0 FINDINGS

2.1 RELEVANCE

2.1.1 To what extent was the project design appropriate for meeting the needs of beneficiary countries?

The project design was appropriate for meeting the needs of the beneficiary countries.

The overall aim of the project was to increase the capacity of EECCA countries in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of the 2008 SNA and other relevant international standards, with focus on outstanding priority areas identified by the countries. These priority areas were derived from the Global Assessments of countries in the EECCA region, which was jointly carried out by the UNECE, Eurostat and EFTA as well as the regional and national plans for implementation of the 2008 SNA. The project work was guided by the UNECE Steering Group on National Accounts. The project built on the activities and progress achieved in the work to support the implementation of the 2008 SNA and supporting economic statistics in the EECCA region, prior to its inception.

The project activities included participation of experts from beneficiary countries in UNECE Group meetings, regional workshops and special sessions to ensure capacity building and shared learning within the EECCA countries. The design also included simultaneous interpretation in meetings and workshops and translation of project documentation, training materials and handbooks to Russian to facilitate participation and ongoing work.

At the end of each workshop or meeting, participants were encouraged to share suggestions for improvement and ideas for future agenda items. The feedback and input were used to formulate the agenda and organization of subsequent meetings.

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2.1.2 To what extent did the project respond to the priorities and needs of national statistical offices in beneficiary countries? How relevant were the project activities to the countries’ needs and priorities?

The project responded “to a high extent” to the priorities and needs of national statistical offices in the beneficiary countries.

FIGURE 1: EVALUATION OF THE UNECE PROJECT ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STATISTICS

• Source: Project Evaluation Online survey – Question 5

The results of the online survey of beneficiary countries showed 73% of respondents indicated the project’s activities met their country’s needs to a high extent and 27% to a moderate extent. This finding was also supported in the review of the evaluations of the various activities that were conducted throughout the project. Overall the participants were very satisfied with the workshops and meetings as well as the quality of the discussions and presentations.

During the span of the project, the meetings of the Group of Experts generally included special sessions for the beneficiary countries with topics identified by the countries. For example, the 2017 and 2019 meetings of the Group of Experts on Business Registers included Special Sessions for the EECCA and SSEE countries to encourage exchanges and presentations aimed at improving the coverage and accuracy of Statistical Business Registers and short-term business statistics. In 2017 the UNECE Guidelines on SBR – activities in the CIS was presented and produced in both English and Russian. In 2019 the special session focussed on different CPI data collection methods; the treatment of seasonal items and missing observation; index calculation and weighting; owner- occupied housing and rentals in the CPI; and how to meet user needs in terms of documentation, dissemination and communication of the CPI. All of these topics were developed to achieve the project’s objectives and respond to the beneficiary countries’ needs.

Due to the global pandemic, several activities were delayed, postponed or moved to a virtual platform rather than face-to-face meetings. There were mixed reviews regarding the online forum. The online forum increased the number of experts who could participate in the meetings and workshops as travel was no longer required. However, there were some technical difficulties raised with some of the platforms that were used. Several people consulted during the evaluation process spoke about the value in having face-to-face meetings as many extended discussions and personal learning happen during the breaks and outside the formal meeting agenda.

2.1.3 To what extent was the project aligned with the SDGs?

Partnerships (SDG 17) between stakeholders including governments, international and regional organizations, businesses and academia and civil society are a driving force of UNECE’s work. This includes work to improve connectivity with the regions (SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11,13), and contributing to creating more dynamic and resilient economies (SDGs 7, 8, 9,11, 13). The UNECE works for member countries by supporting evidence-based decision making through reliable statistics and improved monitoring, analysis and policy advice; fostering cooperation

To what extent did the event respond to your country's statistical needs and priorities?

To a high extent To a moderate extent To a low extent Not at all

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among all stakeholders at the country and regional level; building countries’ capacities to implement its norms, conventions and standards.9

Basic sound economics, including key figures of the national accounts are fundamental in relation to the SDGs. Several proposed SDG indicators on income, consumption, and production depend on the availability of comprehensive and high-quality national statistics that are internationally comparable.

The project was designed to help EECCA countries improve the coherence, timeliness and internationally comparability of socio-economic statistics that are crucial for the monitoring of a country’s social and economic progress. The project design encouraged the collaboration of experts from the statistical offices as well as central agency representatives from national banks and finance ministries which improved the coherence of the statistical outputs.

2.1.4 What takeaways are there for ensuring relevance of future projects of UNECE Statistical Division?

The project activities were linked to the work programme of the UNECE Statistical Division to ensure continuity and coordination with international work on national accounts and supporting statistics. This is a critical element for continued success of future projects.

The global pandemic forced the UNECE to examine and implement innovative ways to continue with the activities essential in achieving a successful outcome to the project.

UNECE’s ability to draw on established partnerships and to obtain additional resources through in-kind or financial contributions extended the project to the benefit of the targeted countries and expanded the scope of the project to address outstanding issues, identified by EECCA countries, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.1.5 To what extent were gender, human rights and disability perspectives integrated into the design and implementation of the project? What results can be identified from these actions? How can gender and human rights perspectives be better included in future projects design and implementation?

There is no evidence from document review or information gathered throughout this review that gender, human rights and disability perspectives were integrated into the design and implementation of the project. However, it is evident from the evaluation that women and youth were involved in all aspects of the project and persons with disabilities were accommodated throughout the various meetings, workshops and special sessions.

To ensure gender and human rights perspectives be better included in future projects, there should be an explicit objective built into the project design that can be monitored and evaluated during and at the end of the project. Expertise in gender quality, disability inclusion, environment and or human rights should be sought in the development of these objectives and with the evaluation process.

9 SDG Priorities. Supporting countries to achieve the SDGs https://unece.org/sdg-priorities

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2.2 EFFECTIVENESS

2.2.1 To what extent were the project objectives and results achieved?

The overall aim of the project and the expected outcomes were achieved.

The project consisted of four inter-related modules with the overall goal to enhance coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of the 2008 SNA. The four modules were: Methods and compilation techniques for the implementation of the 2008 SNA and supporting economic statistics; Price Statistics – development of price indices and deflators for national accounts aggregates; Statistical business registers – improving coverage and accuracy of national statistical business registers; and Expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and remittances.

Each module had specific objectives with activities designed to achieve the objectives (see Annex 6.6 for full details). All the activities within each module were completed and additional activities were added with the project extension. The project activities included participation of experts from EECCA countries in international statistical Expert Group meetings, regional workshops and special sessions designed specifically to address their needs. The project activities also included the development of statistical methods/tools for integrating migration in household surveys and development of training material. The desk review, supported by the online survey results and interviews with key stakeholders, provided evidence that the capacity of countries in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics increased.

However, there were limitations in the evaluation. For example to properly assess whether the knowledge and expertise of the staff in the national statistical offices of EECCA countries improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations in practice could only be achieved through an in-depth country peer review or update to the Global Assessments.

2.2.2 To what extent did the project improve the competencies of national statistical offices in the beneficiary countries to produce and use macroeconomic statistics in their countries?

The activities of the project were designed and implemented to improve the competencies of national statistical offices in the beneficiary countries.

An explicit example is the Special Session that was organized to support the EECCA and SEE countries on the use of Supply and Use tables (SUTs) as well as Input Output tables (IOTs). SUTs are at the core of National Accounts and represent a framework to ensure better quality, coherency, and consistency of macroeconomic aggregates. A survey among the target countries carried out before the session revealed that 15 countries were developing SUTs, some of them being at initial or experimental estimates. The main challenges identified by countries were lack of suitable data sources, human resources and time constrains. The focus of the special session was to help the EECCA & SEE countries address their challenges. During this session, different IT tools for the compilation of SUTs and IOTs were presented which including a short training session on two tools developed by the IMF to support balancing of SUTs and conversion into IOTs. The Special Session also helped EECCA and SEE countries share experience on data sources and compilation techniques and informed them on new developments in SUTs and IOTs. The evaluation survey at the end of the session showed that 95 percent of the participants considered the session to be very helpful or useful for their future work.

The second concrete example is the development of a harmonized survey module on migration and remittances for countries in EECCA. The survey module, developed within the context of the project, was designed to enable a regular sustainable collection of internationally comparable data on migration and remittances. Improvements in the coverage, exhaustiveness, and comparability of statistics on migration & remittances support SDG monitoring needs, in line with international standards. The module was tested in Tajikistan in late 2019 with a technical assistance mission supported by the project fund. Findings from the pilot test were shared with the EECCA countries in 2020 and the harmonized module was released in 2021 as a standard tool that has been produced in Russian and English.

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2.2.3 To what extent are the project activities coherent and harmonized with those of other partners operating with the same context, particularly those of other UN system entities?

This UNECE-managed project is coherent and harmonized with those of partner organizations. Representatives from EFTA, Eurostat, ILO, OECD, UNSD and World Bank were all consulted during the evaluation and were all very complimentary of the UNECE’s collaboration and coordination expertise. Apart from the World Bank, who was the sponsor of the project, these partners are members of the UNECE Steering Group on National Accounts who guided and advised on the activities undertaken throughout the project.

During this evaluation the UNECE was recognized for its exceptional organization skills and the collaboration with other partners in the international statistical system to provide high quality learning activities. The UNECE was effective at bringing together expertise and ensuring no duplication with other international activities. The team members were also recognized for constantly seeking feedback and input and acting on the information gathered to improve subsequent events/activities. Consultation regarding agenda items and effective advanced planning ensured a positive experience for participants.

In the development of the various activities carried out throughout the project, the UNECE considered the CIS-Stat activities financed by the Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building and ensured there were no overlaps between the two projects.

2.2.4 What were the challenges/obstacles (Including COVID-19 and sub-regional instability) to achieving the expected results? How successfully did the project overcome these?

The most significant challenge to achieving the expected results on time was the onset of the global pandemic in early 2020. All planned activities for 2020 had to be adjusted. Face-to-face meetings were replaced with online sessions and adjustments were made to accommodate the new way of conducting the project (ie shorter sessions over many days). A dedicated wiki page was created to share the results of the activities.

In October 2020 a three-day special online session was conducted with a focus on the EECCA countries to provide an overview of the migration and remittances situation in these countries during the pandemic. The session explored the impact of the pandemic on the measurement of migration and remittances and review the use of administrative data in producing migration statistics. A consultant was also hired to carry out a survey on migration and remittances measurement in the pandemic which included data sources, methods and challenges faced and solutions applied. The results of the survey were presented and discussed during the meeting.

The June 2020 meeting of the Group of Experts on Consumer Price Indices had to be postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. During the meeting in 2021 a draft Guide on producing CPI under lockdown was presented. The Guide provided recommendations and good practices for data collection, imputation methods and communication approaches that countries can refer to in periods of lockdown or extenuating circumstances. The Guide was published in August 2021 and is available in English on the UNECE website.

The second challenge that the project faced was the political instability in the region in 2022. Few mitigation measures are possible as events organized under ECASTAT are technical and not political events.

2.2.5 What (if anything) has prevented the project from achieving the desired results?

All the challenges and obstacles the project faced were addressed. The global pandemic and the forced change in the way the activities were conducted resulted in a no-cost project extension and additional workshops and sessions being organized and conducted. The use of online platforms for workshops and sessions increased the number of participants from targeted countries including statisticians as well as representatives of their central agencies.

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2.3 EFFICIENCY

2.3.1 Were the resources allocated adequate for achieving results?

The project was sponsored by the ECASTAT regional trust fund established by the World Bank for assisting countries to improve their statistical system. According to the Project proposal a budget of $912,00010 (Table 1) was established to support the project.

TABLE 1: BUDGET ALLOCATION Activity Planned events Budget Amount - $912,000

Seminars and workshops

- Expert Group Meetings - Regional Workshops &

Seminars - Interpretation & logistics

- 5 - 6

$508,600

Translation of training material $29,400

Consultants & contractual services $178,000

Consultant – project administration $96,000

Staff Travel - 6 regional workshops $24,000

Miscellaneous costs $58,000

Independent project evaluation $18,000

During the initial project timeframe (2017-2020) $399,000 was used to support the project module activities, project administration and UN Programme support (Table 2). The unused $513,000 was the result of delayed or postponed activities due to the global pandemic as well as an increase in resources to support the project provided by EFTA and the UN Development Account Programme on Statistics and Data. The $513,000 was re-allocated to the no cost project extension that was approved for 2021-2023.

10 All financial figures are in US Dollars

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TABLE 2: INITIAL PROJECT ALLOCATION OF FUNDS AND EXPENDITURES PER MODULE (2017-2020) Modules Budget Expenditures Unused Funds

Methodology & compilation techniques of 2008 SNA

$234,000 $38,000 $196,000

Price Statistics & compilation of national accounts aggregates at constant prices

$142,000 $58,000 $84,000

Improving the coverage and accuracy of statistical business registers & short-term statistics

$116,000 $47,000 $69,000

Expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and remittances

$248,000 $183,000 $65,000

Project Administration, UN Programme Support and Project Evaluation

$172,000 $73,000 $99,000

TOTAL $912,000 $399,000 $513,000

The following activities were designed and implemented within the project extension: 3 meetings of Group of Experts on National Accounts; 2 meetings of the Group of Expert on Consumer Prices Indices; 1 meeting of the Group of Experts on Business Registers; a workshop on migration statistics and two regional workshops on National Accounts. Table 3 presents the budget allocation for the 2021-2023 project extension.

TABLE 3: BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR 2021-2023

Year Activity Budget

2021 Meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts Meeting of the Group of Experts on CPI Workshop on Migration Statistics

$126,000

2022 Meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts Meeting of the Group of Experts on Business Registers Regional workshop on National Accounts

$144,000

2023 Meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts Meeting of the Group of Experts on CPI Regional workshop on National Accounts

$144,000

Project Administration $49,000

UN Programme support costs $32,410

Independent project evaluation $17,880

TOTAL $513,290

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The final financial reporting information was not completed at the time of this evaluation. However, the evaluation concluded that all the planned activities, including those added as a result of the no-cost extension, were completed. There were 24 Expert Group meetings, webinars, regional workshops, special sessions successfully conducted from 2017-2023 (see Annex 4.6). In addition, training materials were developed, a Guide on Producing CPI under Lockdown11 was developed and a harmonized survey module on migration and remittances for countries in EECCA was created (see 2.2.2 for details).

2.3.2 Were the results achieved on time and were all activities organized efficiently?

The project was completed within the allocated timeframe. Some activities were postponed due to COVID-19 and political unrest in the region, but all were eventually completed albeit in formats different from the original plan. The UNECE quickly adapted to the new global reality and implemented the use of online/virtual meetings in order to complete the planned activities. Efficient use of funds and inter-agency collaboration supported a no-cost extension to the project. The use of virtual meeting platforms increased the number of participants expanding the exchange and experiential learning encouraged by the project.

2.3.3. To what extent were the resources used economically and how could the use of resources be improved?

The financial resources were effectively and efficiently managed. In addition to the funding providing by the ECASTAT Trust Fund, the UNECE collaborated with EFTA which provided funding and in-kind contributions for many of the planned activities UNECE was also able to augment the available resources by using funds from the UN Development Account Programme on Statistics and Data to cover costs such as the participation of national experts in meetings and workshops as well as the critical translation of training materials. The no-cost extension for 2021-2023 was possible due to these additional sources of funding that occurred during the initial project timeframe (2017-2020) as well as the cost savings during COVID-19 due to the delay, postponement or replacement of face-to-face meetings with virtual sessions.

2.4 SUSTAINABILITY

2.4.1 What measures were adopted to ensure that project outcomes would continue after the project ended and to what extent have these measures addressed the existing risks for sustainability?

The following measures have been adopted to ensure the project outcomes continue: all project documentation is available through online channels and all activities encouraged the exchange of good practices and participation of EECCA experts in workshops, meetings and regional sessions. The project stimulated the creation of a network of experts from the EECCA region. This network which includes representatives from the national statistical offices as well as representatives from central banks and ministries of finance aims to improve the institutional cooperation and consistency between the national accounts and balance of payments.

In addition, the guidance notes of the SNA and Balance of Payments Manual, 6th Edition (BPM6) developed by the joint UN Task Team on Informal Economy has been translated into Russian to ensure that the EECCA region is fully involved in the consultation process.

The development of the harmonized survey module for a standard measurement of migration and remittances for countries in EECCA establishes the way in which these countries can arrive at estimates of migration and remittances that support SDG monitoring needs, are in line with international standards and are harmonized among CIS countries. The module is available as a standard tool and produced in Russian and English.

11 United Nations Geneva, 2021 Guide on producing CPI under lockdown https://www.unece.org/statistics/publications/guide-producing-cpi- under-lockdown

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The results of the online survey of beneficiary countries rated the quality of support provided by the UNECE as “excellent” (60%) and “good” (40%). It also showed the extent of the work of the activities still relevant to their country as “to a high extent” (73%) and “to a moderate extent” (20%). When asked whether the outputs of the activities are sustainable, 47% said “to a high extent”; 40% said to a “moderate extent”, and 13% said “to a low extent”. The major risks identified for sustainability included lack of expert staff (67%), staff turnover (47%), limited technical capabilities (53%) and lack of funding (40%).

FIGURE 2: EVALUATION SURVEY – EVALUATION OF THE UNECE PROJECT ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STATISTICS

* source – Project Evaluation Survey – Questions 8 and 6

2.4.2 To what extent do the partners and beneficiaries “own” the outcomes of the work? How is the stakeholders’ engagement likely to continue, be scaled up, replicated or institutionalized?

The UNECE has a mandate to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting economics statistics in the EECA region. The Steering Group on National Accounts, established by the Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians guides the work of the UNECE Statistical Division in the area of national accounts and supporting economic statistics, including activities to support and monitor the implementation of the 2008 SNA in the EECCA and to advise on the provision of methodological recommendations, training and other capacity building activities on national accounts. Country representatives from the EECCA are members of the Steering Group.

By nature of their mandates these partners/stakeholders are committed to maintaining and progressing the work undertaken during the project.

Continued sharing of experience and lessons learned is critical to the ongoing improvement of the statistical system in the beneficiary countries. EECCA participation in the Expert Group meetings is encouraged and where possible regional workshops would continue to offer continuous growth and learning. Lack of resources and funding are likely to be a major challenge in sustaining the work.

How would you rate the quality of the support provided by the UNECE

Excellent Good Average Poor

To what extent is the work still relevant to your country?

To a high extent To a moderate extent

To a low extent Not at all

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2.5 GENDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONSIDERATIONS

Throughout the review, it was evident that women and men were involved in the various project activities, and in the evaluation process. Youth were also involved in the various activities. Consideration was given to those with physical disabilities during the workshops conducted. Training materials were translated to ensure beneficiary countries could learn in their preferred language. However, no gender consideration was recorded in the project’s proposal and no indicator established.

The evaluation process was inclusive by ensuring that a diverse group of stakeholders, partners and beneficiary countries were consulted and encouraged to provide information and input. This included women, men and youth. It is unknown if anyone who was consulted during the process was a person with disabilities. The two online surveys included a question on gender and the survey intended for stakeholders asked a question regarding the participation of women, persons with disabilities, minority groups and youths in the project’s activities and events. The interviews conducted with international and regional partners explored cross cutting questions regarding the inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, minority groups and youth as well as gender and human rights.

Although all UNECE projects are as inclusive as possible, this one included, the human rights dimension is a difficult and complex aspect to cover. The human rights dimension was not incorporated in the project proposal and the project outcomes make no explicit reference to the human rights. It should be considered however, that the Generic Law on Official Statistics (GLOS)12 requires “equal and simultaneous access” to official statistics for all users and is aligned with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics-Principle 1 of Relevance, Impartiality and Equal Access.13 The GLOS was developed within the UNECE Project “Strengthening national capacity in the most vulnerable UNECE countries for the sustainable development of statistics”. It was developed primarily for the beneficiary countries of the project and EECCA countries were consulted throughout its development.

12 https://unece.org/DAM/stats/publications/2016/ECECESSTAT20163_E.pdf

13 https://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/hb/E-fundamental%20principles_A4-WEB.pdf

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3.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the evaluation findings, the evaluator has the following conclusions.

The overall aim of the project was to increase the capacity of EECCA countries in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of the 2008 SNA and other relevant international standards. This was accomplished through a series of four inter-related modules with specific activities designed to achieve the goal to enhance coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of the 2008 SNA. The project design was appropriate for meeting the needs and priorities of the beneficiary countries. All the activities designed to support the project’s objectives were completed on time and on budget.

Basic sound economics, including key figures of the national accounts are fundamental in relation to the SDGs. Several proposed SDG indicators on income, consumption, and production depend on the availability of comprehensive and high-quality national statistics that are internationally comparable. The project was designed to help EECCA countries improve the coherence, timeliness and internationally comparability of socio-economic statistics that are crucial for the monitoring of a country’s social and economic progress. The project design encouraged the collaboration of experts from the statistical offices as well as central agency representatives from national banks and finance ministries which improved the coherence of the statistical outputs.

The project activities were linked to the work programme of the UNECE Statistical Division to ensure continuity and coordination with international work on national accounts and supporting statistics. This is a critical element for continued success of future projects.

The most significant challenge that the project faced was the unprecedented global pandemic in early 2020 that forced the UNECE to examine and implement innovative ways to continue with the activities essential in achieving a successful outcome to the project. The use of virtual platforms saved costs and increased participation in the workshops and session organized within the project.

Although the UNECE Statistical Division has limited resources, its ability to draw on established partnerships and to obtain additional resources through in-kind or financial contributions extended the project to the benefit of the targeted countries and expanded the scope of the project to address outstanding issues, identified by EECCA countries, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this evaluation the UNECE was recognized for its exceptional organization skills and the collaboration with other partners in the international statistical system to provide high quality learning activities. The UNECE was effective at bringing together expertise and ensuring no duplication with other international activities. The team members were also recognized for constantly seeking feedback and input and acting on the information gathered to improve subsequent events/activities. Consultation regarding agenda items and effective advanced planning ensured a positive experience for participants.

All UNECE work is designed to be as inclusive as possible, however, the human rights dimension is a difficult aspect to cover. The human rights dimension was not incorporated in the project proposal and the project outcomes make no explicit reference to the human rights. No gender consideration was recorded in the project’s proposal and no indicator established.

There were limitations in the evaluation. For example to properly assess whether the knowledge and expertise of the staff in the national statistical offices of EECCA countries improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations in practice could only be achieved through an in-depth country peer review or update to the Global Assessments. This was not done as part of this evaluation.

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3.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings and the good practices identified throughout the evaluation of the project, the evaluator offers the following recommendations for consideration.

1. The global pandemic forced the UNECE to rethink the way it conducted business to ensure continuity of the project. These innovative solutions introduced good practices that should be continued. The UNECE is encouraged to use a hybrid model when organizing its workshops and regional sessions in the future. The introduction of short webinars and the video capture of in person sessions provided additional learning opportunities. A combination of face-to-face activities and virtual offerings reaches a broader group of people. Using appropriate and tested technologies that accommodates everyone’s participation is encouraged.

2. To properly assess the degree to which the knowledge and expertise of the staff in the national statistical offices of EECCA countries improved and/or their capacity to implement standards and recommendations increased, an in-depth country peer review or update to the Global Assessments should be conducted.

3. Continued sharing of experience and lessons learned is critical to the ongoing improvement of the

statistical system in the beneficiary countries. EECCA participation in the Expert Group meetings is encouraged and where possible regional workshops or special sessions would continue to offer continuous growth and learning.

4. To ensure sustainability, future activities should be linked to the work programme of the UNECE Statistical Division. Although the budget of the UNECE Statistical Division is limited, it is encouraged to use its exceptional collaboration and outreach skills to secure additional funding from key project stakeholders, be it in-kind or financial resources.

5. For gender and human rights perspectives to be better included in future projects, there should be an explicit objective built into the project design that can be monitored and evaluated during and at the end of the project. Expertise in gender quality, disability inclusion, environment and or human rights should be sought in the development of these objectives and with the evaluation process.

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4.0 ANNEXES

4.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE EVALUATION

I. Purpose

The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the objectives of the UNECE project E264 “Enhancing coherence and integration of economic and social statistics in support of the implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts” were achieved.

The evaluation will assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the project.

The evaluation will also assess any impacts the project may have had on progressing human rights, gender equality, disability inclusion, climate change and disaster risk reduction in the context of this engagement. The evaluation will finally look at the activities repurposed to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and assess, to the extent possible, UNECE’s COVID-19 early response through this project.

II. Background

The project aimed at increasing the capacity of countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia in compiling national accounts and supporting statistics according to the recommendations of international statistical standards. The activities of the project included the following four modules:

1) Methods and compilation techniques for implementation of the 2008 SNA and supporting economic statistics. 2) Price statistics - development of price indices and deflators for national accounts aggregates. 3) Statistical business registers - improving coverage and accuracy of national statistical business registers. 4) Expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and remittances.

The activities were carried out in cooperation with other international and regional partners, including CIS-STAT, EFTA, Eurostat, ILO, IMF, OECD and World Bank.

III. Evaluation objectives, scope and questions

The evaluation will be guided by the objectives, indicators of achievement and means of verification established in the logical framework of the project document. The evaluation will be conducted in Q3 of 2023. It will cover the full implementation of the project, from June 2017 to June 2023 in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan)

The final evaluation of the project has the following specific objectives:

· Determine as systematically and objectively as possible the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the project results in light of its goals and objectives. · Assess how the project activities contributed to gender equality and women’ s empowerment, as well as the realization of human rights, with an emphasis on ‘leaving no one behind’ and, if needed, it will make recommendations on how these considerations can be better addressed in future activities of the sub-programme. · Identify good practices and lessons learned from the project and formulate action-oriented, forward- looking recommendations addressed to the sub-programme for improving future interventions.

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The evaluation criteria are relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.

Relevance 1. To what extent was the project design appropriate for meeting the needs of beneficiary countries? 2. To what extent did the project respond to the priorities and needs of national statistical offices in beneficiary countries? How relevant were the project activities to the countries’ needs and priorities? 3. To what extent was the project aligned with the SDGs? 4. What takeaways are there for ensuring relevance of future projects of UNEE Statistical Division? 5. To what extent were gender, human rights and disability perspectives integrated into the design and implementation of the project? What results can be identified from these actions? How can gender and human rights perspectives be better included in future projects design and implementation? Effectiveness 6. To what extent were the project objectives and expected results achieved? 7. To what extent did the project improve the competencies of national statistical offices in the beneficiary countries to produce and use macroeconomic statistics in their countries? 8. To what extent are the project activities coherent and harmonized with those of other partners operating within the same context, particularly those of other UN system entities? 9. What were the challenges/obstacles (including COVID-19 and sub-regional instability) to achieving the expected results? How successfully did the project overcome these? 10. What (if anything) has prevented the project from achieving the desired results? Efficiency 11. Were the resources adequate for achieving the results? 12. Were the results achieved on time and were all activities organized efficiently? 13. To what extent were the resources used economically and how could the use of resources be improved? Sustainability 14. What measures were adopted to ensure that project outcomes would continue after the project ended and to what extent have these measures addressed the existing risks for sustainability? 15. To what extent do the partners and beneficiaries ‘own’ the outcomes of the work? How is the stakeholders’ engagement likely to continue, be scaled up, replicated, or institutionalized? IV. Evaluation approach and methodology

The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with: the ECE Evaluation Policy; the Administrative instruction guiding Evaluation in the UN Secretariat; and the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation. Human rights and gender equality considerations will be integrated at all stages of the evaluation: (i) in the evaluation scope and questions; (ii) in the methods, tools and data analysis techniques; (iii) in the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the final report. The evaluator will explicitly explain how human rights, gender, disability, SDGs, and climate change considerations will be taken into account during the evaluation.

The evaluator is required to use a mixed-method approach, including qualitative as well as quantitative data gathering and analysis as the basis for a triangulation exercise of all available data to draw conclusions and findings.

The evaluation should be conducted based on the following mixed methods to triangulate information: 1. A desk review of all relevant documents, including the project document and information on project activities (monitoring data); materials developed in support of the activities (agendas, plans, participant lists, background documents, donor reports and publications); Proposed programme budgets covering the evaluation period; project reports to the donor.

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2. Online survey of key stakeholders and beneficiaries: the survey will be developed by the consultant on her/his preferred platform. 3. Interviews (in-person and/or by telephone/video): the evaluator shall interview a wide range of diverse stakeholders and beneficiaries. 4. Remote observation of virtual workshops and meetings, including recordings of meetings.

The evaluator will further elaborate on the evaluation methodology in the Inception Report that will among others include the survey questions and whether any of the 12 countries will be selected for an in-depth assessment. The evaluation report will be written in English, will consist of approximately 30 pages and will include an executive summary (max. 2 pages) describing the evaluation methodology, key findings, conclusions and recommendations. The evaluator will also produce an Evaluation Brief summarizing key evaluation findings, lessons learned and recommendations, including through images and infographics.

V. Evaluation schedule

May 2023 ToR finalized June 2023 Evaluator selected June 2023 Contract signed. Evaluator starts the desk review July 2023 Evaluator submits inception report including survey design August 2023 Launch of data gathering, including survey and interviews September 2023 Evaluator submits draft evaluation report and evaluation brief October 2023 Evaluator submits final evaluation report and evaluation brief

VI. Resources and Management of the evaluation

An independent consultant will be engaged to conduct the evaluation under the management of the PMU. Payment will be made upon satisfactory delivery of work.

The Programme Management Unit (PMU) will manage the evaluation and will be involved in the following steps: Selection of the evaluator; Preparation and clearance of the Terms of Reference; Provision of guidance to the Project Manager and evaluator as needed on the evaluation design and methodology; Clearance of the final report after quality assurance of the draft report.

The Project Manager, in consultation with the Division Director, will be involved in the following steps: Provide all documentation needed for desk review, contact details, support and guidance to the evaluation consultant as needed throughout the timeline of the evaluation; Advise the evaluator on the recipients for the questionnaire and for follow-up interviews; Process and manage the consultancy contract of the evaluator, along the key milestones agreed with PMU.

VII. Intended use / Next steps

The results of the evaluation will be used in the planning and implementation of future activities of the UNECE Economic Cooperation and Integration Subprogramme. Findings of this evaluation will be used when possible to: · improve direct project’s follow up actions, implementation of products by project beneficiaries and dissemination of the knowledge created through the project; · assess the gaps and further needs of countries in the area of this project; · formulate tailored capacity building projects to strengthen the national capacity in enhancing innovation.

The results of the evaluation will be reported to the Conference of European Statisticians

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Following the issuance of the final report, the Project Manager will develop a Management Response for addressing the recommendations made by the evaluator. The final evaluation report, the management response and the progress on implementation of recommendations will be publicly available on the UNECE website.

VIII. Criteria for evaluators

The evaluator should have: 1. An advanced university degree or equivalent background in relevant disciplines. 2. Knowledge of and experience in working on data and statistics; knowledge of and experience in economic statistics desirable. 3. Relevant professional experience in design and management of evaluation processes with multiple stakeholders, survey design and implementation, project planning, monitoring and management, gender mainstreaming and human-rights due diligence. 4. Demonstrated methodological knowledge of evaluations, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for end-of-cycle project evaluations, including demonstrated experience in conducting questionnaires and interviews. 5. Fluency in written and spoken English.

Evaluators should declare any conflict of interest to UNECE before embarking on an evaluation project and at any point where such conflict occurs.

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4.2 ONLINE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE – BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES

4.2.1 Introductory text

This online survey is conducted in the context of the evaluation of the UNECE Project: Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts.

The purpose of this survey is to gather the views of target countries and beneficiaries on the events and activities organized by the UNECE associated with this project.

The survey, which contains 15 questions, will be conducted in English and take approximately 15 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential, and no individual can be identified from their responses. UNECE will not have access to the raw survey results but only to aggregated information. Should you have any question or concerns, please contact the evaluator, Constance Graziadei at [email protected].

The survey will be available until Friday 22 September 2023.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

4.2.2 Questionnaire

1. Country • (drop down menu)

2. Which institution do you represent? • National Statistical Office • Other Domestic Agencies (Ministry of Finance, Central Bank) • Other: _______________________

3. Gender of respondent • Male • Female • Other: _________________ • Prefer not to respond

4. What event (meeting or workshop) organised by UNECE have you participate in? • National Accounts event • Price statistics event • Statistical business registers event • Events on expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and

remittances

5. To what extent did the event (s) respond to your country’s statistical needs and priorities? • To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

6. To what extent is the work of the event (s) still relevant to your county? • To a high extent • To a moderate extent

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• To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

7. To what extent did the activities and outputs from the event help to improve your statistics? • To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

8. How would you rate the quality of the support provided by the UNECE? • Excellent • Good • Average • Poor • Do not know

9. How effective were the regional workshops or the UNECE Expert Group meetings? • Excellent • Good • Average • Poor • Do not know

10. How effective was the sharing of best practices throughout the event (s)? • Excellent • Good • Average • Poor • Do not know

11. To what extent did the project respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on planned activities? • To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know • Not applicable

12. To what extent are the outputs from the event sustainable? • To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

13. What are the main risks for the results to be maintained? Please select all that apply • Lack of expert staff • Staff turnover • Limited technical capacities

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• Lack of funding • Government change • None • Other: ___________________________

14. Are there any lessons learned or good practices from the project that should be considered for future

projects?

Text box

15. Do you have any comments or recommendations?

Text box

4.3 ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS – BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES 15 responses (11 women; 4 men) were received and results analyzed. On average it took respondents 15:27 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

Q1. Country

4

1

4

1 0 0 1 0 1 2

0 0 1

Arm en

ia

Azer baij

an

Belar us

Geo rgi

a

Kaza kh

sta n

Kyrg yzs

tan

Moldova

Mongo lia

Russi an

Fe dera

tio n

Ta jik

ist an

Tu rkm

enist an

Ukra ine

Uzb ek

ist an

Countries Responses

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Q2. Which institution do you represent?

Q3. Gender

Q4. What events (meeting or workshop) organized by the UNECE did you participate in?

National Statistical Office Other domestic agencies

Gender

Woman Man Prefer not to say Other

11

4 0 0

GENDER Gender

53% 27%

7% 13%

Event participants

System of National Accounts

Price Statistics

Statistical Business Register

Measuring Migration and Remittances

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Q5. To what extent did the event (s) respond to your country’s statistical needs and priorities?

Q6. To what extent is the work of the event (s) still relevant to your country?

Q7. To what extent did the activities and outputs from the event (s) help to improve your statistics?

11 4

0 0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

TO A HIGH EXTENT TO A MODERATE EXTENT

TO A LOW EXTENT NOT AT ALL

Statistical needs & priorities

Statistical needs & priorities

To a high extent 7

To a moderate

extent 8

To a low extent 0

Not at all 0

Improve Statistics

To a high extent To a moderate extent

To a low extent Not at all

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Q8. How would you rate the quality of the support provided by the UNECE?

Q9. How effective were the regional workshops or the UNECE Expert Group meetings?

Very effective 12 Somewhat ineffective 0

Somewhat effective 3 Very ineffective 0

Neither effective or ineffective 0 Do not know 0

Q10. How effective was the sharing of best practices throughout the event (s)?

Very effective 12 Somewhat ineffective 0

Somewhat effective 3 Very ineffective 0

Neither effective or ineffective 0 Do not know 0

Q11. To what extent did the project respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on planned activities?

60%40%

QUALITY OF SUPPORT

Excellent Good

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

COVID-19 response

To a high extent

To a moderate extent

To a low extent

Not at all

Do not know

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Q12. To what extent are the outputs from the various events sustainable?

Q13. What are the main risks for the results to be maintained? Please select all that apply

Q14. Are there any lessons learned or good practices from the project that should be considered for future projects?

- Measuring and consistent recording of non-observed economy in balance of payments the recording of e-commerce cross boarder transactions cryptocurrencies SPE MNE Groups data and others.

- A lot of theoretical information. - From the learned lessons we have planned the improvement of the statistical data production and tools. - Presentation of the experience of countries with good practices. - Good practices from the project helped us to establish Business Demography statistics and introduce geographical

coordinates in the Statistical Business Register. - Try to give the floor for all participation. - We made a research of card transactions, for 2019, by MCC and reflecting the results by EBOPS, after a presentation of

similar experience during NA Group of expert’s meetings and had a close collaboration with some colleagues to share our experience after 2023 meeting and presentation of our model of estimations of refugee’s transactions in BOP.

Q.15 Do you have any comments or recommendations?

- All UNECE events on price statistics are always very useful and helpful and informative. - We would like to see more workshops on price statistics, with participation from both regional statistical offices and

from countries with best practices in index calculations, which may be given the opportunity to consult themselves on

Sustainability

To a high extent To a moderate extent To a low extent Not at all

10

7 8

6

0 0 0 0 2 4 6 8

10 12

Lack of expert staff

Staff turover Limited technical

capabilities

Lack of funding Government change

None Other

Risk Factors

Risk Factors

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the compilation of indices in practice, using the best practices for the collection of information they possess. Organize the exchange of experience between statistical offices in a particular country, to study practical skills in calculating indices.

- Participation in statistical business register events was highly informative for us. - To keep organizing regional meetings, additional to global events.

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4.4 ONLINE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE – STAKEHOLDERS/PARTNERS

4.4.1 Introductory Text

This online survey is conducted in the context of the evaluation of the UNECE Project: Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts.

The purpose of this survey is to gather the views of the stakeholders and partners who have invested time and resources to help the UNECE carry out its mandate to support the implementation of 2008 SNA and supporting statistics in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia region.

The survey, which contains 12 questions, will be conducted in English and take approximately 10 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential, and no individual can be identified from their responses. UNECE will not have access to the raw survey results, only to aggregated information. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the evaluator, Constance Graziadei at [email protected].

The survey will be available until 29 September 2023. Thank you in advance for your participation.

6.4.2 Questionnaire

1. Which organization do you represent? Please select all that apply.

• Drop down menu

2. Gender of respondent • Male • Female • Other: _________________ • Prefer not to respond

3.What is your relationship with the project?

• Donor • Expert • Oversight • Regional Partner • Sponsor • Other: _________________

4. To what extent did the project respond to the priorities and needs of the beneficiary countries?

• To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

5. How effective was the UNECE in drawing on established partnerships to achieve the results of the project?

• Very effective • Somewhat effective

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• Neither effective nor ineffective • Somewhat ineffective • Very ineffective • Do not know

6. To what extent were the project's activities harmonized with activities, events or projects within your organization?

• To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

7. To what extent were alternative methods used to achieve the results more efficiently?

• To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

8. To what extent are the results of the project sustainable?

• To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

9. To what extent did the results of the activities and events organized by the UNECE align with the SDGs?

• To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

10. To what extent did the UNECE encourage the participation of women, persons with disabilities, minority groups and youths in the events and activities?

• To a high extent • To a moderate extent • To a low extent • Not at all • Do not know

11. Are there any lessons learned or good practices from the project that should be considered for future projects?

Text box

12. Do you have any comments or recommendations? Text box

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4.5 INTERVIEW GUIDE – KEY STAKEHOLDERS

These questions are based on the evaluation matrix and will be used as a guideline only for interviews with international and regional partners. The questions will be tailored to each interview conducted. Follow up questions may be asked to explore emerging themes or discussions.

General

1. What is your relationship with the project and for how long have you been involved?

Relevance

2. To what extent did the project respond to the priorities and needs of the beneficiary countries? 3. To what extent did the activities and outputs from the project align with the project’s stated objectives?

a. Methodology and compilation techniques of 2008 System of National Accounts b. Price statistics c. Improving the coverage and accuracy of statistical business registers d. Expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and remittances

Effectiveness

4. To what extend did the UNECE contribute to achieving the stated objectives? 5. How effective were the various activities used to achieve the project’s outcomes?

a. Regional workshops b. Participation in the UNECE Expert Group meetings c. Sharing of best practices

6. What were the challenges or obstacles to achieving the expected results? 7. What was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on planned activities? How was the project realigned to

help participant countries address these issues? 8. How effective was the UNECE in drawing on established partnerships to achieve the results of the project? 9. To what extent were the project activities coherent and harmonized with activities within your

organization?

Efficiency

10. Were the resources sufficient to achieve the desired results? 11. Were alternative methods used to achieve results more efficiently? Please describe.

Sustainability

12. To what extent are the outputs from the various modules sustainable? a. Methodology and compilation techniques for 2008 System of National Accounts b. Price statistics c. Improving the coverage and accuracy of statistical business registers d. Expanding the use of household surveys for the estimates of the informal sector and remittances

13. To what extent do the results of the project align with the SDGs?

Cross Cutting Questions

14. Was the project designed to ensure inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, minority groups and youth?

15. Did the UNECE include women, persons with disabilities, minority groups or youth? 16. How can gender and human rights perspectives be better included in the design and implementation of

future projects?

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4.6 LIST OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES BY MODULE

4.6.1 Module 1 – National Accounts

YEAR ACTIVITY LOCATION

2017 Workshop on Consistency between National Accounts & Balance of Payments Statistics

Minsk, Belarus

2018 Workshop in compilation, dissemination and use of Supply and Use tables Meeting on the Group of Experts on National Accounts

Chisinau, Moldova Geneva, Switzerland

2020 Webinars of the Group of Experts on National Accounts Online

2021 Workshop on measuring informal economy Meeting on the Group of Experts on National Accounts

Online Online

2022 Workshop on Financial Accounts Meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts

Brussels, Belgium Online

2023 Meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts Geneva, Switzerland

4.6.2 Module 2 – Price Statistics

YEAR ACTIVITY LOCATION

2018 Meeting of the Group of Experts on Consumer Price Indices Geneva, Switzerland

2019 Regional Workshop on Consumer Price Indices for EECCA countries

Minsk, Belarus

2020 Webinars on producing the CPI under lockdown Online

2021 Meeting of the Group of Experts on Consumer Prices Indices Online

2023 Meeting of the Group of Experts on Consumer Prices Indices Geneva, Switzerland

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4.6.3 Module 3 – Business Registers

YEAR ACTIVITY LOCATION

2017 Meeting of the Group of Experts on Business Registers Paris, France

2019 Meeting of the Group of Experts on Business Registers Geneva, Switzerland

2022 Workshop on Business Registers

Meeting of the Group Experts on Business Registers

Online

Online

4.6.4 Module 4 – Migration Statistics

YEAR ACTIVITY LOCATION

2017 Workshop on Migration Statistics Geneva, Switzerland

2018 Workshop on Migration Statistics

Harmonized survey module on international migration & remittances

Geneva, Switzerland

2019 Workshop on Migration Statistics

Testing of harmonized survey module on migration & remittances in countries

Geneva, Switzerland

2020 Analysis of the test results on the survey module

Workshop on Migration Statistics

Online

2021 Harmonized module for measuring & collecting information on migration & remittances after 2020

Workshop on Migration Statistics

Online

2022 Group of Experts on Migration Statistics Geneva, Switzerland

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4.7 STAKEHOLDERS INVITED FOR IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW

ORGANIZATION FULL NAME TITLE RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROJECT

World Bank Mr. Maurice Nsabimana ECASTAT Task Team Leader Donor

ILO Ms. Valentina Stoevska Senior Statistician Group of Experts on CPI

EFTA Mr. Marius Andersen Deputy, EFTA Statistical Office Group of Experts on NA

European Union, Eurostat

Mr. John Verrinder Head, National Accounts, Methodology, Standards & Indicators

Group of Experts on NA

UNSD Mr. Herman Smith Chief of National Accounts Group of Experts on NA

Consultant Ms. Anna Prokhorova Consultant - Developer Harmonized module for measuring migration and remittances

UNECE Steering Group on National Accounts

Mr. Gerard Eding Director of National Accounts – Statistics Netherlands

Chair of Steering Committee

UNECE Steering Committee on Consumer Price Indices

Mr. Christopher Jenkins Assistant Deputy Director, Prices Division, Office for National Statistics, UK

Chair of Steering Committee

Armenia Ms. Lusya Khachartryan Head of Macroeconomics Indicators and National Accounts Division, Statistics Armenia

Group of Experts on National Accounts

United Kingdom Mr. Sanjiv Mahajan Head of Methods and Research Engagement, Office for National Statistics, UK

Steering Group on National Accounts

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4.8 LIST OF DOCUMENTS REVIEWED

1. ECASTAT Project for 2017-2020 Implementation of 2008 SNA. Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 SNA – Project Proposal – Concept note 2016

2. ECASTAT Project no-cost extension for 2021-2023. Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 SNA – Project Proposal

3. Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 SNA https://www.statswiki.unece.org/display/EC/ECSTAT+Home

4. World Bank’s Implementation Completion and Results Report on a Small Grant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for Enhancing Coherence and Integration of Economic and Social Statistics in Support of the Implementation of 2008 SNA (Draft-v1)

5. Statistical Commission. Report on the fortieth session (24-27 February 2009). https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc09/Report-English.pdf

6. SDG Priorities. Supporting countries to achieve the SDGs https://unece.org.sdg-priorities

7. United Nations Geneva, 2021 Guide on producing CPI under lockdown https://unece.org/statistics/publications/buide-producing-cpi-under-lockdown

8. Generic Law on Official Statistics https://unece.org/DAM/stats/publications/2016/ECECESSTAT20163_E.pdf

9. United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics https://unsd/dnss/hb/E- fundamentatl%principles_A4-WEB.pdg

10. Interim Unaudited Financial Reports - June - December 2017 - January - June 2018 - July – December 2018 - January – May 2019 - June - December 2020 - January – June 2021 - July – December 2021 - January – June 2022

11. Reports from Meetings and Workshops

- Group of Experts on Business Registers (2017; 2019; and 2022) - Group of Experts on Consumer Price Indices (2018; 2021; and 2023) - Consumer Price Indices webinars (2020) - Group of Experts on Migration Statistics (2020; 2021; and 2022) - Group of Experts on National Accounts (2018; 2020; 2021; 2022; and 2023) - Workshop on Migration Statistics (2019) - Workshop on Consumer Price Indices (2019) - Workshop on Financial Accounts (2022) - Workshop on Measuring Informal Economy (2021) - Workshop on Migration Statistics (2017; 2018) - Workshop on Supply and Use Tables for EECCA and SEE countries (2018) - Workshop on the Implementation 2008 SNA: Consistency between national accounts and balance of

payments (2017) 12. Meeting Evaluation Results

- Workshops of Migration Statistics (2017; 2018; and 2019)

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- Meeting on Migration Statistics (2021) - Meetings of the Group of Experts on National Accounts & webinars (2020; 2021; 2022; and 2023) - Regional Workshop on Consumer Price Indices 2019 - Meetings of the Group of Experts on Consumer Price Indices (2018; 2021 and 2023) - Meeting of the Group of Experts on Business Registers 2019

13. Semi-annual progress reports

- June – December 2017 - January – June 2018 - July – December 2018 - January – May 2019 - June – November 2019 - December 2019 – May 2020 - June 2020 – December 2020 - January 2021 – June 2021 - July 2021 – December 2021 - January 2022 – June 2022 - July – December 2022

14. Global Assessment of the National Statistical Systems of EECCA (beneficiary) countries, where available:

Armenia (2009), Azerbaijan (2017), Belarus (2020), Georgia (2019), Kazakhstan (2017), Kyrgyzstan (2011), Moldova (2013), Mongolia (2014), Tajikistan (2013), Turkmenistan (2014), Ukraine (2017), Uzbekistan (Joint review - 2018)