Outcome BGD_O_5

UN-Women efficiently and effectively discharges of all business processes that advance integrated delivery of its mandate at HQ, Regional and Country levels, including through shared services

There has been progress in this output remains on track. UN Women’s position as a thought leader on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) was demonstrated through leveraging its convening and coordination role to implement the Gender Parity Strategy across the UN system in Bangladesh. Effective delivery of UN Women’s mandate, including operations and coordination, has further strengthened the Country Office’s position as a reliable partner to key development partners, as a result of which, for the first time the Government of Sweden has expressed interest in providing direct funding against the Bangladesh Country Office (BCO) Strategic Note (SN). The funding is expected to be finalized in early 2024. The Office strengthened its internal capacity for effective programming and reporting, which has resulted in the Country Office to be declared a Tier 1 country for donor reporting (as reported in Output 1). The Country Office will continue to prioritise a structured approach to reporting and reviewing internal and external reports in light of this achievement. Quality evaluations further demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Office’s programming in Bangladesh, whilst providing key lessons learnt to inform future programme development and improvements of internal mechanisms. For example, the thematic evaluation in Cox’s Bazar called for streamlined monitoring to effectively demonstrate key results of the humanitarian response for Rohingya Refugees.

UN-Women efficiently and effectively discharges of all business processes that advance integrated delivery of its mandate at HQ, Regional and Country levels, including through shared services

There has been significant progress in 2024 in this output. Effective delivery of UN Women’s mandate, including operational excellence and coordination, further strengthened the Bangladesh Country Office’s position as a reliable partner to key development stakeholders. This has resulted in the office securing funding against its Strategic Note 2022 – 2026 for the first time, from the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). This milestone was achieved through relentless office-wide efforts, despite a year of turmoil due to the civil unrest that led to the fall of the former government. Internal capacities were strengthened to continue to focus on effective programming and reporting of results, in line with the office’s commitment to maintaining its Tier 1 status for donor reporting. The systematic approach undertaken to ensure effective reporting will be prioritized in the coming year. Quality evaluations and external reviews further demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Office’s programming in Bangladesh, whilst providing key lessons for future programme development and improvements of internal mechanisms. For example, the evaluation of the “ Combating Gender Based Violence ” project highlighted the necessity for long-term support to finance interventions that ensure behavioural and structural changes, whilst strengthening the intersectional approach in line with the “leave no one behind” principles of UN Women from the outset of programme design.

UN-Women efficiently and effectively discharges of all business processes that advance integrated delivery of its mandate at HQ, Regional and Country levels, including through shared services

UN Women's position as a thought leader on gender equality and women's empowerment was further strengthened due to substantial contribution to the UN Country Team, leveraging the agency's coordination mandate. Commitment to prioritizing gender parity across the UN Country Team has been declared by senior management across agencies in light of the UNCT Gender Parity Strategy and the UNCT Capacity Development Plan that have been developed by the Gender Equality Theme Group, co-chaired by UN Women. Quality knowledge products contributed to the national discourse on gender equality, in particular the Time Use Survey, which provided national data on unpaid care and domestic work for the first time in Bangladesh. The office's internal capacity for efficient and effective programme management was strengthened with the creation of a Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting Analyst position in 2022. Quality evaluation of the country office’s interventions in 2022 has demonstrated the effectiveness of the key interventions. For instance, the evaluation of the UN SDG Joint Programme on social protection of female tea garden workers in Bangladesh, implemented by four UN agencies, including UN Women, revealed that the “gender talk” on social norms and stereotypes that strengthened leadership capacity for women to raise their voice against violence, was one of the most effective initiatives undertaken by the joint programme. This would potentially inform future programme design for tea workers, who remain amongst the most vulnerable populations in the country. The Strategic Note evaluability assessment has provided an overview of the feasibility of the Strategic Note adopted in 2022, in line with the ever-evolving development context in the country. In 2022, the Country Office’s reporting mechanism has been strengthened through the introduction of structured processes, which have allowed for deeper quality assurance by senior management. In 2023, the Country Office will focus on substantive support to all colleagues while developing reporting inputs so that time and effort taken for reviews can be reduced.