This report on Ecuador’s Assessment of Development Results (ADR) focuses on the following three thematic areas: fostering democratic governance; achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and reducing poverty under a human development perspective; and ensuring environmental sustainability. Reflecting on the characteristics of Ecuador’s economic history, its current juncture and prospects, the ADR examined the past with a forward-looking perspective.

This report on Paraguay’s Assessment of Development Results (ADR) focuses on the following three thematic areas: fostering democratic governance; achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and reducing poverty under a human development perspective; and ensuring environmental sustainability. Reflecting on the characteristics of Paraguay’s economic history, its current juncture and prospects, the ADR examined the past with a forward-looking perspective.

As countries take ownership of the development agenda, enhancing sustained abilities for countries to do things for themselves takes centre stage as a critical element of development effectiveness. UNDP's support to this nationally-driven process plays a critical role in enhancing its leadership role in capacity development. For UNDP, capacity development is the "how" of what it does and UNDP has put in extraordinary resources in its conceptualization and activities. UNDP has received international recognition for its lead role in the area. The model applied by UNDP is, however, largely a supply-driven model which is not bolstered by adequate organizational learning and incentive systems. The evaluation recommends that UNDP continue to enhance its lead role at the international level while developing and applying a model which is nationally driven, and seek to develop increased conceptual and managerial integration within the organization consistent with the objectives of the strategic plan. Of particular importance is rigor in engaging governments in all contexts in addressing the longer term requirements of capacity development -- Publisher's website.

The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.

This is the first ADR conducted in Djibouti, and it focuses on UNDP contributions to development results in the country during UNDP-Djibouti’s two most recent programming cycles – 2003-2007 and 2008-2012. The objectives of this ADR are: (i) to identify progress made towards the antici¬pated development results of the past two UNDP programming cycles; (ii) to analyse how UNDP in Djibouti has been positioned to add value to the country’s efforts to promote its development; (iii) to present conclusions and lessons learned with a view to the organization’s future positioning in Djibouti. The findings and recommendations of the ADR will inform the new Djibouti Country Programme Document for the upcoming pro¬gramming cycle of 2013-2017, for which UNDP-Djibouti has begun preparation.