Multilateral Aid Review summary - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

UNESCO is a forum for the negotiation of global agreements, a facility for policy exchanges and capacity building, and a centre for standard-setting and monitoring in education, natural sciences, social sciences, culture and communication and information.

	comment
Contribution to UK development objectives	Unsatisfactory
	_	Despite its importance to some government departments, UNESCO’s significant under-performance in leadership means it is rarely critical in education and development.
	+	UNESCO performs an important role in education policy and reporting.  It fills critical gaps in science and culture.
	_	It has poor systems and is unable to identify its results.
	_	Has performed a useful post-disaster role in education planning and protecting cultural heritage, but needs clearer policies and attention to needs in fragile states.
	+	UNESCO has an extensive range of policy and institutional actions on gender and climate change.
	_	It could do more to lead the debate on girls’ education.
	_	More work is needed on its own carbon footprint.
Organisational strengths	Unsatisfactory
	_	UNESCO has achieved efficiency savings, but administration costs remain high. Insufficient attention paid to transaction costs.
	+	Some good partnership behaviour is recognised. NGO involvement at local level is a constitutional requirement.
	_	Some tensions with other UN agencies. Work in some sectors is not as broad based as necessary.
	_	UNESCO’s results framework is poor, the programme information system is complicated and inadequate attention is paid to results in programming decisions.
	_	The Executive Board is cumbersome.
	_	Substantial room for improved financial resource management, in particular to address poor allocation mechanisms and inadequate management of poorly performing programmes.
	+	Its audits are high quality and it is implementing IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards).
	+	It has an Ethics Office and broad partner involvement.
Capacity for positive change	Uncertain
	_	The Executive Board is cumbersome. A new senior team is setting the right direction but this will likely be diminished by Member States and the Executive Board.
	+	An Independent External Evaluation was carried out in 2010 and recommendations for follow-up will be presented to the Executive Board in May 2011.