EU East Jerusalem Programme Evaluation

The evaluation assessed the achievements, quality, and results of actions in the context of an evolving cooperation policy with an emphasis on results-oriented approaches and making a contribution towards the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From this perspective, the evaluation sought evidence of why, whether, and how these results were linked to the EU intervention and to identify the factors enabling or hindering progress.

In the context of this mid-term evaluation, PMCG, as a sub-contractor to B&S Europe, provided the following services:

• An independent overall assessment of the past performance of the 29 completed and ongoing projects under the EU Programme in East Jerusalem (2013-2019), paying particular attention to its intermediate results measured against its expected objectives and the reasons underpinning them; and
• Key lessons learned, conclusions, and related recommendations in order to improve current and future actions.

The evaluation method depended on the standard OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) evaluation criteria, which were slightly adapted for this evaluation through a reconstruction of the program’s intervention logic. As such, the evaluation assessed the relevance and fulfilment of the European Joint Programme (EJP) objectives, as well as its efficiency, sustainability, and impact. Specifically, the evaluation considered the Programme’s strategic approach and assessed the degree of complementarity between individual projects.

In addition, the evaluation team considered whether gender, environmental, and climate change issues had been mainstreamed. With regard to gender mainstreaming, the team analyzed the integration of the gender dimension into the EJP. Pertinently, a revision of the Gender Action Plan II and the SDGs allowed the team to evaluate how the EJP had contributed towards realizing gender equality commitments.