June 2025: At its 157th session, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) approved the revised Organization-wide Evaluation Policy (2025), updating the earlier 2018 version, aimed at strengthening accountability, transparency, organizational learning, evidence-based decision-making and performance across the Organization. The Policy reinforces evaluation as the cornerstone of results-based management. The Policy reflects key evolutions in the professional practice of evaluation and the structure and operations of evaluation functions across the UN.
The updated policy integrates feedback from a WHO HQ/EVL commissioned independent 2024 comparative review or the evaluation function in UN agencies and recommendations from the Independent Expert Oversight Advisory Committee and Programme, Budget and Administration Committee. It reinforces WHO's commitment to evidence-based decision-making by enhancing the independence and quality of evaluations across all levels—from country offices to headquarters.
The Policy emphasizes robust norms for impartiality, credibility and stakeholder engagement, and promotes the use of evaluation findings in policy-making and learning.
The Policy aligns with the Fourteenth General Programme of Work (2025–2028), ensuring evaluations support WHO's strategic priorities. For the first time, WHO has established minimum coverage norms for the Organization, a biennial evaluation workplan, and clearer resourcing commitments—with a goal of up to 1% of the programme budget for evaluations. The Policy also emphasizes ethical standards for evaluation, disability inclusion and human rights.
This milestone policy positions WHO to be more agile, transparent, and accountable in addressing global health needs through rigorous and timely evaluations. It launches a number of follow-up actions including development of regional office frameworks for evaluation, linkage with programme budget operational planning and for the development of the 2026-2027 biennial Organization-wide evaluation workplan
To read the policy, click here
