Evaluation on DA Project-Blockchains

Client of United Nation careers

1. Background and Objective Trade costs are a major issue in international trade. They determine competitiveness, which is fundamental to participating in international trade activities. With various developments around international trade rules resulting from successive trade agreement negotiations at the global, regional, and bilateral levels, tariffs for international trade have fallen to historically low levels, leaving non-tariff measures such as logistics and customs procedures as the main stumbling blocks to international trade. The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in a deeply interconnected global economy, led to several disruptions across global supply chains, trade, and travel across borders. Blockchain technology presents an opportunity to further enhance efforts at trade digitalization and support in mitigating the socioeconomic impacts of such crisis. Blockchain enables automated, secure and efficient information sharing to ensure the efficient implementation of Mutual Recognition Arrangements/Agreements. It enables participants to digitally connect, share information and collaborate across the shipping supply chain ecosystem. Governments, and regional and international organizations can play a key role in building up the necessary ecosystem for engaging all stakeholders, addressing actual or perceived risks, and ensuring that blockchain can effectively support sustainable and inclusive development. The cost of moving goods across continents could be significantly reduced, creating new opportunities, to relocate manufacturing or source materials and goods internationally. According to the World Economic Forum, the benefits of blockchain would extend beyond shipping. By improving communications and border administration, blockchain could generate an additional $1 trillion in global trade. Running from January 2022 to December 2025, this project brought together the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), the UN regional commissions for Africa (ECA), Europe (ECE), Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and UNCTAD.. Thereby, it ensured both global reach and regional presence, international cooperation, and exchange of knowledge and good practices from all over the world. The project is aimed to strengthen national innovation and technological capacities related to the use of blockchain technology in customs and trade operations in five selected developing countries, and to boost trade and enhance competitiveness in support of sustainable development. Specifically, the project aimed to contribute to increasing national awareness on the importance of blockchain in trade facilitation through tailored capacity building activities on how to effectively adopt and deploy blockchain technology. The five beneficiary countries were Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Peru, and Mongolia. 2. Duties and Responsibilities Purpose of the Evaluation Evaluations strive to demonstrate the difference that is being made by the work of UN entities, and their impact on member States and their populations. This evaluation will aim to determine how the work undertaken in the project contributed to achieving its intended results, the pathway to these results, and the elements that contributed most significantly to the achievement of these results. In addition, it will also consider how the project brought about any unintended results that may have occurred. The evaluation will serve three main purposes:

• It will inform and facilitate organizational learning by identifying evidence-based findings, lessons to be learned, and recommendations for action that enhance the next generation of work.
• It will provide a basis for evidence-informed decision-making, strategic planning, and risk management.
• It is a means to demonstrate accountability to the organizations Executives and member States for performance, relative to the entities mandates and strategic objectives.
• It will inform and facilitate organizational learning by identifying evidence-based findings, lessons to be learned, and recommendations for action that enhance the next generation of work.

The evaluation will be conducted in line with ESCWA s Evaluation Policy (2025), the UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation, and the Development Account Evaluation Guidelines. The evaluation will strive to employ development best practices with regard to promoting gender equality and a human rights-based approach, including the rights of persons with disabilities. The primary audiences for the evaluation are ESCWA, ECA, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP and UNCTAD. The evaluation will be led and coordinated by ESCWA s Strategic Planning, Accountability, Results and Knowledge team, in coordination with the Evaluation Advisory Group. Scope of the Evaluation The evaluation will be forward-looking and will objectively and systematically assess the performance of the project in terms of its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. Furthermore, the evaluation will assess the extent to which gender, human rights, disability inclusion, environmental concerns, and other cross-cutting issues were incorporated or mainstreamed into the project. The evaluation will cover the period from January 2022 to December 2025. Evaluation Criteria The following key evaluation questions per criteria will guide the evaluation. The evaluator is expected to refine evaluation questions where necessary and to include the refinement in the Inception Report. Relevance

• How were the strategic needs and priorities of member States identified during project design?
• How were the intended results aligned with member State priorities, the SDGs, national and regional development agendas, and the needs of other key stakeholders?
• How were activities designed and sequenced based on the log frame to ensure relevance and a clear contribution to the intended results?