Overview The body of research on child marriage has significantly expanded in recent years, but there are still significant gaps in our understanding, especially regarding effective interventions within particular contexts. The combined meta-synthesis and meta-analysis aims at identifying, critically appraising, synthesizing and compiling all relevant and available evidence on what works to prevent child marriage in the South Asian Region (SAR). It will include models of child marriage prevention or reduction that have proven successful in humanitarian or fragile contexts, as well as for minority or extremely vulnerable populations. Interventions that had an impact on child marriage as a primary, secondary or unintended outcome will also be included in this study. The meta-analysis will provide a quantitative estimate of the effect size of ECM interventions from available rigorous studies that meet the relevant criteria. The overarching purpose of the meta-synthesis and the meta-analysis is to enhance learning and facilitate evidence-based decision-making to improve programme results in South Asia. It aims at capturing learning on effective interventions to prevent child marriage in order to shed light on what works for ECM in the South Asian region. Report Details Year Published 2024 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Agency Focal Point Daniel Patrick Alonso Valckx Focal Point Email daalonso@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2024 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG13 - Climate Action Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2024 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG1 - No PovertySDG8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2024 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2024 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG13 - Climate ActionSDG16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview To respond to child labour in India and Pakistan, the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA), in partnership with the UNICEF India and Pakistan Country Offices (COs), is implementing the Child Labour: Exploitation of Children in South Asia Programme (CLECSAP), funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) .The main purpose of the summative evaluation of CLECSAP is to elicit lessons gained from the implementation of the CLECSAP while examining and evaluating its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability. The CLECSAP ends in September 2023 and will not be extended. The evaluation is being done for learning and accountability purposes and is intended to contribute to learning and accountability as the project winds up. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Dr Anita Ramsak Agency Focal Point Lovemore Mhuriyengwe Focal Point Email lmhuriyengwe@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview The UNICEF- Royal Government of Bhutan Country Programme 2019- 2023, was approved in 2018 by the Executive Board. While the country office conducted a mid-term review (MTR) in 2021, it has not undergone a country programme evaluation (CPE) in the last two cycles making a CPE necessary before the next CPD is developed. Therefore, an evaluation of the Bhutan Country Programme is commissioned to identify critical lessons from the current programme to inform the design of the next Country Programme Document (CPD).The objectives of the CPE are to: • Provide an independent assessment of the relevance of the country programme —focusing on specific programmatic areas—to needs and context. • Provide an independent assessment of results achieved and sustainability of the results—focusing on specific programmatic areas—and explanatory factors for their achievement; • Identify good practices, draw lessons on significant and promising interventions and provide forward-looking recommendations for UNICEF Bhutan CO to strategically position itself in advancing the SDG goals in the country. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Peter Grimes, Aslam Aman, Karma Chhoden Agency Focal Point Esther Kaggwa Focal Point Email ekaggwa@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG1 - No PovertySDG13 - Climate ActionSDG17 - Partnerships for the Goals Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview The assessment of UNICEF’s L2 response to the floods is a utilization focused activity. The assessment have both an accountability and learning purpose. It fulfils the requirement of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy (2018) whereby all L2 emergencies must be evaluated by the regional office. The assessment also is expected to help the UNICEF PCO, the regional and HQ levels, generate learning to support programming strategy and operational planning, in similar emergencies. It will inform a forward-looking reflection on the UNICEF response to the flood emergency even after the L2 designation ends but the response continues. The purpose of this evaluation is two-fold: 1. Inform programme design and support managerial decision-taking to current course correction and inform learning for future/ similar emergencies including insights in the mitigation of impact in such emergencies. 2. Support accountability by providing an independent assessment of UNICEF’s response to the flooding crisis in Pakistan. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Niaz Murtaza and Aslam Aman Agency Focal Point Shamshad Begum Focal Point Email shamsbegum@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview Through this evaluation, our aim is to identify the factors and conditions that could contribute to varying effects on the uptake and effectiveness of the project. It assess the lessons learned from implementing the UNISOLVE platform in Telangana. Based on these findings, we will provide recommendations for sustaining the program and facilitating its future implementation in other states in India and countries in South Asia. Furthermore, the results of this evaluation will be utilized to advocate for increased utilization of the program and other innovative solutions within UNICEF. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Irene Dejuan and Elisa Sanz Navarro Agency Focal Point Daniel Patrick Alonso Valckx Focal Point Email daalonso@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview This assessment seeks to: • Inform programme design/positioning and support managerial decision-taking at country office level during public health emergencies using COVID-19 as a case study • Foster organizational learning about what works and does not work, during public health emergencies and provide a set of recommendations on how to deal with future public health and other emergencies, • UNICEF has an accountability to design and implement programmes at a standard of excellence. The assessment will support accountability by providing an independent assessment of the role UNICEF played in the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine in South Asi including how UNICEF addressed the Delta and Omicron COVID-19 waves and if lessons learned during the first wave were incorporated to adjust programming The specific objectives for the assessment of UNICEF’s COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out and Distribution in the South Asia region are to: • Assess the support and contribution that UNICEF provided to countries in the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine, including roll out among children • Assess the extent to which UNICEF’s efforts in the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine have contributed to system building around supply chain, risk behaviour communication, citizen participation and other relevant areas. • Document the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine on the health system in targeted countries • Document early experiences and lessons learned from efforts seeking to integrate COVID-19 vaccination in routine immunization in selected countries. • Document challenges, bottlenecks and lessons learned and provide recommendation for UNICEF’s response/positioning around similar emergencies. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Dr Abdul Wajid, Sirjana Pant Agency Focal Point Lovemore Mhuriyengwe Focal Point Email lmhuriyengwe@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview The objective of the evaluation is to assess the preparedness, quality, coherence, effectiveness and sustainability of UNICEF’s response to COVID-19 in the South Asia region; and identify relevant lessons learned to provide recommendations on how UNICEF can prepare for future public health emergencies. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Sirjana Pant Agency Focal Point Hilary Margaret Adams Focal Point Email hadams@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview Jaleshwor municipality of Mahottari district is one of the floods prone Palikas of Madhesh Pradesh province having been adversely affected socio-economically by the Covid-19 pandemic in recent times. Based on initial Shock Responsive Social Protection Survey (2019/20), there were 8,764 HHs in the Jaleshwor Municipality of which 5,214 HHs were identified as most vulnerable in terms of socio-economic activities. During Covid-19 pandemic almost all vulnerable HHs have lost their livelihood and were searching for alternate source of income generation. More than 1,500 people, were reported to be directly infected by Covid-19 infections during the pandemic, though the fatalities are less in comparison to other urban area of the Madhesh Pradesh. Therefore, the Jaleshwor Palika was selected as a pilot site due to its vulnerability to floods, the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its susceptibility to cold waves during the winter. For this pilot 1,900 most vulnerable households were identified using three criteria (landless, daily wagers and families with a person with disabilities). This pilot is also part of the UNICEF’s OoI larger explorations into the value that blockchain could bring to Cash Transfer Programming. While there has been global interest in the recent past about the application of blockchain technology to bring in improved efficiencies, reduced costs and most importantly transparency and accountability, there is limited evidence to date of how effective such an approach is and what concrete steps can be taken to scale solutions such as Rahat. The purpose of the evaluation is to gather valuable insights into the lessons learned on how a blockchain-based approach compares to traditional cash transfer paradigms in terms of cost and time saved, implementation learnings, and provide practical recommendations that is needed to inform other pilots and scale this approach to enhancing shock responsive cash transfer and social protection schemes. Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Progress Inc. Agency Focal Point Thakur Dhakal Focal Point Email tdhakal@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2023 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG11 - Sustainable Cities and CommunitiesSDG13 - Climate Action Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Report Details Year Published 2022 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A SDG/s SDG16 - Peace, Justice and Strong InstitutionsSDG5 - Gender Equality Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview Since 2006, Nepal started implementing various 'Total Sanitation' modalities moving from a fragmented approach to the universal approach of sanitation. In this approach, a community or a catchment area is selected for a programme intervention instead of the conventional approach of selecting a disadvantaged household or a group of households. The School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) and Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) were some of the initiatives introduced in the universal approach which led to thousands of schools and communities declaring their catchment areas as Open Defecation Free (ODF). As the number of ODF declarations increased over the period, the rate of toilet coverage also rapidly increased. However, the devastating earthquake in April 2015 hit several districts and affected 8 million people of 39 districts of Nepal; 2.8 million of them were living in severely affected 14 districts. More than 300,000 toilets were damaged or destroyed from that earthquake. Open defecation practice is assumed to have increased among the affected population, who had developed a crucial habit of using toilets, and who have lost access to sanitation facilities. Because of the impact of COVID-19, there is more stress to the sector to decrease shared sanitation services and facilities to the people. Similarly, there is a greater need for meeting the demand for hygiene supplies to the people, especially the poor and marginalized. There might be obvious reasons for increased demand on sanitation and hygiene facilities because of the increased level of awareness on risk associated with COVID. The sanitation and hygiene programming hence may require some adjustments to result a sustained behavioral transformation to the people in general. The purpose of the evaluation is to contribute generating evidence on ODF and sustaining ODF status with thorough assessment of the sanitation programmes, mainly inspecting their success and setbacks. Report Details Year Published 2022 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Kamal Kar Agency Focal Point Siddhi Shrestha Focal Point Email sishrestha@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview Amid the pandemic caused by Covid-19, Nepal went into prolonged lockdown in May 2020. More than 60% of families with children lost income and livelihood in the first two months of lockdown. The inevitable pause in the private and public sectors, and agricultural industries deepened poverty shifting income distribution of the population downward, and mostly affecting people who depend on daily wages. The economic impacts of Covid-19 directly affected children, women and vulnerable population. Particularly, households with more than 2 children and those with members who have a disability, female headed households, and those who belong to vulnerable and marginalized ethnic groups were affected more than others. To respond to children’s needs emerging due to Covid-19 and to raise public awareness, UNICEF Nepal and Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) established a humanitarian partnership in May 2020. The partnership’s main activities included reaching out to communities through risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) and advocacy activities; improving coordination and information management on COVID 19 preparedness and response in target municipalities; strengthening referral to health system and enable access to services for vulnerable groups; monitoring and responding to child protection concerns; providing critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies and improving infection prevention and control (IPC) in school and communities; and, support in community-based surveillance on public health events related to Covid-19 at the ward and municipal levels. To learn from this partnership’s performance during unprecedented pandemic, UNICEF commissioned its evaluation, which will primarily focus on its programmatic results, operations and overall, the management process. The evaluation results will be used to enhance UNICEF’s operational and programmatic management of partnerships in the emergency contexts. Report Details Year Published 2022 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Joel Cutting Agency Focal Point Sunita Kayastha Focal Point Email skayastha@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal

Overview As part of the IKEA-funded 'Improving adolescents’ lives in South Asia' programme, UNICEF implemented the Adolescent Empowerment Programme (AEP) in four districts from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and West Bengal in India with the goal of improving adolescents’ lives by impacting the adolescents, parents and communities as a whole. The AEP intervened across three pillars with variations across states: 1) empower adolescent girls and boys; 2) create an enabling environment at the community level by sensitizing parents and community functionaries; and, 3) strengthen government service delivery and child protection mechanisms at various levels. The intended final outcomes were to reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and decrease adolescent pregnancy. Activities were implemented between 2015 and 2019. The impact evaluation aims to assess the programme impact on intermediary and final outcomes, as well programme relevance and implementation fidelity. The evaluation uses a mixed methods approach combining a quantitative experimental impact evaluation (based on a survey of 700 community leaders, 4900 adolescents and 1400 parents in 420 intervention villages and 280 control villages) and qualitative research drawing on document review and key informant/in-depth interviews at national, state, district and village level, including with parents and adolescents. Report Details Year Published 2022 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Alexandra Adveenko, Markus Frolich, Atika Pasha Agency Focal Point Tannistha Datta Focal Point Email tdatta@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies NepalIndia

Overview The midline evaluation focuses specifically on three of the five OECD-DAC Criteria for Evaluating Development Assistance, namely relevance, efficiency, and impacts. The other two criteria, effectiveness and sustainability are preliminary, due to more information is needed to perform a comprehensive analysis during the impact evaluation. The overall evaluation design is based on mixed-methods approach, including both, qualitative and quantitative components. The short-term impact of the MSNP implementation is estimated using the difference-in-differences method. Report Details Year Published 2022 Type Project/Programme Joint No Partner/s N/A Consultant name Nahid Kamal, Aniruddha Bonnerjee Agency Focal Point Sanjay Rijal Focal Point Email sarijal@unicef.org Managed by Independent Evaluation Office No Geographic Scope Country Country/ies Nepal