Draft for Comments
Organizational Review of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative
Concept Note
Context
United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) has emerged as an important platform for to push
the agenda on girls’ education forward, especially in making the shift in the discourse from gender
parity to gender equality in education. The UNGEI completed 10 years in 2010: the decadal review of
the initiative indicates that UNGEI has emerged as an important tool for the advancement of gender
parity and equality in education. While the partnership has evolved differently across the globe in the
past decade, three strategies remain central to its work, namely: technical support and capacity
development, policy dialogue and advocacy, and co-ordination and alignment with extant aid
architecture.
A major recommendation of the 2010 initiative review was an evaluation of the partnership to assess
the “value addition” of UNGEI at the global, regional, and country levels; this is currently under way.
In addition there has been an internal push towards strengthening UNGEI’s “knowledge
management” and “advocacy” functions at the global level, as well as an acknowledged need for an
enhanced role of the Global Advisory Committee (GAC) partners at the country level. Further, an
internal review of member agencies and their degree of participation and the emergence of new actors
in the global arena as interlocutors on girls’ education have further changed the immediate internal
and external context in which UNGEI functions.
In light of these developments and in consultation with the Co-Chairs, the UNGEI Secretariat is
proposing to bring these issues together within the broader framework of an “organizational review”
to inform UNGEI’s vision, strategy, and planning – given a variety of changing factors in its
operating and wider environment, for the next five years if not the decade.
Purpose
This organizational review of UNGEI is being proposed to hold up a mirror to UNGEI and help us to
answer the fundamental question, “How well are we doing and what do we need to do differently to
ensure we remain an effective advocate for girls’ education and gender equality?” In concrete terms,
the proposed assessment will critically review if UNGEI has the mandate and support, reputation,
organizational capacity and resources needed to achieve targeted results in girls’ education and gender
equality. It is anticipated that the exercise will determine how the partnership should take forward the
lessons of the last 10 years and adapt the lessons and itself to the shifting development landscape,
particularly in the immediate context of the fast-approaching MDG deadline and beyond.
Framework
The proposed organization review as indicated above is not a “new” exercise; it is primarily a process
to bring together on-going developments and initiatives under UNGEI within a broader framework.
These include: a) UNGEI evaluation; b) Development of knowledge management and advocacy
strategies; c) Priority Countries initiative; d) GAC membership review; and e) Global mapping of
stakeholders. In addition, the Secretariat is proposing to facilitate an overall “technical-political
analysis” that will bring together the information from all the above sources to inform next steps,
including reorganization and repositioning of UNGEI, if necessary.
The review will work within and through existing organizational governance processes and will
accommodate maximum and realistic participation and engagement of partners.
The framework is captured visually on page two. The input of the GAC will be sought during the 27
September virtual meeting.
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Draft for Comments
UNGEI: ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW FRAMEWORK
Technical-political analysis of
UNGEI (Internal and External)
Mapping Exercise
What are UNGEI's strength and
weakness; and what are our
opportunities and threats?
Who are the key players/actors
in girls' education? Are they
part of UNGEI? If not how do
we engage with them?
UNGEI Organizational Review
Global Advisory Committee
Membership Review
How well are we doing and what
do we need to do differently
(including reorganization and
repositioning) to ensure we
remain an effective advocate for
girls’ education and gender
equality?
Do we have the right mix and
quorum of members? Do we
need to expand private sector
membership?
Knowledge Management/
Advocacy Strategy
How can UNGEI lead on
delivering evidence-based
policies and practices in girls'
education?
UNGEI Priority Countries
Why do we need priority
countries? Why do we need
an enhanced role of the GAC
in select countries? What is
the role?
UNGEI Evaluation
What is the "value" addition of
UNGEI at the global, regional, and
national levels?
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