Evaluation of the PCA Sida and UN-Habitat 2020 -2025
Overview and Key Messages
grateful to the ERG for their sharp comments
The evaluation
Independent evaluation commissioned by UN-Habitat, conducted by Senior Evaluator Eva Otero under IEU oversight (Feb–Sept 2025).
2020–2025 Sida–UN-Habitat PCA
Deliverables
Assessed
Scope
Purpose
Special Focus
Sida–UN-Habitat Partnership
Programme Cooperation in Action
Sida provided UN-Habitat with long-term, flexible funding through multi-year PCAs, enabling the Agency to implement its 2020–2025 Strategic Plan and strengthen its institutional capacity.
The Key Issue
read more
Cities are at the heart of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, driving economic growth while concentrating many of the planet’s environmental and social challenges.
Two Pathways to Change
read more
The PCA’s work follows a “Two Pathways to Change” model, ensuring that UN-Habitat’s global norms are translated into practical action at national and local levels.
Rising Challenges
read more
Urban areas are under mounting pressure from climate change, conflict, economic instability and inequality, all of which threaten their capacity to sustain inclusive development.
Read more
UN-HABITAT Two Pathways to Change
Motivational horizon
Motivational horizon
Member States adopt norms into national/local policies.
Scaling up until systemic change is achieved.
Normative tooperational
Normativeto global
normative outputs
- Producing evidence, and knowledge.
- Strategic positioning.
- Supporting negotiation of resolutions & frameworks.
- Advocate Member State commitment.
- Piloting outputs.
- Scaling up.
- Flexible approaches.
- Capacity building.
- Digitalisation.
Resources are secured for expansion.Institutional ownership sustains practices.
Political will exists Capacity & resources in place. Commitments lead to policy change.
Long-Term Systemic Change Reforms embedded in policy & practice over time requires sustained engagement, funding & follow-up
Assumptions
Assumptions
Evaluation methodology – From planning through data collection to in-depth analysis
A rigorous, inclusive and utilisation-focused approach
Each criterion is rated on a standard scale
The evaluation combined qualitative and quantitative methods to build a strong evidence base and ensure findings were practical and relevant. It followed UN-Habitat’s Evaluation Policy and UNEG Norms and Standards, applying robust ethical safeguards and ensuring participation of those directly affected. The evaluator used a utilisation-focused, theory-driven approach grounded in Deductive Qualitative Analysis (DQA).
Four steps guided the work: formulating research questions through an evaluation matrix, collecting purposive data, systematically coding and analysing it, and identifying patterns to produce actionable recommendations.
A mixed-methods design included a desk review of 282 documents; inputs from 129 individuals (68 women and one person with a disability) through KII, focus-FGD and two surveys; and field missions to Kenya and Uganda.
read more
01.relevance
HIGHLY SATISFACTORY - Significantly exceeded what could reasonably be expected
Normative products and operational activities financed through the PCA served two key audiences. They informed global and regional policy agendas and provided national and local governments with practical tools for implementation. Relevance was strongest where demand drove the work, an approach made possible by the PCA’s flexible design.
The PCA proved highly relevant
Flexible funding met UN-Habitat’s strategic and country needs
The PCA’s soft-earmarked funding matched UN-Habitat’s 2020–2025 Strategy and dual mandate, allowing both global normative guidance and on-the-ground operations. Its flexibility enabled cross-sectoral programming that responded to national priorities while staying aligned with Sida and UN-Habitat’s evolving strategies.
02.efficiency
SATISFACTORY - Met what could reasonably be expected, with only non-critical gaps
Efficiency: Resources & Coordination
71%
Overall, the flexible model supported efficient allocation of PCA resources to priority needs, while acknowledging some trade-offs
Approximately 71% of total expenditure was allocated to personnel costs
read more
03.EFFECTIVENESS
SATISFACTORY - Met what could reasonably be expected, with only non-critical gaps
Effectiveness: What Was Done
Two pathways delivered strong outputs; fragmentation and process delays limited effectiveness
Drivers: flexible funding, dedicated staff and broad partnerships elevated urban issues and strengthened outputs.Constraints: fragmented funding, initially slow cross-division coordination, sluggish administrative processes and variable partner capacity reduced consistency and slowed delivery.
From 2020–2025, Sida support enabled UN-Habitat to deliver high-quality products through two complementary pathways.Normative-to-global: guidance, standards, frameworks and knowledge products used in international forums. Normative-to-operational: tailored tools and pilots, training for officials and stakeholders, digital learning modules, and hands-on technical assistance to adapt resources to local contexts.
read more
04.impact
SATISFACTORY - Met what could reasonably be expected, with only non-critical gaps
IMPACT: WHAT WAS ACHIEVED
What’s needed next
Organisational change
Global influence
Operational impact
Short funding cycles and limited resources constrain impact.
The PCA has driven internal transformation and stronger delivery
UN-Habitat helps set the urban agenda on issues such as climate, governance and housing at the global level
Adapted UN-Habitat tools are shaping decisions and standards in urban planning, climate resilience and social inclusion
read more
read more
read more
read more
05.sustainability
MODERATELY SATISFACTORY - Partly met reasonable expectations with notable gaps
SUSTAINABILITY: WHAT IS LIKELY TO REMAIN?
The road ahead
Long-term Sida funding has strengthened institutional capacity by supporting staff continuity and by embedding selected tools in ongoing processes.These gains remain fragile where functions still depend on flexible funds and lack diversified financing or integration into core budgets. Without broader donor burden-sharing, key enablers—knowledge management, donor coordination and global reporting—are particularly vulnerable. The alignment between Sida’s future priorities and UN-Habitat’s upcoming strategy offers an opportunity to sustain progress, provided financing strategies are also aligned.
06.CROSS-CUTTING
MODERATELY SATISFACTORY - Partly met reasonable expectations with notable gaps
Cross-cutting issues
Urban-Poor, Human Rights, Gender, Disability, Climate
were fragmented and dependent on individual leadership or specific funding streams, underscoring the need to embed these priorities across programmes and budgets.
Youth engagement progressed but its institutional anchoring is weak; disability and broader human-rights considerations received inconsistent attention and were under-resourced. Overall efforts
Climate
Urban Poor
Gender
Pro-poor results delivered and capacity strengthened, but scale remained limited
Considerable integration of climate adaptation and environmental sustainability
Most-cited priority; progress noted (e.g. GLTN), but integration remained uneven
read more
read more
read more
07.Enablers
Not rated - Why?
Institutional Enablers Strengthened
Knowledge & data • Partnerships • Innovation • Communications
Sida–PCA funding reinforced UN-Habitat’s institutional capacity through mutually reinforcing enablers such as knowledge and data, partnerships, innovation, and communications/advocacy. Together they improved evidence-based guidance, widened stakeholder engagement, fostered inclusive tech-driven solutions, and strengthened UN-Habitat’s standing on sustainable urban development. Key gains included the World Cities Report, expansion of global urban data systems, and a more strategic, systematised partnership model.
Innovation advanced through work on smart city governance and digital inclusion, while a stronger communications strategy markedly increased global reach. However, transformative potential was constrained: pilots often stayed small, momentum between major events proved hard to sustain, and outcomes depended heavily on external financing and partner engagement.
08.lessons and recommendations
Local ownership drives impact
Flexibility needs focus
Reach isn’t system change
Soft earmarked funding stabilises gains
Cross-cutting needs teeth
LESSONS
Attention to cross-cutting issues
Diversify & embed funding
Anchor locally
Build a strong MEAL system
Strengthen UN-Habitat–Sida coordination
Sharpen strategic focus
Recommendations
How did they come about?
who contributed through interviews, surveys and document reviews.They are practical, experience-based and aligned with on-the-ground realities.
The recommendations are based on a systematic and participatory evaluation process. Drawing on evaluative evidence and the insights of stakeholders,
Institutionalise cross-divisional working
09.Case studies
Global Land Tool Network
This network turned informal land claims into legal rights for nearly half a billion people
How GLTN's digital tools secured tenure across 85+ countries
The case study identified heavy dependency on Sida funding as a major sustainability risk, inconsistent country-level capacity constraints, and lack of sustained political will as "an elephant in the room." While GLTN has achieved systemic influence and tool adoption beyond direct implementation, its long-term sustainability remains vulnerable to donor priorities and institutional changes within UN-Habitat.
GLTN demonstrated significant impact between 2019-2023, positively affecting over 443 million people (including 222 million women and girls) through strengthened land tenure security. The network documented data for 432,000 households across 11 countries and contributed to 98 countries reporting on SDG land indicators by 2024—a substantial increase from just 17 countries in 2021. GLTN successfully leveraged initial funding to attract 5-10 additional donors and influenced major organizations like the World Bank to adopt inclusive land governance frameworks.
GLTN in action
Securing land tenure in Mbale (Uganda’s informal urban settlement)
Ugandan slum families traded eviction fears for urban land certificates—women included
Implementation faced community mistrust and fear of taxation, frequent land claim conflicts, weak Area Land Committees causing delays, and political interference. Technical issues included slow integration with national systems and confusion over CCOs' urban validity. While strong community demand exists for scaling from 3,000 to 100,000 beneficiaries, sustainability depends on addressing capacity constraints and preventing gentrification displacement.
The intervention issued 540 Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCOs)—the first urban CCOs ever issued in Uganda—replacing informal arrangements with legal documentation. Results included residents investing in housing improvements, women gaining legal recognition through joint spousal registration, reduced community conflicts, and improved urban planning with clearer land ownership data. The project also strengthened community organisation and enabled better advocacy with local authorities.
Strategic Level Case Study
Methodology for the ‘design and management of integrated revitalization interventions for Bogotá Próxima’
Sustainability was fundamentally undermined when the draft district decree formalising the methodology was never approved due to government change in December 2023, leaving it without legal backing. Critical gaps included absence of pilot projects, no implementation budget or strategy, and high staff turnover causing institutional memory loss. The methodology largely remained a reference document without mandatory adoption mechanisms.
UN-Habitat's 2022-2023 technical assistance to Bogotá's District Secretariat successfully addressed institutional fragmentation in urban revitalisation by producing a comprehensive methodology with 85 indicators for territorial prioritisation. Through diagnosis of 6 district projects and stakeholder workshops, the intervention raised SDG awareness amongst officials and provided international legitimacy. Elements have been incorporated into the 2025 "Revitalise Your Neighbourhood" strategy, indicating influence on public decision-making.
Summary
# PAC 2020-2025
A strong, relevant programme
At a Glance
Delivered high-quality tools used globally and locally. Trade-offs: wide reach sometimes limited institutional embedding. Gaps remain—for example, consistent gender integration—calling for sustained engagement, better outcome tracking, and diversified funding.Strong potential for systemic impact!
Flexible model, global-to-local delivery
Aligned with UN-Habitat’s strategy, the PCA enabled locally tailored solutions. Flexible funding improved coordination and strengthened enablers while supporting gender, urban-poor and environment priorities.
What to improve
What worked
Embed tools in systems; close gender gap; track outcomes; diversify funding.
Flexibility → better coordination, stronger enablers, widely used tools.
thank you very much
Let´s keep talking
Efficiency
Coordination improved across thematic areas as flexible funds reduced silos and encouraged joint work. However, leadership turnover, structural shifts and uneven capacity in regional and country offices limited consistency and made integrated approaches hard to apply uniformly.
Flexible funding through the PCA helped UN-Habitat deliver on strategic objectives—underwriting normative work, retaining key staff and enabling cross-programme activities. Yet efficiency dipped where allocations were spread across many small activities and where funding imbalances and process delays made results harder to demonstrate.
68% of staff respondents reported promoting collaboration across UN-Habitat’s units and divisions
68%
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Transcript
Evaluation of the PCA Sida and UN-Habitat 2020 -2025
Overview and Key Messages
grateful to the ERG for their sharp comments
The evaluation
Independent evaluation commissioned by UN-Habitat, conducted by Senior Evaluator Eva Otero under IEU oversight (Feb–Sept 2025).
2020–2025 Sida–UN-Habitat PCA
Deliverables
Assessed
Scope
Purpose
Special Focus
Sida–UN-Habitat Partnership
Programme Cooperation in Action
Sida provided UN-Habitat with long-term, flexible funding through multi-year PCAs, enabling the Agency to implement its 2020–2025 Strategic Plan and strengthen its institutional capacity.
The Key Issue
read more
Cities are at the heart of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, driving economic growth while concentrating many of the planet’s environmental and social challenges.
Two Pathways to Change
read more
The PCA’s work follows a “Two Pathways to Change” model, ensuring that UN-Habitat’s global norms are translated into practical action at national and local levels.
Rising Challenges
read more
Urban areas are under mounting pressure from climate change, conflict, economic instability and inequality, all of which threaten their capacity to sustain inclusive development.
Read more
UN-HABITAT Two Pathways to Change
Motivational horizon
Motivational horizon
Member States adopt norms into national/local policies.
Scaling up until systemic change is achieved.
Normative tooperational
Normativeto global
normative outputs
Resources are secured for expansion.Institutional ownership sustains practices.
Political will exists Capacity & resources in place. Commitments lead to policy change.
Long-Term Systemic Change Reforms embedded in policy & practice over time requires sustained engagement, funding & follow-up
Assumptions
Assumptions
Evaluation methodology – From planning through data collection to in-depth analysis
A rigorous, inclusive and utilisation-focused approach
Each criterion is rated on a standard scale
The evaluation combined qualitative and quantitative methods to build a strong evidence base and ensure findings were practical and relevant. It followed UN-Habitat’s Evaluation Policy and UNEG Norms and Standards, applying robust ethical safeguards and ensuring participation of those directly affected. The evaluator used a utilisation-focused, theory-driven approach grounded in Deductive Qualitative Analysis (DQA).
Four steps guided the work: formulating research questions through an evaluation matrix, collecting purposive data, systematically coding and analysing it, and identifying patterns to produce actionable recommendations.
A mixed-methods design included a desk review of 282 documents; inputs from 129 individuals (68 women and one person with a disability) through KII, focus-FGD and two surveys; and field missions to Kenya and Uganda.
read more
01.relevance
HIGHLY SATISFACTORY - Significantly exceeded what could reasonably be expected
Normative products and operational activities financed through the PCA served two key audiences. They informed global and regional policy agendas and provided national and local governments with practical tools for implementation. Relevance was strongest where demand drove the work, an approach made possible by the PCA’s flexible design.
The PCA proved highly relevant
Flexible funding met UN-Habitat’s strategic and country needs
The PCA’s soft-earmarked funding matched UN-Habitat’s 2020–2025 Strategy and dual mandate, allowing both global normative guidance and on-the-ground operations. Its flexibility enabled cross-sectoral programming that responded to national priorities while staying aligned with Sida and UN-Habitat’s evolving strategies.
02.efficiency
SATISFACTORY - Met what could reasonably be expected, with only non-critical gaps
Efficiency: Resources & Coordination
71%
Overall, the flexible model supported efficient allocation of PCA resources to priority needs, while acknowledging some trade-offs
Approximately 71% of total expenditure was allocated to personnel costs
read more
03.EFFECTIVENESS
SATISFACTORY - Met what could reasonably be expected, with only non-critical gaps
Effectiveness: What Was Done
Two pathways delivered strong outputs; fragmentation and process delays limited effectiveness
Drivers: flexible funding, dedicated staff and broad partnerships elevated urban issues and strengthened outputs.Constraints: fragmented funding, initially slow cross-division coordination, sluggish administrative processes and variable partner capacity reduced consistency and slowed delivery.
From 2020–2025, Sida support enabled UN-Habitat to deliver high-quality products through two complementary pathways.Normative-to-global: guidance, standards, frameworks and knowledge products used in international forums. Normative-to-operational: tailored tools and pilots, training for officials and stakeholders, digital learning modules, and hands-on technical assistance to adapt resources to local contexts.
read more
04.impact
SATISFACTORY - Met what could reasonably be expected, with only non-critical gaps
IMPACT: WHAT WAS ACHIEVED
What’s needed next
Organisational change
Global influence
Operational impact
Short funding cycles and limited resources constrain impact.
The PCA has driven internal transformation and stronger delivery
UN-Habitat helps set the urban agenda on issues such as climate, governance and housing at the global level
Adapted UN-Habitat tools are shaping decisions and standards in urban planning, climate resilience and social inclusion
read more
read more
read more
read more
05.sustainability
MODERATELY SATISFACTORY - Partly met reasonable expectations with notable gaps
SUSTAINABILITY: WHAT IS LIKELY TO REMAIN?
The road ahead
Long-term Sida funding has strengthened institutional capacity by supporting staff continuity and by embedding selected tools in ongoing processes.These gains remain fragile where functions still depend on flexible funds and lack diversified financing or integration into core budgets. Without broader donor burden-sharing, key enablers—knowledge management, donor coordination and global reporting—are particularly vulnerable. The alignment between Sida’s future priorities and UN-Habitat’s upcoming strategy offers an opportunity to sustain progress, provided financing strategies are also aligned.
06.CROSS-CUTTING
MODERATELY SATISFACTORY - Partly met reasonable expectations with notable gaps
Cross-cutting issues
Urban-Poor, Human Rights, Gender, Disability, Climate
were fragmented and dependent on individual leadership or specific funding streams, underscoring the need to embed these priorities across programmes and budgets.
Youth engagement progressed but its institutional anchoring is weak; disability and broader human-rights considerations received inconsistent attention and were under-resourced. Overall efforts
Climate
Urban Poor
Gender
Pro-poor results delivered and capacity strengthened, but scale remained limited
Considerable integration of climate adaptation and environmental sustainability
Most-cited priority; progress noted (e.g. GLTN), but integration remained uneven
read more
read more
read more
07.Enablers
Not rated - Why?
Institutional Enablers Strengthened
Knowledge & data • Partnerships • Innovation • Communications
Sida–PCA funding reinforced UN-Habitat’s institutional capacity through mutually reinforcing enablers such as knowledge and data, partnerships, innovation, and communications/advocacy. Together they improved evidence-based guidance, widened stakeholder engagement, fostered inclusive tech-driven solutions, and strengthened UN-Habitat’s standing on sustainable urban development. Key gains included the World Cities Report, expansion of global urban data systems, and a more strategic, systematised partnership model.
Innovation advanced through work on smart city governance and digital inclusion, while a stronger communications strategy markedly increased global reach. However, transformative potential was constrained: pilots often stayed small, momentum between major events proved hard to sustain, and outcomes depended heavily on external financing and partner engagement.
08.lessons and recommendations
Local ownership drives impact
Flexibility needs focus
Reach isn’t system change
Soft earmarked funding stabilises gains
Cross-cutting needs teeth
LESSONS
Attention to cross-cutting issues
Diversify & embed funding
Anchor locally
Build a strong MEAL system
Strengthen UN-Habitat–Sida coordination
Sharpen strategic focus
Recommendations
How did they come about?
who contributed through interviews, surveys and document reviews.They are practical, experience-based and aligned with on-the-ground realities.
The recommendations are based on a systematic and participatory evaluation process. Drawing on evaluative evidence and the insights of stakeholders,
Institutionalise cross-divisional working
09.Case studies
Global Land Tool Network
This network turned informal land claims into legal rights for nearly half a billion people
How GLTN's digital tools secured tenure across 85+ countries
The case study identified heavy dependency on Sida funding as a major sustainability risk, inconsistent country-level capacity constraints, and lack of sustained political will as "an elephant in the room." While GLTN has achieved systemic influence and tool adoption beyond direct implementation, its long-term sustainability remains vulnerable to donor priorities and institutional changes within UN-Habitat.
GLTN demonstrated significant impact between 2019-2023, positively affecting over 443 million people (including 222 million women and girls) through strengthened land tenure security. The network documented data for 432,000 households across 11 countries and contributed to 98 countries reporting on SDG land indicators by 2024—a substantial increase from just 17 countries in 2021. GLTN successfully leveraged initial funding to attract 5-10 additional donors and influenced major organizations like the World Bank to adopt inclusive land governance frameworks.
GLTN in action
Securing land tenure in Mbale (Uganda’s informal urban settlement)
Ugandan slum families traded eviction fears for urban land certificates—women included
Implementation faced community mistrust and fear of taxation, frequent land claim conflicts, weak Area Land Committees causing delays, and political interference. Technical issues included slow integration with national systems and confusion over CCOs' urban validity. While strong community demand exists for scaling from 3,000 to 100,000 beneficiaries, sustainability depends on addressing capacity constraints and preventing gentrification displacement.
The intervention issued 540 Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCOs)—the first urban CCOs ever issued in Uganda—replacing informal arrangements with legal documentation. Results included residents investing in housing improvements, women gaining legal recognition through joint spousal registration, reduced community conflicts, and improved urban planning with clearer land ownership data. The project also strengthened community organisation and enabled better advocacy with local authorities.
Strategic Level Case Study
Methodology for the ‘design and management of integrated revitalization interventions for Bogotá Próxima’
Sustainability was fundamentally undermined when the draft district decree formalising the methodology was never approved due to government change in December 2023, leaving it without legal backing. Critical gaps included absence of pilot projects, no implementation budget or strategy, and high staff turnover causing institutional memory loss. The methodology largely remained a reference document without mandatory adoption mechanisms.
UN-Habitat's 2022-2023 technical assistance to Bogotá's District Secretariat successfully addressed institutional fragmentation in urban revitalisation by producing a comprehensive methodology with 85 indicators for territorial prioritisation. Through diagnosis of 6 district projects and stakeholder workshops, the intervention raised SDG awareness amongst officials and provided international legitimacy. Elements have been incorporated into the 2025 "Revitalise Your Neighbourhood" strategy, indicating influence on public decision-making.
Summary
# PAC 2020-2025
A strong, relevant programme
At a Glance
Delivered high-quality tools used globally and locally. Trade-offs: wide reach sometimes limited institutional embedding. Gaps remain—for example, consistent gender integration—calling for sustained engagement, better outcome tracking, and diversified funding.Strong potential for systemic impact!
Flexible model, global-to-local delivery
Aligned with UN-Habitat’s strategy, the PCA enabled locally tailored solutions. Flexible funding improved coordination and strengthened enablers while supporting gender, urban-poor and environment priorities.
What to improve
What worked
Embed tools in systems; close gender gap; track outcomes; diversify funding.
Flexibility → better coordination, stronger enablers, widely used tools.
thank you very much
Let´s keep talking
Efficiency
Coordination improved across thematic areas as flexible funds reduced silos and encouraged joint work. However, leadership turnover, structural shifts and uneven capacity in regional and country offices limited consistency and made integrated approaches hard to apply uniformly.
Flexible funding through the PCA helped UN-Habitat deliver on strategic objectives—underwriting normative work, retaining key staff and enabling cross-programme activities. Yet efficiency dipped where allocations were spread across many small activities and where funding imbalances and process delays made results harder to demonstrate.
68% of staff respondents reported promoting collaboration across UN-Habitat’s units and divisions
68%