Strategic Plan for Building Public Policy Assessment

Client of United Nation careers

Background: ESCWA s Arab Sustainable Development Report 2024 (ASDR 2024) maps policy directions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 22 Arab countries. The Report highlighted the prevalence of a weak or broken policymaking cycle in most Arab countries as one of the main structural impediments to SDG progress in the region. The report makes the following observations across policy areas: - Policies remain largely ineffective despite growing attention and in some cases funding, leading to serious questions regarding policy design and implementation. - Policies continue to be blind to vulnerable groups, inadvertently pushing people behind - Policies are often incoherent and fragmented, with weak coordination among different government entities, leading to high inefficiency and poor investment performance. - Policies are rarely science-informed or based on disaggregated data. - A lack of strategic foresight and greater policy focus on the short term are weakening inter-generational justice, especially in the economic and social spheres Policymaking to achieve the SDGs requires inclusive, integrated and transformative policymaking. Yet, many government institutions in Arab countries struggle with capacity and skill gaps in designing, implementing, and evaluating policies that would advance the SDGs. And despite sometimes significant investments in policy areas and/or the launch of ambitious legislative frameworks and strategies, the impact on the ground continues to be less than desired. In view of the above, ESCWA is planning to launch a project to address critical capacity and skill gaps in policy assessment among public officials for improved policymaking in Arab countries and to accelerate SDG achievement. To build and implement a relevant, efficient, impactful and sustainable project, the following questions need to be answered: - What are the main elements of a policy assessment program that would address the identified gaps as outlined in ASDR 2024? - What are the desired capacities and skills needed for effective public policy assessment in the region? What effective strategies could be used to bridge the gap between the current and desired capacities and skills? - What SDGs policy areas are ripe for testing public policy assessment tools and techniques? - What low-cost frameworks could be used in public policy assessment in the region that best integrate SDG principles such as