UNIDO is the specializsed agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. Currently, there are 170 Member States who regularly discuss and decide UNIDO’s guiding principles and policies in the sessions of the Policymaking Organs. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”

In 2019, DE conducted an Independent Thematic Evaluation of UNIDO’s Field Network including its Structure and Operations. The evaluation used mixed methods including qualitative and quantitative data analysis,  interviews and surveys. The scope of the evaluation was forward-looking and encompasseds the UNIDO field network framework (policies, strategies, roles and responsibilities, and processes related to its operation). It covers the field network operations over the period 2013 to 2018. This evaluation is a forward-looking assessment. The purpose of the independent thematic evaluation is to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of UNIDO’s Field Network and its various modes. The evaluation assessed the fit-for-purpose of UNIDO’s field network in the context of UN reforms process and 2030 agenda for sustainable development, . It also assessinged how the network supports countries, under their auspices, in their efforts to implement the Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development agenda. The lessons and recommendations drawn from the evaluation informed the Director General’s Bulletin DGB/2020/09, dated September 22 2020, on the new Terms of Reference for UNIDO Field Offices.