UN-Habitat's Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan (MTSIP) 2008-2013 was adopted by resolution 21/2 of April 2007 of the Governing Council. The overarching goal of the plan is "to ensure an effective contribution to sustainable urbanization". Implementation of the MTSIP started in 2008 and comprises six focus areas, an Enhanced Normative and Operational Framework and cross-cutting issues of disaster management, gender mainstreaming and urban youth. 

The purpose of the evaluation was to provide an independent assessment of:

1) The progress on achieving MTSIP focus area results over the 2008-2011 period

2) Efficiency and effectiveness with respect to the attainment of the key MTSIP objective

The evaluation was carried out between November and June 2012 by two external evaluators. It found that the MTSIP has rationalized and further sharpened the programmatic focus of UN-Habitat, brought about better alignment of programmes, and played a catalytic role in encouraging and enabling partnerships. The evaluation also identified lessons learned and proposed recommendations for improving the performance of the MTSIP.

The evaluation of the UN-Habitat liaison offices was conducted at the request of UN-Habitat management. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the roles, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and implications of the new reform of UN-Habitat on the liaison offices. Specially, the evaluation focused on key functions of the liaison offices in terms of organizational and technical representation, information sharing, advocacy and outreach, building of partnerships and resource mobilization.

Key achievements of the liaison offices and their challenges were assessed and analysed together with three scenarios for maintaining status quo, concentrating on liaison functions or strengthening the liaison offices.

The evaluation report presents findings, lessons and recommendations from the evaluation of the Rafik Hariri UN-Habitat Memorial Award launched in 2009 jointly by UN-Habitat and Rafik Hariri Foundation, the sponsor of the Award. It also covers an evaluability assessment of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foundation and UN-Habitat.

The purpose of the evaluation was to provide lessons learned from the launch phase of the Memorial Award and recommendations to both UN-Habitat and the Foundation in order to improve future planning and implementation of the Award.

The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the contributions of the UN-Habitat Iraq Urban Programme, the relevance of its programmatic focus, and the appropriateness of its institutional arrangements and partnerships. The evaluation also examined the added value of UN-Habitat within the context of joint programmes and identified lessons learned.

Operating within a challenging developmental context, the evaluation found that the Iraq Programme had made a visible and well-acknowledged contribution to the country's sustainable urbanization agenda in sectors of housing and land, urban planning, water and sanitation, infrastructure and broader issues of governance and protection.

The Sustainable Neighbourhood Programme was designed as an experimental, community-driven slum resettlement project, expected to address the housing crisis in Kenya by focusing on improving the lives and livelihoods of people living in 26 slum settlements in Mavoko, Kenya.The evaluation was a response to the request by the Government of Finland for a final evaluation of the achievements, experiences, challenges, and lessons learned.

The evaluation found that the project strengthened community capacity through the sensitization, mobilization, and training of men, women, and youth living in the slum settlements who were able to better define their role in creating healthy, sustainable neighbourhoods and also implement steps to improve their own lives by working together.

The evaluation of the UN-Habitat Youth Programme was mandated by UN-Habitat Governing Council resolution 21/6, which, among other things, requested the Executive Director to establish the Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-led Development, and undertake an evaluation of the operation of the special fund and to submit a report thereon to the Governing Council at its twenty-third session in April 2011.

The main objectives of the evaluation were to:

• Assess the relevance of the work carried out by UN-Habitat with urban youth
• To review the integration of youth issues in the normative and operational work of UN-Habitat
• To evaluate the operations of the Urban Youth Fund
• To review the normative and operational performance of the youth empowerment initiatives of UN-Habitat

During the Water and Sanitation Trust Fund's Advisory Board meeting in 2010, the Government of Norway announced its intention to undertake an external evaluation of its support to the Trust Fund. Subsequently, the Governments of Norway, Spain and the Netherlands, in collaboration with UN-Habitat, decided to jointly undertake the evaluation.