This report presents the assessment of a joint independent evaluation conducted by the evaluation offices of IFAD, UNAIDS, UNECA, UNDP, and UNIFEM of the contribution made by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) to the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. It was conducted under the umbrella of the first phase of a broader joint evaluation on the implementation of the Paris Declaration by partner countries and bilateral and multilateral agencies. The report examines the extent to which cross-cutting issues, including gender mainstreaming, have been addressed within the context of the Paris Declaration.

A recovery is underway, but the economic fallout from the global pandemic could be with us for years to come. With the crisis exacerbating prepandemic vulnerabilities, country prospects are diverging. Nearly half of emerging market and developing economies and some middle-income countries are now at risk of falling further behind, undoing much of the progress made toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The contributors to this volume identify the major economic issues of the New Economic Mechanism concerning the restructuring of the economy, the role of the state and economic management, financial restructuring, the new directions in agricultural and industrial development, and the challenges arising from the opening up of the economy to the stimuli of external trade and inflow of foreign direct investment. An economic analysis of human resource development with special emphasis on education, and an evaluation of Laos' environmental issues are also included.