Evaluation of UNICEF’s Response to the COVID-19 Crisis in India

The Real Time Evaluation (RTE) will be guided by the OECD – DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness while considering equity and gender as a cross-cutting theme at every step of the evaluation. UNICEF India has commissioned IPE Global to assess and improve the relevance, coverage, effectiveness, and efficiency of its COVID-19 crisis response in 5 Indian states, by providing immediate feedback and recommendations for improvement across UNIECF’s six pillars in India.

This project is aimed at achieving the following objectives:

  • Provide monthly feedback to the UNICEF India Crisis Management Team (CrMT) on the relevance, coverage, efficiency, and effectiveness of its COVID-19 response;
  • Identify challenges and bottlenecks in service delivery and provide recommendations for improvement;
  • Involve partners, stakeholders, and beneficiaries in shaping UNICEF’s crisis response to ensure it is more participatory and responsive to needs on the ground;
  • Act as a real time lessons learning exercise that adjusts and improves planning and performance, allowing for ongoing correction of the current crisis response, but also collects lessons for future health emergencies;
  • Identify and fill gaps in UNICEF India’s ongoing evidence gathering efforts;
  • Collect data for use in future evaluation/s of UNICEF’s response.
COVID-19

Our Teams Respond

Ms Arti Ahuja

Arti Ahuja

Director

Retired from the Indian Administrative Services, Ms Ahuja has over 34 years of experience in administration, policy formulation, project management, and leadership across the public sector. Her expertise spans health systems, nutrition, women’s workforce participation, vulnerable populations, petrochemicals, and social sector programs. She has held several senior positions in the Government of India, including Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, where she led reforms to strengthen worker welfare and represented India at the G20 Employment Working Group; Secretary, Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, where she initiated the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme; and Secretary, Women & Child Development, where she directed large-scale nutrition and empowerment initiatives, strengthening the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). As Secretary of Health, Government of India she played a pivotal role in India’s COVID-19 response, launched the National Digital Health Mission, and advanced national programs on TB and AIDS control. She continues to advise on gender, climate change, and nutrition, contributes to national and international publications, and teaches public policy and nutrition at leading academic institutions. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health; Master’s in Public Policy from Princeton University; Master’s in Economics (Gold Medallist) from Panjab University, and is a Bachelor of Law from the University of Delhi.

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