ILO’s response to the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work: Evaluative lessons on how to build a better future of work after the pandemic A synthesis review of evaluative evidence

In 2020, the ILO’s Evaluation Office (EVAL) established a framework and protocol1 to ensure that high-level and decentralized evaluations conducted in this period collected relevant data about how the Organization was responding to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of its actions. Such evaluations provide valuable lessons on how the needs and priorities of constituents might have changed, what issues are emerging that require urgent attention, and whether the ILO is well positioned to respond to them. This synthesis review provides an overview of key findings and lessons from the evaluations conducted from 2020 to 2021. It was carried out in two stages. The first stage reviewed an initial sample of 22 evaluation reports completed in 2020–21 and covered the ILO’s immediate response at the outbreak of the pandemic. An interim report of findings2 was completed in June 2021. The second stage3 reviewed another 19 evaluation reports, which were completed from April to October 2021. This final report combines the findings of both stages to shed light on the effectiveness of the ILO’s targeted response to the devastating effects of the pandemic on the world of work.