[{"bbox": [130, 153, 309, 180], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 5.2 Evaluation"}, {"bbox": [141, 212, 1134, 266], "category": "Text", "text": "Having regard to the importance of the action, a mid-term and final evaluations will be carried out for this action or its components via independent consultants contracted by the Commission."}, {"bbox": [141, 277, 1134, 385], "category": "Text", "text": "The mid-term evaluation will be carried out for problem solving and learning purposes, in particular to ensure the continuous relevance of the objectives of the action and its approach in relation to the context, as well as to assess the progress in the achievement of the expected outputs and identify any possible measure to improve the performance, with respect in particular to the specificity of each selected value chain."}, {"bbox": [141, 396, 1134, 500], "category": "Text", "text": "The final evaluation will be carried out for accountability and learning purposes at various levels (including for policy revision), taking into account in particular the fact that of the action foresees to contribute to an institutional and regulatory environment more conducive for the further development of the selected value chains."}, {"bbox": [141, 514, 1134, 674], "category": "Text", "text": "All evaluations will analyse how the action takes into consideration a human rights-based approach as well as how it contributes to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Expertise on human rights and gender equality will be provided by the evaluation teams. The evaluation plan (or component in the foreseen evaluation) should assess the distributional impact of activities undertaken on the bottom (poorest) 40 per cent or socio-economically disadvantaged individuals, households or groups. This can be done through the Distributional Impact Assessment tool (DIA)."}, {"bbox": [141, 687, 1134, 793], "category": "Text", "text": "The Commission shall inform the implementing partner at least 1 month in advance of the dates envisaged for the evaluation missions. The implementing partner shall collaborate efficiently and effectively with the evaluation experts, and inter alia provide them with all necessary information and documentation, as well as access to the project premises and activities."}, {"bbox": [141, 805, 1134, 886], "category": "Text", "text": "The evaluation reports may be shared with the partners and other key stakeholders following the best practice of evaluation dissemination. The implementing partner and the Commission shall analyse the conclusions and recommendations of the evaluations and, where appropriate, apply the necessary adjustments."}, {"bbox": [141, 900, 758, 926], "category": "Text", "text": "Evaluation services may be contracted under a framework contract."}, {"bbox": [130, 954, 447, 981], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 5.3 Audit and Verifications"}, {"bbox": [141, 1012, 1134, 1093], "category": "Text", "text": "Without prejudice to the obligations applicable to contracts concluded for the implementation of this action, the Commission may, on the basis of a risk assessment, contract independent audit or verification assignments for one or several contracts or agreements."}, {"bbox": [130, 1132, 1067, 1166], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 6 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY"}, {"bbox": [141, 1198, 1134, 1253], "category": "Text", "text": "The 2021-2027 programming cycle will adopt a new approach to pooling, programming and deploying strategic communication and public diplomacy resources."}, {"bbox": [141, 1264, 1134, 1451], "category": "Text", "text": "In line with the 2022 \"Communicating and Raising EU Visibility: Guidance for External Actions\", it will remain a contractual obligation for all entities implementing EU-funded external actions to inform the relevant audiences of the Union's support for their work by displaying the EU emblem and a short funding statement as appropriate on all communication materials related to the actions concerned. This obligation will continue to apply equally, regardless of whether the actions concerned are implemented by the Commission, partner countries, service providers, grant beneficiaries or entrusted or delegated entities such as UN agencies, international financial institutions and agencies of EU member states."}, {"bbox": [141, 1462, 1134, 1594], "category": "Text", "text": "However, action documents for specific sector programmes are in principle no longer required to include a provision for communication and visibility actions promoting the programmes concerned. These resources will instead be consolidated in Cooperation Facilities established by support measure action documents, allowing Delegations to plan and execute multiannual strategic communication and public diplomacy actions with sufficient critical mass to be effective on a national scale."}, {"bbox": [1121, 1682, 1144, 1704], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "27"}]