EvalYear 2015

Global Evaluation Forum in Kathmandu, Nepal – November 2015

The culmination of over 86 global, regional and national EvalYear events was celebrated at the Global Evaluation Forum held in Kathmandu, Nepal the last week of November 2015.  The Forum brought together key stakeholders to finalize EvalAgenda 2020 and to develop action plans to implement it.

During the Forum, members of EvalGender and EvalYouth met to prioritize activities, identify challenges to implementation and brainstorm solutions.

    

The Global Parliamentarians Forum was launched in Nepal with government representatives and parliamentarians supporting the initiative.

---

International Year of Evaluation 2015 Calendar of Events (Click here to view the web version.)

---

ECG members light the Evaluation Torch On 30th June the Evaluation Torch to celebrate the International Year of Evaluation was lit by ECG members at the meeting hold at the Headquarters of the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group in Washington DC. ECG members include the Directors of Evaluation of the following multilateral banks/organizations: World Bank Group; African Development Bank; Asian Development Bank; Interamerican Development Bank; Islamic Development Bank; European bank for Reconstruction and Development; European Investment Bank; Black Sea Trade and development Bank; IMF; IFAD, GEF and UNEG Chair. To see the full list of 71 events all over the world that will lit the Evaluation Torch, please visit http://mymande.org/evalyear/evaluationtorch2015

---

EvalYear resources from South Africa Posted on: March 31, 2015 EvalYear Calendar of Events EvalYear Declaration in South Africa EvalYear Launch in South Africa Photo Album EvalYear Launch Programme in South Africa EvalYear Messages to South Africa Speech by Hon Jeff Radebe Launch of EvalYear

---

EvalPartners Global Forum Call for Applications Posted on: March 10, 2015 Applications are being accepted for participation at the EvalPartners Global Forum which will be held on November 23rd and 24th, 2015 at the Yak and Yeti Hotel in Khatmandu, Nepal. Click here to view the application form.

---

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon lit the Evaluation Torch to celebrate 2015 the International year of Evaluation in the context of the UNEG Evaluation Week. Posted on: March 10, 2015 Ban Ki-Moon said “ I welcome the designation of 2015 as the International Year of Evaluation — the same year in which the United Nations marks its 70th anniversary and will take momentous decisions about our future prosperity, safety and well-being. Evaluation everywhere, and at every level, will play a key role in implementing the new development agenda”. He also added “Evaluation is not easy. Nor is it popular. But it is essential. The current constrained budgetary climate makes it more important than ever. All of us share a responsibility to strengthen this important function. I look forward to working with all of you to strengthen evaluation capacity so that it can play its rightful role in building lives of dignity for all.”

---

Invitation à participer à une consultation touchant les ‘évaluateurs émergents’ de l’espace francophone Posted on: February 3, 2015 Dans le cadre de 2015 Année internationale de l’évaluation, le Réseau Francophone de l’Évaluation (RFE) désire créer un espace d’échanges pour les ‘évaluateurs émergents’ francophones afin de soutenir leur insertion professionnelle dans le domaine de l’évaluation. Conformément à son plan d’action 2015, le RFE travaille actuellement à assurer les conditions nécessaires à la mise en place d’un Réseau Francophone d’Évaluateurs Émergents (RF-Ee), et ce avec divers partenaires, dont notamment OICE, EvalPartners et d’autres encore. La Société québécoise d’évaluation de programme (SQEP) pilote le projet. Un comité formé d’‘évaluateurs émergents’ provenant du Québec/Canada, d’Europe, d’Afrique, d’Asie et de la zone MENA est déjà en action pour préparer le démarrage officiel du RF-Ee. Son lancement est d’ailleurs prévu lors du congrès de la Société canadienne d’évaluation en mai 2015. Le RF-Ee est ouvert aux ‘évaluateurs émergents’ de l’espace francophone (Nord et Sud). Le RF-Ee conçoit un ‘évaluateur émergent’ comme étant : • Un professionnel possédant moins de trois ans d’expérience dans le domaine de l’évaluation; • Un diplômé récent désirant amorcer ou ayant tout récemment amorcé une carrière en lien avec l’évaluation; • Un étudiant qui s’intéresse à l’évaluation et se destine à une carrière dans ce domaine. Afin de soutenir la pertinence et l’utilité du RF-Ee, il a été décidé de mener une double consultation visant à préciser le mandat et cibler les priorités de ce réseau émergent. • Une 1re consultation cible les responsables de réseaux/associations/sociétés nationales membres du RFE. Composé de 22 questions et d’une durée approximative de 15 minutes, cette consultation a pour objectifs de : • Explorer le niveau de participation actuel des ‘évaluateurs émergents’ aux activités des sociétés nationales d’évaluation; • Sonder les perceptions des représentants des sociétés nationales d’évaluation quant aux besoins particuliers et aux défis qui caractérisent les ’évaluateurs émergents’; • Vérifier l’intérêt des réseaux/associations/sociétés face à la mise en place imminente du RF-Ee tout en leur donnant l’opportunité d’alimenter ses principales orientations. • Une 2e consultation cible les ‘évaluateurs émergents’ de l’espace géographique couvert par le RFE. Composé de 19 questions et d’une durée approximative de 10 minutes, cette consultation a pour objectifs de : • Explorer les attentes et les besoins spécifiques aux ‘évaluateurs émergents’; • Sonder l’intérêt des ‘évaluateurs émergents’ face à l’initiative du RF-Ee. Considérant que votre société d’évaluation est membre du RFE et contribue directement à la réalisation de son plan stratégique, il vous est aujourd’hui demandé de : 1. Compléter le questionnaire à l’intention des responsables de société d’évaluation en utilisant le lien suivant : • http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/universalia/1999-ces-2015-evaluateurs-emergents-vopes/ 2. Inviter les ‘évaluateurs émergents’ de vos réseaux à compléter le questionnaire qui leur est adressé en utilisant le lien suivant : • http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/universalia/1999-ces-2015-evaluateurs-emergents/ 3. Veiller à vous assurer de rejoindre les trois catégories d’‘évaluateurs émergents’ visés par le RF-Ee. Votre contribution ainsi que celle des ‘évaluateurs émergents’ de votre pays sont grandement attendues. Nous aimerions recevoir vos réponses pour le 23 février 2015. Nous vous communiquerons par la suite le plan d’action 2015-2016 qui découlera de leur analyse et il nous fera plaisir de vous inviter à être partie prenante de sa réalisation. Les informations transmises par les participants lors ces deux consultations seront traitées en toute confidentialité. Pour toute question ou problème technique, vous pouvez contacter Jérôme Gandin (jgandin@universalia.com; +1 438 338-8354) ou Marie Gervais (marie.gervais@fmed.ulaval.ca). Nous vous remercions à l’avance du temps que vous consacrerez à ces consultations et de l’intérêt que vous portez à cette initiative qu’est le RF-Ee.

---

India celebrated 2015 Evaluation Year India celebrated the 2015 International Year of Evaluation by welcoming the Evaluation Torch, during the one week long series of events organized by Government of India in partnership with several partners. Hon’ble Minister of State for Planning opened the event by accepting the evaluation torch, which was then passed to several events, including one on Equity-focused and Gender-responsive evaluation organized by Government of India and UN Women. Attached a self-explanatory note and the PPT with the outcomes of the event. For additional information, pls contact Dr Rashmi Agrawal, Director, National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (NILERD) [formerly Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR)]), NITI Aayog (formerly Planning Commission), Government of India, at rashmi_agrawal56@rediffmail.com EvalWeek in Delhi, India, 19-23 January, 2015 ‘Evaluations for Good Governance’ (PDF) EvalWeek in Delhi, India, 19-23 January, 2015 ‘Evaluations for Good Governance’ Presentation (PDF)

---

To celebrate the UN evaluation resolution—advocacy and collaboration at its finest—and the launch of EvalYear, Tessie Catsambas has prepared a slideshow/video from the front lines of evaluation advocacy

---

Evaluation Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina plan for 2015 Click here to read more.

---

Deborah Rugg (UNEG Chair) Discusses the UN Resolution “Building capacity for evaluation of development activities at the country level”

---

Last week at the seminar in Bishkek that involved representatives of 5 VOPEs – from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and USA (Washington Evaluators) participants lit 5 small torches for each participating VOPE to take back and then shared fire among all participants. The Evaluation Torch was lit at the UN Building in New York by the Ambassador of Fiji at the UN, the UNEG Chair and Marco Segone as EvalPartners co-chair.

---

As we get ready to launch 2015, the International Year of Evaluation (EvalYear), we are inviting evaluators, managers and policy makers from all over the world to celebrate evaluation and the way we have linked with one another to promote the demand, supply and use of equity-focused and gender-responsive evaluation in policy and program decisions. We are creating a visible master calendar that will be published on the EvalPartners website, of gatherings on evaluation during 2015 in every part of the world. The closing gathering of 2015 will be the Global Evaluation Week at the Parliament of Nepal in November 2015, and it will echo and celebrate messages shared throughout EvalYear. All evaluator gatherings are important, large and small, in every country where our profession is exercised and can be useful to our societies. During EvalYear, we will carry a virtual “2015 evaluation” torch (attached four example) to link the discussions that will happen all over the world around the four selected themes for EvalYear: • Identifying the key future priorities for the global evaluation community to launch the 2016-2020 Global Evaluation Agenda; • Bridging the gap between the evaluation community (supply side) and the policy makers community (demand side), including Parliamentarians, to ensure good quality, equity-focused and gender-responsive evaluations are demanded and used in policy making; • Mainstreaming equity-focused and gender-responsive evaluations in Sustainable Development Goals at international level, and in national development strategies at national level; • Developing equity-focused and gender-responsive National Evaluation policies. The “2015 evaluation” torch, that can/should be customized to the local culture/language/context, will symbolize that we are united in strengthening evaluation, and specifically: • We honor the same ideals of social equity and gender equality in evaluation • We strive for excellence in evaluation • We carry messages (the torch) traveling from evaluation summit to evaluation summit, and the flame grows stronger with the messages each site adds to it • We celebrate our profession, our partnership and 2015 International Year of Evaluation We encourage every evaluation gathering to include: 1. A ceremony of bringing in the Evaluation Torch (created locally in each gathering, or using/adapting the attached virtual one) 2. Use the evaluation torch to brand the festivities you create locally—e.g. agenda, messages, slides, etc 3. A process of discussing messages about the four EvalYear themes (see above) received from previous evaluation gatherings, and generating new messages to share with following evaluation gatherings 4. A ceremony for passing on the Evaluation Torch to other evaluation gatherings We encourage you to let everybody know about events that you plan to do during EvalYear via EvalYear 2015 map at https://evalyear.crowdmap.com/ , as well as by communicating them to Asela Kalugampitiya, EvalPartners Coordinator, at aselakalugampitiya@yahoo.ie We also encourage you to take pictures and videos to share along with your messages, and post them at EvalYear 2015 map at https://evalyear.crowdmap.com/ or send us links as you upload them on your websites and/or YouTube, so we can, in turn, share them with our EvalPartners community. Let’s get ready for EvalYear 2015!

---

CANADIAN EVALUATION SOCIETY ANNOUNCES BURSARY OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH http://c2015.evaluationcanada.ca/bursary-opportunities/

---

United Nations Resolution on EvalYear The United Nations resolution on evaluation that recognizes the EvalYear will be adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 12, 2014 (it was adopted by the GA second committee in November). You can watch the live stream on December 12 here webtv.un.org. IOCE will share the final text when it is available. We invite you to view a video with Marco Segone (UNEG Vice Chair, Co-Chair of EvalPartners & Director of Evaluation Office at UN Women) as he discusses the 2015 International Year of Evaluation and related events to be held. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_653hxUILY&feature=youtu.be Some of the events planned for 2015 include: • Evaluation Week organized by IAMR and Planning Commission of India to be held from 19-23 January 2015 in Delhi, India • EvalMENA Conference to be held in Cairo, Egypt, from 23-26 February 2015 • Latin-American and Caribbean Monitoring, Evaluation and Systematization Network (RELAC) 4th International Conference to be held in Lima, Peru, from 9-13 March 2015 • United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) evaluation week to be held in New York, USA, from 9-13 March 2015 UK Evaluation Society Conference to be held in London, UK on 13 and 14 May 2015 • Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) conference to be held in Montreal, Canada, from 24-27 May 2015 SEVAL-GEN evaluation conference on 3 and 4 September 2015 • Australasian Evaluation Society (AES) conference to be held in Melbourne, Australia, in September 2015 • International Programme Evaluation Network (IPEN) conference to be held in the last week of September 2015 • National Evaluation Capacities conference and IDEAS Global Assembly to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2015 • American Evaluation Association (AEA) conference to be held in Chicago, USA, from 7-15 November 2015. Click here to visit the MyM&E website.