ROME GEARS-UP TO HOST THE EVALUATION COOPERATION GROUP

ROME GEARS-UP TO HOST THE EVALUATION COOPERATION GROUP

In 2025, the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) will play host to the two annual meetings of the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG). The Spring meeting will take place from the 10th to the 12th of March 2025, while the Fall meeting will take place in October 2025. This will be only the second time in history that IOE will have hosted the bi-annual gathering, the first dating back to 2017. Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director, presented some of the conceptual underpinnings, structural specifications and logistical arrangements of the two events, during the ECG Fall 2024 meeting, on 13 November 2024.

Both events will be housed at IFAD headquarters, in Rome, and will unfold over the course of three days, with the inclusion of clinics and specialized sessions. In an effort to ensure continuity in the vision and strategic direction of the ECG, IOE will take over the mantel of host institution from the Independent Evaluation Department of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IEvD) and the Independent Evaluation Office of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), who chaired the Spring and Fall sessions of 2024, respectively.

Hosted by CABEI in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for the first time in history, the ECG Fall 2024 meeting brought together the Directors, Heads and Chiefs of evaluation offices of international financial institutions (IFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs), from the 11th to the 13th of November 2024. José Efraín Deras, Chief of Evaluation at CABEI, and Dr Véronique Salze-Lozac’h, Chief Evaluator at IEvD co-chaired the event, and were joined by Dr Naidoo and many other distinguished representatives, including Karen Rot-Münstermann, Evaluator-General of the Independent Development Evaluation of the African Development Bank (IDEV-AfDB); Emmanuel Jimenez, Director General of Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank (ADB); Todor Dimitrov, Head of Independent Evaluation at the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB); Emmanuel Pondard, Head of Evaluation at the European Investment Bank (EIB); Marialisa Motta, Director of the Office of Evaluation and Oversight of the Inter-American Development Bank (OVE); Dr Sabine Bernabè, Director General of the Independent Evaluation Group at the World Bank (IEG); Miguel de las Casas, Lead Evaluator at the Independent Evaluation Office of the International Monetary Fund (IMF IEO); and Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine, Acting Director of the Independent Evaluation Department of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

“The ECG Fall Meeting 2024 provides us with a valuable opportunity to reflect on the transformative impact of evaluation in our institutions and communities. Through collaboration and the exchange of best practices, we strengthen our capacity to conduct evaluations that not only measure results but also drive sustainable development”, said José Efraín Deras.

The first day of the event bore witness to two main themes of discussion. Mr Efraín Deras chaired the first session, which looked at approaches for private sector evaluations, with a focus on how to improve and innovate. Contributions included insights from the ADB, EIB and EBRD. Mr Pondard chaired the second session, which looked at evaluating the nexus between green and private sector. Contributions included insights from CABEI, EIB and EBRD.

The second day of the event bore witness to two more themes for discussion. Dr Salze-Lozac’h chaired the third session, which looked at the use of AI in evaluation to enhance efficiency and outreach of the function. Contributions included insights from IEG, BSTDB, EIB, ADB and EBRD. Dr Bernabè chaired the fourth and final main session, which looked at role of evaluation in the process of the evolving transformational agenda of the MDBs. Contributions included insights from IEG, IsDB, CABEI and IADB.