Dr Indran A. Naidoo Director Independent Office of Evaluation
It gives me immense pleasure to introduce the 12th edition of Independent Magazine. We continue to advance evaluation as a public good, especially in times of uncertainty where evidence becomes more important than ever, to steer decisions in the public interest.
In this edition, we present articles that detail how our professional networks are central to deepening the identity of our profession, places where we reflect on our experience and thus strengthen our craft. Our role cannot be separate from democratic ideals, key being, using evaluation to advance democratic norms of transparency and accountability, keeping citizens central in the focus of evaluation. The professional network of independent evaluation offices of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) represented in the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG), continues to provide clarity on the need for rigor in evaluation practice. In March this year, IOE, as Chair of the ECG for 2025, hosted the first annual meeting of the Group in Rome. The interactive event allowed heads and evaluators from across the global network to engage in questions relating to how to leverage more efficiently the use of technological advancements, like AI, and conduct similar themed evaluations across our offices. The ECG network, whose first meeting dates back to 2007, is strong thanks to its clear policies on independence, which are aligned with international evaluation principles.
As part of the ECG, seeking to reinforce the work of the MDBs, IOE participated with the heads of evaluation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Caribbean Development Bank at the annual meeting of the ADB, held in Milan. The MDBs, as central financers, engage collectively at the global and regional level supporting development initiatives in real contexts. It is for this reason that development is best advanced collaboratively, and that adopting an evaluation approach that recognizes the potential of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is key. We must acknowledge how climate change, economic uncertainty, and governance challenge the connection between people, planet, and progress.
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We also had the opportunity to engage evaluation luminaries during the International Conference hosted at Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Rome and co-organized by the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the New Development Bank (NDB), where broader development issues were drawn in for reflection. Networks are essential for maintaining and enhancing our evaluation professionalism and identity. They can help address challenges posed by media distractions, which may divert attention from fundamental questions and hinder development progress. We need to exercise caution in how we deal with information, especially with the deluge that makes it difficult to distinguish between fact and opinion. As evaluators, we must remain committed to protecting evaluative principles, especially those relating to addressing normative and development questions, which remains the mandate of institutions such as IFAD.
The budget for 2025 has increased by 19%, allowing for expanded country-level evaluations. This has resulted in a 67% increase in coverage at the country level, enhancing IFAD’s evidence base of results. Greater evaluative presence the country level offers more frequent reflective opportunities for IFAD and governments to course correct. In this edition we report on evaluative work in Laos, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I take this opportunity to welcome on board our new Deputy Director, Ms. Mona Fetouh, who brings to the office and institution substantial international experience.
We trust that you will find this edition useful for your understanding of the work of IFAD, and that it will contribute to debates and discussions on how to optimize development investments.
Dr Indran A. Naidoo Director
Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD
Editorial Board
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Independent Magazine brings to the forefront of the global development dialogue the major efforts undertaken by the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD, while seeking to advance the organization’s vision of vibrant, inclusive and sustainable rural economies, where people live free from poverty and hunger. To present the richness of rural life, and detail facets of local community lifestyle, Independent Magazine also zooms in on cultural activities and landmark occurrences in countries featured by IOE’s evaluations.
“EVALUATION EXPERTISE DEVELOPED IN
20 YEARS BRINGS IN GREATER DIVERSITY
WEVALUATION EXPERTISE DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS REPLACES
e can now look at a growing cadre of evaluators from the Global South who possess great competence. They emerge from the capacity built up through, amongst others, the National Evaluation Capacity (NEC) series of the UNDP, continental and country level evaluation associations such as the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) and the pool of evaluators from the International Program of Development Evaluation Training (IPDET). In most cases they come from a practitioner perspective representing government. These new voices from global south that have been built bring new capacities and new perspectives. This means that we have more diversity of insights and perspectives, which marks a shift from the notion of the evaluation gurus”, stated Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Inde-
pendent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) in his keynote address during the joint IDEAS/NDBIEO International Conference, which took place from 4 to 6 March 2025.
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the New Development Bank (NDB), under the leadership of its Director General, Ashwani Muthoo, co-hosted the conference together with the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS), under the leadership of its President, Ada Ocampo.
“This global gathering brings together leading voices in evaluation, policy, and international development. Evaluation must be independent, dynamic, and influential, serving as a catalyst for positive transformation rather than a ret-
DEVELOPED IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH REPLACES EVALUATION GURUS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH OVER THE PAST DIVERSITY OF INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES
rospective assessment tool. As we embark on three days of dialogue and knowledge-sharing, the focus remains on how evaluation can shape more resilient, equitable, and sustainable development pathways in an increasingly complex world”, said Mr Muthoo.
The event took place at the headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, and drew over 300 evaluation experts from all over the world attended the event. Under the theme ‘Multi-dimensional Evaluation for Influence and Transformation’, the focus of the conference was on the pivotal role of evaluation in fostering transformational change amidst today’s multifaceted global challenges. The con-
ference also hosted the IDEAS Annual General Meeting.
“During the IDEAS Annual General Meeting, held at the IDEAS & NDB-IEO 2025 Conference, members gathered to review the association’s progress and future directions. Key topics discussed featured the activity report, financial overview and upcoming activities for 2025. A big thank you to all members who participated and contributed to shaping the future of IDEAS! Together, we continue to strengthen the evaluation community and drive transformation”, said Ms. Ocampo.
IOE played a very important role in the event,
financially and substantively. From a financial perspective, IOE provided support for bursaries. Substantively, IOE engaged in one professional development workshop and six conference main sessions, including the keynote panel on the first day. In the panel, Dr Naidoo was joined by Isabelle Mercier, Director of IEO of UNDP; Daniel Ortega, Director, Development, Contributions and Impact Evaluation, Development, Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; Peter E. Wichmand, Board member IDEAS; and Ada Ocampo, President, IDEAS.
“As an evaluation community, we are under constant pressure on the dimension of independence. This is because it has become known that
evaluation is power. Unfortunately, evidence does not matter anymore, and irrationality has become the new norm. Falsity can be made to look like truth”, Dr Naidoo underscored.
In the afternoon, Dr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo, IOE Chief of Section, participated in the session titled ‘Driving transformational change: Leveraging Evaluation and Partnerships for Private Sector Impact’. Panellists included Mr Muthoo; Gabriele Fattorelli, Director, Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD), European bank for Reconstruction and development (EBRD); and Dima Al-Khatib, Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation. Discussions focused on practical examples on the current
practices relating to impact measurement and reporting and on experiences of collaborative approaches and partnerships for transformative change and private sector impact.
On the second day of the conference, Dr Naidoo was among the panellists of the high-level plenary panel discussion on ‘Evaluation for Influence and Transformation’, alongside Dr Md Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan, Senior Secretary, Planning Commission of Bangladesh; Clemencia Cosentino, Director, FAO Office of Evaluation; Daniel Ortega, Director of Impact Assessment, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America; and Godfrey Mashamba, Deputy Director General, Evaluation, Evidence and Knowledge Systems, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, South Africa. Luciano Lavizzari, Former IFAD Director and former Ambassador of Switzerland moderated the session, which explored the key factors that create an enabling environment for independent evaluation and how challenges in this space can be addressed.
Evaluators often encounter resistance due to the perception of evaluation as a judgment rather than a supportive function. In his intervention, the IOE Director explained that overcoming this perception requires a shift in mindset—one that fosters an open and constructive approach to evaluation as a tool for learning and development effectiveness. A crucial aspect of this transformation is the application of soft skills in evaluation practice. Effective communication, problem-solving, and inclusive engagement are essential in ensuring that evaluations lead to meaningful change.
“The question is: how do we move from EP to E2? Whereby with EP we refer to ‘evaluation phobia’, and with E2 we refer to ‘evaluation embracing’. The answer is that this can only happen if work on the chemistry and the psychological composition of the evaluators”, explained Dr Nadioo.
Later the same day, Dr Naidoo joined the panel titled ‘Exploring the Emerging Sustainability Revolution’, which included Geeta Batra, Director of the Independent Evaluation Office, Global Environment Facility; Dr Juha Uitto, Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute; Board Director, International Evaluation Academy; Neha Sharma, Results Based Management,
Knowledge and Learning Lead, Adaptation Fund; and Rob D. Van Den Berg, Visiting Professor at the Department of International Development, King’s College. The session focused attention on a possible energy revolution that will make the transformational change to work towards the realization of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement easier. In this regard, panelists discussed what evaluation can do in the initial stage of this transition.
“Right now, we have an evidence deluge. There is so much information out there, but the biggest challenge is that the noise is making it difficult to distinguish the politics from the science. In this context, given the power dynamics, there is a strong possibility that evaluators become more marginalized”, highlighted the IOE Director.
IOE also contributed to the session titled ‘System thinking approaches towards transformational change: assessing the nexus between crisis, climate, and environment’, during which Dr Kodjo and Massiel Jiménez, IOE Evaluation Research Analyst, discussed how evaluation approaches can address both the risks and resilience that lie at the nexus of climate, crisis and development to recommend pathways to ensure the transformation of systems and practice. Furthermore, Dr Mònica Lomeña-Gelis, IOE Senior Evaluation Officer, was among the panellists of the session titled ‘From conservationism to multi-benefit approaches: evaluating community-focused natural resource protection programmes’. Dr Lomeña-Gelis was also among the discussants of the professional development workshop titled ‘Evaluation Ecosystems: Building Culturally Relevant and Context-Adapted Methodologies for Transformational Impact’, which Dr Kodjo moderated.
In addition to IOE, the conference was supported by a host of international partners, including the Independent Evaluation Offices of UNDP, of UNFPA and of the Global Environmental Facility; the German Institute for Development Evaluation; the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation; the BRICS Policy Center; the International Evaluation Academy; and the Clear centres for learning on evaluation and results.
Food and nutrition security targets fully achieved in Laos
Over the past thirteen years, IFAD-supported projects in Laos have reached out to a remarkable number of poor villages and households. The vast majority of these projects were effective in their outreach to upland and poorer districts. Overachievements were attained in the areas of smallholder resilience, and food security and nutrition security. Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) touched upon these findings during the Laos Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE) final national workshop, on 6 May 2025.
“The country strategy and programme was successful in contributing to achieving government’s strategic priorities, by addressing fragility triggers in rural areas, such as: sustainable land and natural resources management; support services and farming systems; resilience, food security
and nutrition; access to markets and value chains; and rural finance”, explained Dr Naidoo.
Co-organized by the Government of Laos and IOE, in collaboration with IFAD’s Asia and the Pacific Division, the on-line virtual workshop brought together a wealth of high-level attendants, including Sifong Oumavong, Deputy Director General, External Finance Department, Ministry of Finance of Laos. Over 50 participants joined the event, on-line and in-person, representing the Government of Laos, development partners, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and IFAD senior management and staff.
“By improving nutrition, building resilience to climate change and developing propoor value chains, IFAD has taken considerable steps to transform the smallholder agriculture sector. IFAD’s country strategic opportunities programmes (COSOPs) were developed based on national policies and national development priorities”, said Ms. Oumavong.
This CSPE is the first country-level evaluation conducted in Lao PDR. The evaluation period, 2011-2023, covers the implementation of nine projects, with a total IFAD financing of US$118.1 million since 2011. It will inform the new COSOP for 2026-30, to be prepared in 2025.
During the workshop, participants discussed the main findings, recommendations and issues emerging from the CSPE. The meeting also provided a platform to focus on the opportunities and challenges of the partnership between IFAD and the Government in the near future, and discussed strategic priorities for IFAD’s upcoming programme. Specific thematic issues addressed included climate resilience and natural resource management, partnerships and co-financing
Paolo Silveri Chief of Section Author, Laos CSPE report
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modalities, and future support to farmer groups.
Presenting the findings of the CSPE report, Paolo Silveri, IOE Chief of Section, and Nick Bourguignon, Temporary Professional Officer, explained that all projects invested in small irrigation schemes, with improvements up to 30 per cent above target. Sustainable land management practices were introduced at group and landscape level, and community-driven nutrition interventions were successfully implemented, with the inclusion of school garden activities and nutrition groups.
Other positive outcomes discussed during the workshop included that the portfolio has gone from gender mainstreaming to gradually introducing more gender-transformative approaches, improving the voice and rep -
Sifong Oumavong, Deputy Director General, External Finance Department, Ministry of Finance of Laos.
resentation of women. Moreover, IFAD projects have been successful in reaching out to an increasing number, and proportion, of women. A noteworthy achievement was the enhancement of water infrastructure development, which allowed women to save labour.
“Through focused support to remote upland communities and the introduction of gender-transformative approaches, IFAD’s projects have contributed to enhancing the voice and participation of women in farmer groups and value chain activities, laying the groundwork for more inclusive rural economies”, noted Reehana Raza, Regional Director, Asia and Pacific Division, IFAD.
On the downside, post-project sustainability was a weak point throughout the portfolio, both in terms of steps taken to improve it over time and of actual continuation of activities. This was the main challenge in the southern region, where the unsustainability of small infrastructure design and approaches to operations and maintenance remain an unresolved issue. Building sustainable farmer groups and their access to value chains will
require more than initial grants to groups and enterprises.
Another issue of concern is that pressure on natural resources through forest clearing, and increased risks from inflation and the food price crisis in project villages, were seen throughout the CSPE. The portfolio remained short of a comprehensive approach to small-scale infrastructure and climate resilience. While IFAD moved to supporting staple crop value chains, this
Reehana Raza, Regional Director, Asia and Pacific Division, IFAD
was in contradiction with sound natural resource management, as it encouraged the expansion of annual crops on sloped land. Small-scale integrated improvements of home gardens and small livestock were a relevant but insufficient approach to climate resilience.
Looking ahead, Ambrosio Barros, IFAD Country Director for Lao PDR and Head of IFAD Mekong Multi-Country Office, highlighted that IFAD will deepen support for inclusive, well-governed cooperatives that are truly connected to markets and services. IFAD may also upscale its support to youth.
In this context, it is recommended that IFAD adopt a sustainable approach to ensure continued in-country presence and engagement, take a strategic decision regarding co-financing partnerships, considering both coherence and potential trade-offs, and redefine its approach to enhance the sustainability of
farmer groups and make them more inclusive. In addition, the upcoming COSOP should specify the approach to climate resilience, natural resource management and the needs of those with limited land access.
In Laos, although national poverty has declined steadily, almost one in five people still live below the poverty line. Rural groups in remote, mountainous areas in the north and east are particularly affected. While agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, about half of households are subsistence farmers. They face a range of constraints.
Presentation by Paolo Silveri, Chief of Section, IOE
HERitage: Women Artisans Exhibition*
In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2025, Sofitel Luang Prabang hosted the “HERitage: A Celebration of Lao Women in Handicraft exhibition,” where visitors can now purchase local handicrafts as souvenirs, supporting the work of Lao artisans.
For generations, Lao women have preserved the country’s rich traditions, especially in handicrafts such as weaving. These skills, passed down over time, not only aim to keep the culture alive but also contribute significantly to the local economy.
Today, these traditions continue to thrive, with modern adaptations blending seamlessly with the original styles. The exhibition featured intricate textiles, handmade jewellery, and other artisan crafts, showing off the skills and cultural contributions of Lao women artisans.
*source: https://laotiantimes.com/
MOVING BEYOND NUMBERS TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS IN GENDER EQUALITY
To evaluate the extent to which progress towards gender equality is being achieved, it is paramount to move beyond looking solely at numbers, with a view to understanding if and how we are moving from gender mainstreaming towards gradually introducing more gender-transformative approaches that improve the voice and representation of women. Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), put this issue on the table during a dialogue session between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Independent Evaluation Department (IED) and Civil Society Organization, on 7 May 2025.
The ADB–civil society dialogue session took place in the context of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the ADB, in Milan, Italy, from 4 to 7 May 2025. IFAD attended the Annual Meeting at the highest level, with delegation representatives including IFAD President, Alvaro Lario, and Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President of IFAD’s Department for Country Operations, who joined Dr Naidoo. Under the theme ‘Sharing Experience, Building Tomorrow’, the Annual Meeting brought together heads of the Evaluation Cooperation Group, as well as Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from ADB member countries, officials from international organiAlvaro Lario, IFAD President, during the sessions on Transforming Food Systems for the Future of Asia and the Pacific
zations, representatives from the private sector, and civil society organizations.
To address the issues raised by Dr Naidoo during the ADB–civil society dialogue session, Eoghan Molloy and Nassreena S. Baddiri, Senior Evaluation Specialists at IED, delved into IED’s recent evaluation of ADB’s support for accelerating progress in gender equality. The evaluation found a varied degree of understanding of terms such as gender ‘empowerment’ and ‘mainstreaming’, as well as of what constitutes a ‘transformative’ approach or result. Undoubtedly, there needs to be a strict line drawn as to what is or is not empowering and transformative. IED is raising the bar in this regard. As a result, ADB has committed to tighten the definitions for these categories and to set new targets. This should strengthen the quality of gender mainstreaming going forward.
Moreover, to understand the reality that exists beyond the numbers, there is a need to move beyond looking at women’s mere participation, such as attending training, including by consistently integrating qualitative and quantitative measures. This approach will help IED to carry out its job which, as stated by Dr Emmanuel Jimenez, Director General, IED, is to answer one very simple question: “on the basis of the evidence that the staff presents, are we convinced that their judgement of whether or not that project met the objectives, was successful or not”.
Watch the event highlights summary video [here]
Thematic evaluation on IFAD’s support to gender equality and empowerment [here]
Evaluation of ADB’s Support for Accelerating Progress in Gender Equality [here]
[Left to right] Saleha Waseem, Principal Evaluation Specialist; Houqi Hong, Principal Evaluation Specialist; Emmanuel Jimenez Director General, Independent Evaluation Department, ADB
Water, land and livelihoods: IFAD’s investment in Egypt’s future
Initiatives financially supported by IFAD have proved effective in delivering infrastructure and other rural services. Over the past years, positive outcomes have included the development of water infrastructure and equitable water distribution, as well as integrated community support packages. In addition, projects have improved institutional capabilities for the operation and maintenance of water and irrigation systems. The overall technical sustainability of water systems is also positive, with growing focus on participatory water management. Steven Jonckheere, Senior Evaluation Officer at the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), and lead author of the Egypt Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), presented these and other related findings during a national workshop on 17 February 2025.
The CSPE offers significant examples of improvements in local infrastructure, such as those achieved through the Sustainable Agriculture Investments and Livelihoods (SAIL) project. These include rehabilitation of 41 km of main canals in Lower Egypt, which covered about 2,520 ha of land, and the transformation of 524 ha in Middle Egypt from surface irrigation to drip irrigation. Additionally, SAIL has supported the construction and rehabilitation of nine clinics, eleven nurseries, six schools, two youth centres, four veterinary facilities, nine sewing units, and one computer and women’s centre.
“I would like to stress that the partnership between IFAD and Egypt is a major reflection of a successful example in the area of rural development. We hope to continue to work together, to evaluate, to improve results and find innovative solutions”, said Doaa Orabi, Financing Institutions, Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, speaking on behalf of the Honourable Dr. Rania AlMashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation.
Co-organized by the Government of Egypt and IOE, in collaboration with IFAD’s Near East, North Africa, Europe, and Central Asia Division (NEN) Division, the on-line virtual workshop brought together high-level attendants, including Doaa Orabi, and Dr Naeem Moselhy, Minister’s Advisor for Follow-up and Evaluation and National Coordinator of the PRIDE Project. Over 70 participants joined the event, representing the government of Egypt, development partners, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and IFAD senior management and staff.
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During the workshop, participants discussed the main findings, recommendations and issues emerging from the CSPE. The meeting also provided an opportunity to focus on the opportunities and challenges of the partnership between IFAD and the Government in the near future and discuss strategic priorities for IFAD’s upcoming programme.
“After four decades the partnership between IFAD and the Government of Egypt remains pertinent to make rural economy more inclusive and sustainable, and to reduce poverty and hunger. The focus of this partnership remains on tackling water scarcity, unemployment and landlessness, and supporting farmers’ organizations. Over time, projects have also become more effective in delivering infrastructure and other rural services”, affirmed Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director.
This was IOE’s third CSPE in Egypt. It covered the period 2017-2023, including five projects of a total cost US$646.3 million, with US$330 million financed by IFAD. The rest came from the Government, beneficiaries, and other co-financiers. The evaluation focused on IFAD’s 2019-2024 country strategy and opportunities programme (COSOP), the objectives of which were to improve rural incomes and livelihoods by boosting agricultural productivity and profitability, and developing policies for inclusive, sustainable rural transformation. The findings of the report will help inform IFAD’s new country COSOP, in 2025.
“The evaluation confirms that IFAD’s financed projects did secure promising results despite the economic challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of the war in Ukraine and other international and regional geopolitical developments”, noted Dr Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President, Department of Country Operations, IFAD.
Workshop participants discussed how IFAD’s country
Brown, Associate Vice-President, Department for Country Operations IFAD
programme contributed to improvements in household incomes and assets. These occurred especially through rural finance, both for farm and non-farm investments, and to some extent agriculture productivity, marketing and income generating activities effects. The country programme also contributed in many ways to human and social capital strengthening, especially through farmer field schools, literacy training and management support for community development associations, water user associations and groups at systems
and farm level, and agricultural cooperatives.
“Our national projects in the areas of livestock and fisheries aim to improve the genetic features of the breeds. This comes in addition to all the policies that provide support to farmers, providing the inputs, loans and credits necessary for the development of the dairy sector, and to the projects that help farmers adopt contractual arrangements”, underscored Dr Naeem Moselhy, Minister’s Advisor for Follow-up and Evaluation and National Coordinator of the PRIDE Project.
Other positive results achieved included the introduction and expansion of methods and infrastructure aimed at improving environmental and natural resource management, particularly by promoting water efficiency and managing soil fertility. Equally noteworthy were the improvements in food security and nutrition, which were attained by increasing agricultural yields, cutting post-harvest losses and raising incomes.
During the event, experts also touched upon the areas for improvement that remain. In this regard, it was found that IFAD’s interventions lacked a well-defined policy agenda with practical entry points and failed to create essential strategic partnerships. National platforms, like the Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy programme, were not utilized effectively for policy engagement. Moreover, the projects struggled to effectively consolidate and communicate field lessons, which hindered
Donal
their ability to influence policy processes.
Furthermore, rural finance interventions performed poorly due to limited additionality and inadequate consideration of target groups’ needs, while capacity building efforts were developed based on immediate project needs rather than thorough, long-term capacity assessments.
In addition, there was no evidence of scaling up. Neither in the closed projects, nor in the ongoing ones was there any evidence that innovations or successful experiences from the country programme were being adopted and disseminated by development partners, stakeholders’ resources being invested or the Government adopting a policy framework to bring these practices to scale.
Looking ahead the CSPE recommends incorporating natural resource management and adaptation to climate change into the upcoming strategic priorities and addressing them in a holistic manner. It also suggests that investments in interventions that address water use efficiency should continue to be a priority, but with more emphasis on sustainability, and that the country programme’s marketing and value chain interventions should be sharpened, while catering to the unique financial needs of value chain participants.
With a population of 102.8 million in 2022, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa and the Arab world. As a
lower-middle-income country, it has faced economic challenges. In 2020, Egypt’s poverty rate declined for the first time in 20 years due to public investment in services, health, education, and expanded social protection. However, high inflation impacts vulnerable groups, emphasizing the need for stronger social safety nets. Tackling poverty in rural Upper Egypt remains crucial because of higher-than-average poverty rates. Food insecurity rose slightly from 2016 to 2022. Key factors include reliance on grain imports, food accessibility for low-income households, climate change effects on agriculture, high food waste, and quality concerns.
The third edition of the Empower seum from 16 to 20 May. The and art, media, and culture
The international forum, which tries of Environment, Social
The forum highlighted art’s and live painting sessions.
This year’s edition featured diplomats, and artists.
Presentation by Steven Jonckheere, Senior Evaluation Officer, IOE
Remarks by Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director
Empower Her Art Forum, organised by the Art Today Foundation for Arts, took place at the Grand Egyptian MuThe event featured female artists from around the world, alongside ambassadors, diplomats, public figures, culture icons.
which celebrates the artistic achievements of women, was held under the patronage of the Egyptian MinisSocial Solidarity, Culture, Youth & Sports, Tourism and Antiquities, and The Egyptian Tourism Authority.
art’s role in women’s empowerment through a visual art exhibition, panel discussions, interactive workshops, sessions. The event sought to foster cultural exchange and promote values of peace, justice, and equality.
featured over 200 female artists from more than 35 countries. The opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries,
https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/
FEATURE STORY FEATURE STORY IMPORTANCE
IMPORTANCE OF EVALUATION are key in current landscape
EV
Felloni,
In the current international landscape, it has become even more important to show results and learning, and to demonstrate that funds are devoted to the impact being sought on the ground. In this context, having an Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) is something that IFAD cherishes. Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, made this point whilst welcoming the members of the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG) to the Fund’s headquarters, for the ECG 2025 Spring meeting. The event, which took place from the 10th to the 12th of March 2025, marked the second time in history that IOE hosted the bi-annual gathering, the first dating back to 2017. The Office took over the mantel of host institution from the Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Independent Evaluation Office of Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), who chaired the Spring and Fall sessions of 2024, respectively.
Pondard,
In his remarks, President Lario noted that IFAD uptakes almost 100% of IOE’s recommendations, which stem from very valuable findings that show the impact and the results that the Fund achieves at grassroots level. For this reason, IFAD counts very much on the work of IOE. The way in which the Office is regarded internationally is in of itself a strategic asset, further emphasized the President referring to the findings of the 2021 Quality of Official Development Assistance Report, which ranked the quality of IFAD’s evaluation function very highly among Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs).
The ECG 2025 Spring meeting brought together the heads of the evaluation offices of all the major MDBs. The Chair of the event, Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director, was joined by Dr Véronique Salze-Lozac’h, Chief Evaluator, EBRD; Dr Sabine Bernabè, Vice President and Director General of Evaluation, IEG-World Bank; Monique Koning, Inspector General, European Investment Bank
[Left to right] Heads of delegation: Heads of delegation: Peter van der Knaap, Vice President, EvalNet - OECD; Dr José Efraín Evaluator, IEvD - EBRD; Dr Emmanuel Jimenez, Director General, IED - ADB; Todor Dimitrov, Director, Independent Evaluation, and Director General of Evaluation, IEG - WB; Monique Koning, Inspector General,
- EIB; Emmanuel
Head of Evaluation, Fabrizio
Deputy Director, IEO - GEF; Ashwani
Deras, Director, ODEI - CABEI; Karen Rot-Münstermann, Evaluator General, IDEV - AfDB; Dr Véronique Salze-Lozac’h, Chief Evaluation, BSTDB; Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director IOE - IFAD; Marialisa Motta, Director, OVE - IaDB; Dr Sabine Bernabè, Vice President Evaluation, EV - EIB; Pablo Moreno, Director, IEO - IMF; Isabelle Mercier, Chair, UNEG; Amin Abdullahi, Manager, IEvD - IsDB; Ashwani Muthoo, Director General, IEO, NDB
(EIB); Emmanuel Pondard, Head of Evaluation, EIB; Pablo Moreno, Director, Independent Evaluation Office (IEO), International Monitory Fund (IMF); Dr José Efraín Deras, Head of the Independent Evaluation Office, CABEI; Karen Rot-Münstermann, Evaluator General, African Development Bank (AfDB); Todor Dimitrov, Director, Independent Evaluation, Black Sea Trade & Development Bank (BSTDB); Marialisa Motta, Director, Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE), Inter-American Development Bank; and Dr Emmanuel Jimenez, Director General, Asian Development Bank (AsDB).
In his opening remarks, Dr Naidoo put the spotlight on IOE’s strategic priorities going forward. These include a heightened country focus, which will result in a 100% increase in the geographic coverage of the Office’s evaluations. IOE will also make growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and continue its work on mainstreaming a neuroscience-based approach to evaluation
communication. In recent years, this approach has contributed to strengthening a solid working relationship with IFAD Management through a process of principled engagement. Following a round of institution-specific updates, the Spring meeting began by welcoming the application of the New Development Bank’s IEO to join the ECG, by granting it temporary observer status. Thereafter, seven thematic discussions unfolded over the course of the three days. IOE’s substantive contributions featured prominently during these sessions.
Dr Naidoo co-chaired the first thematic session, on AI, alongside, Dr Bernabè. The session included a joint presentation by Steven Jonckheere, IOE Senior Evaluation Officer, and Hannah den Boer, IOE Associate Evaluation Officer. Contributions to the session included presentations by EIB, IEGWB and AsDB. The IOE Director also co-chaired the second thematic session, on the private sector, alongside Dr Efraín Deras. The session in-
cluded a presentation by Dr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo, IOE Lead Evaluation Officer. Contributions to the session included presentations by CABEI and AsDB. On the second day of the meeting, Dr Naidoo co-chaired the fifth thematic session, on knowledge management (KM) and communication, alongside Ms Rot-Munstermann. Dr Alexander Voccia, IOE Senior Evaluation Communication and KM specialist, delivered the opening presentation. Contributions to the session included presentations by IEG-WB, AfDB and AfDB.
Vibrant discussions also unfolded over the course of the other thematic sessions. These included the sessions on climate change, co-chaired by Mr Moreno and Dr Salze-Lozach, with presentations by IMF, EIB, AsDB and EBRD; on good practice standards and methodologies, co-chaired by Ms Motta and Dr Bernabè, with presentations by IDB and BSTDB; on additionality, chaired by Mr Pondard, with presentations by IEG-WB and EIB; and on institutional change, co-chaired by Dr Bernabè and Mr Dimitrov, with presentations by IMF, EBRD, EIB and IEG-WB. The meeting also included a side event on KM and communication, during which Dr Voccia delved into the
details of how IOE has been leveraging neuroscience-based principles in its evaluation communication undertakings.
IOE will also host the next meeting of the ECG, at IFAD headquarters in Rome. The event will take place in October 2025.
[Left to right] Ronald Meyer, Alternate Permanent Representative of Germany to the UN in Rome; Dr Sabine Bernabè, Vice President and Director General of Evaluation, IEG-World Bank; Dr Indran A. Naiddo, IOE Director
Dr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo
Chief of Section
Project cluster evaluation: IFAD’s support to rural enterprise development:Key findings and lessons
Alexander
Sr Evaluation Communication & KM Specialist
Steven Jonckheere Senior Evaluation Officer
Hannah den Boer Associate Evaluation Officer
Dr
Voccia
IOE staff who supported the ECG Spring meeting 2025
Paolo Silveri
Shaun Ryan
Laure Vidaud
Sarah Mahdar
Laura Morgia
Serena Moscato
Cristina Spagnolo
Andreina Mauro
Daniela Asprella
Gresia Bernardini
Anne-Sophie Lenoir
About the Evaluation Cooperation Group
The ECG was established in 1996 to promote a more harmonized approach to evaluation methodology, following an assessment of the five major MDBs (the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the InterAmerican Development Bank and the World Bank).
Mandate
ECG contributes to excellence in evaluation by promoting:
• Mutual learning and sharing of experience on issues such as evaluation governance, tools, methods, products and management.
• Increased contribution of evaluation to organisational results;
• Adoption of good practice standards and benchmarking against these; and
• Facilitating jointly conducted evaluations.
Promoting Evaluation Harmonization
To promote evaluation harmonization among MDBs, the ECG has developed and uses Good Practice Standards (GPS) and benchmarking studies to assess the extent to which the GPS are applied by its members. The GPS cover:
• Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation
• Policy-Based Lending Operations
• Evaluation Private Sector Operations
• Evaluation Public Sector Operations Evaluation
• Review Framework for the Evaluation Function (Peer Reviews)
• Technical Assistance/Cooperation Evaluation
Membership
ECG has a three-tier membership structure composed of: full members, permanent observers and temporary observers (institutions in the process of applying for full membership).
Working Practices
ECG members and observers meet twice a year (Spring and Autumn) to discuss and share experiences on current evaluation issues. The meetings are hosted by the ECG Chair, the role of which rotates among ECG members.
ECG Chair rotation schedule
• 2025 - International Fund for Agricultural Development
• 2024 - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Spring)/ Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Fall)
• 2023 - African Development Bank
• 2022 - Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), World Bank Group
• 2021 - Inter-American Development Bank
• 2020 - European Investment Bank
• 2019 - Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (Spring) / Islamic Development Bank (Fall)
• 2018 - Asian Development Bank
• 2017 - International Fund for Agricultural Development
• 2016 - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• 2015 - Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), World Bank Group
• 2014 - African Development Bank
• 2013 - Inter-American Development Bank
• 2012 - European Investment Bank
• 2011 - Asian Development Bank
• 2010 - European Bank of Reconstruction and Development
• 2009 - World Bank Group
• 2008 - African Development Bank
• 2007 - Inter-American Development Bank
Access all presentations of the 2025 ECG Spring meeting
Agribusiness micro, small and medium enterprises are the lifeblood of global food systems
[access EBRD IEvD]
A“gribusiness micro, small and medium enterprises are the lifeblood of our global food systems. They play a pivotal role in ensuring food security, fostering sustainable development and uplifting rural economies. However, these enterprises often face significant challenges and barriers in securing the financing that they need to thrive due to limited collateral, high perceived risk and insufficient credit history”, stated Dr Véronique Salze-Lozac’h, Chief Evaluator at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
in her keynote address during learning event hosted at IFAD headquarters, on 7 March 2025.
Titled ‘Lessons on financing the private sector with a focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (M-SMEs) Agribusiness’, the event was co-chaired by Dr Salze-Lozac’h and Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), and was co-organised by IOE and the Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) of EBRD in the framework of the Spring meeting of the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG). Over 200 people attended the hybrid event, including staff members from IOE and IFAD Management, representatives of IFAD governing bodies, representatives of multilateral development banks (MDBs) and other
IFAD stakeholders participating in-person and joining on-line. Dr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo, IOE Lead Evaluation Officer moderated the discussions, which also featured the contribuitions of Rick Van Der Kamp, Lead Global Technical Advisor, Markets and Value Chains at IFAD.
“MDBs remain vital financing partners of M-SMEs. However, addressing gaps in effectiveness, addressing additionality and refining evaluation approaches will be essential for achieving meaningful outcomes. MDBs must go beyond financial additionality and adopt a holistic approach by enhancing non-financial support and enabling the conduct of robust monitoring mechanisms to collect data and results at the beneficiary level”, highlighted Dr Naidoo.
The event expanded participants’ knowledge, particularly that of IFAD stakeholders, on perspectives and outcomes related to financing private sector actors by MDBs. In this regard, discussions fostered an exchange of experiences between the participating organizations, leveraging evaluative findings to address approaches, results, and challenges in financing agribusiness micro, small and medium size enterprises (M-SMEs), and their contribution to development effectiveness.
“Financial institutions may view these businesses as too risky, too vulnerable to factors like climate change and market volatility. But how is not? Complex norm requirements and high interest rates can limit access to formal financing”, further explained Dr Salze-Lozac’h.
The event featured two panel discussions. During the first, Andrew H. W. Stone, Adviser to the Director for Finance, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, at the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank, presented lessons in terms of approaches and results of MDB’s support to agribusiness M-SMEs, considering financial, technical, infrastructure, competitiveness, and policy aspects. The discussions that followed zoomed in on possible solutions and innovations could be applied in financing agribusiness M-SMEs to enhance and sustain their performance.
During the second panel, Gabriele Fattorelli, Director for Corporate, Thematic and Knowl-
edge Evaluation at the EBRD, narrowed the focus on key aspects of success and challenge of MDB support to agribusiness M-SMEs, to promote their contribution to development effectiveness. This presentation sparked subsequent discussions on lessons related to evaluation methodology and findings in assessing MDB’s additionality in financing M-SMEs.
Dr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo, IOE Lead Evaluation Officer, facilitated a lively questions and answers sessions, prior to the closing remarks delivered by Dr Naidoo, who brought the event to a closure.
[here] [here]
IFAD and the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina successfully model a public, private and producer partnership for linking smallholder farmers to markets
The Rural Competitiveness Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina (RCDP) presented a public–private partnership model that effectively linked smallholder farmers to value chains and high-value markets. According to the project performance evaluation (PPE) report published by the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), the programme was able to secure the active support and engagement of local authorities and private sector actors in identifying and mobilizing smallholder farmer groups.
The design gave thorough attention to connecting farmers to market opportunities identified by business leaders, which ensured that targeted
farmers had secured markets before production using contract farming. This approach achieved a win-win scenario between farmers and business leaders, whereby farmers benefited by gaining access to subsidized starter packages, technical support and high-value markets while business leaders benefited from predictable supply and volumes at required market standards.
Approved on 12 December 2015, the programme became
effective on 16 March 2017 and was completed on 31 March 2022. This was the first PPE undertaken by IOE in the country. The goal of RCDP was to contribute to sustainable rural poverty reduction in the country. The development objective was to enable smallholders to take advantage of the development of the fruit, vegetable, non-timber forest product and other potential subsectors.
In addition to the public–private partnership model, other successes achieved by the project include the establishment of cluster stakeholder platforms (CSPs). The platforms facilitated private and public engagement to strengthen overall agribusiness sector engagement. This was an innovative approach, which proved useful for reaching even very poor, scattered regions with extension support and markets. Moreover, the CSPs possess the necessary organizational capacity to validate and agree on key priority actions for cluster de-
Enala Mumba Evaluation Officer Bosnia and Herzegovina PPE
Profile
Other notable findings include the fact that net household income increased 30 per cent while total agricultural production increased by over 50 per cent, and no farmer groups reported losses. Of the 101 producer organizations and cooperatives supported, 86 improved their productive and/or marketing assets.
The PPE also revealed areas requiring further attention, including the readiness of CSPs to self-sustain as institutions. CSPs require sufficient funding, at a minimum, to keep their cluster manager on the payroll and to finance their operational activities. Without further financial support from IFAD, the functionality of many of these platforms is unlikely to continue.
In addition, the innovative nature of the programme was not supported by effective monitoring and evaluation. There was no systematic collection of evidence to track and monitor subsector value chain performance, which the project design report. envisaged as an important area for
setting policy dialogue.
Looking ahead, the evaluation recommends that IFAD provide a clear long-term strategy to ensure continuity of its support to rural poverty eradication in upper-middle-income countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. The evaluation also notes that the Government should develop systems to track value chain performance and governance arrangements for established multi-stakeholder platforms.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is an upper-middle-income country. Poverty remains a concern, particularly in rural areas. The poverty headcount ratio showed 17 per cent of the population living on less than 60 per cent of median national income, a lower value than in many countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Agriculture is an important sector of the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of its contribution to employment and socio-economic development of the rural poor. The sector’s share of GDP has been in the range of 5.6-5.7 per cent from 2017 to 2021.
@ Pixabay/ MasterTux
Sarajevo Film Festival*
The Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) has always been a meeting place, but also a platform for the development of film art, says Jovan Marjanovic, director of the Festival, before the start of its 30th edition.
“I think that from the first moment, from its first edition, the Festival fulfilled two goals, namely to show the best films to our audience in Sarajevo and to be a platform for the development of cinematography for all those involved in it.”
SFF, which lasts from August 16th to 23rd, will present 250 films from all over the world, which, in addition to Sarajevo, will also be shown in Mostar and Tuzla. In the competitive selection, the Heart of Sarajevo awards will be awarded for the best films, series and authors.
“Of course, things grow, change, in 30 years the context has completely changed and that is a fact, but it is important that the concept of the Festival is solid and that it is still focused on the region of Southeast Europe, as a place from which it draws inspiration for what we show to the audience”.
Evidence shows that humanity may be on the brink of a third energy revolution
In response to mounting global development challenges of war, conflict, poverty, climate change and exploitation, there is ample evidence that humanity may soon embrace a third energy revolution. Moreover, while current societal models may very likely prove to be unsustainable in the long-run, evaluative findings have shown that there is evidence for hope for humanity. Rob D. van den Berg, visiting Professor at King’s College London, presented the case for the third energy revolution during a webinar on 2 April 2025.
“The Agricultural, Industrial and Information revolutions happened without governments and societies taking the decision to adopt these. They happened because of their internal dynamics: people saw the advantage of growing crops, using machinery, using digital platforms. Instead, the Sustainability Revolution will happen because people will recognize that a sustainable future is cheaper and better. While fossil fuels made a few companies and countries very rich, the new energy revolution will be decentralised and will deliver an abundance of local energy”, affirmed Van den Berg.
Hosted by the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), the event featured the interventions of high-level speakers, including Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director; Dr Jyotsna Puri, Adjunct Professor at Columbia University; and Dr Juha Uitto, Visiting Scholar at Environmental Law Institute and former Director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environmental Facility. Over forty participants attended the webinar, which brought together Chief Evaluators, Lead Evaluators and evaluation practitioners from multilateral development banks, international financial institutions and UN agencies, as well as from members of the Global Evaluation Initiative.
The webinar focused on the findings of the book ‘Evidence for Hope - The emerging sustainability revolution’, published by Rob D. van den Berg in 2024. The book has its origin in the unprecedented challenges that humanity faces.
“Historically, evaluation has been backward looking. You look at past data, understand what has worked and stop there. Instead, evaluation needs to be understood as a positive
strategic force that is future looking. This has to be the new standard. The book articulates this need extremely well”, affirmed Dr Puri.
The main argument is that while everything seems to move in the wrong direction, there is change happening in the right direction as well. Van den Berg notes that this change is inevitable and that it will lead to a new energy revolution of humanity. After the agricultural revolutions, the industrial revolution and the
information revolution, humanity is now on the verge of starting the sustainability revolution.
“The depth and scope of this book makes it a seminal contribution to science, research, philosophy and evaluation. It draws us into the multiple worldviews to help us understand how thinking evolves. As a historian, academic, evaluation manager, practitioner and commentator, Rob merges arguments in an accessible manner. It
should inform future practice”, stated Dr Naidoo.
Drawing on the arguments outlined in the book, participants argued that there is evidence for hope at the systemic level, and at the level of innovation and pilot projects. This will require focusing on new initiatives, which may provide a means for societies to reach agreement on how transformations can achieve social justice and a sustainable relationship with plant Earth.
“We must look beyond the global West. There are countries that are leading the world in the areas of renewable energy and innovative technologies. We must learn from them and try to emulate the pathways that they are setting”, highlighted Dr Uitto.
Evaluators can support this by not just noting how successful an intervention is, but how it fits into trajectories that will bring us a sustainable future. Evaluation criteria like efficiency, effectiveness and impact are still studied as linear phenomena per intervention. Instead, they need to be redefined in terms of relationships.
Watch the full event reconding [HERE]
Access reviews of the book [HERE]
Access the presentation delivered by Rob D. van den Berg [here]
Innovations exist to enhance mechanisms for evaluating longterm development outcomes
Pioneering methodologies can allow multilateral development organizations to enhance their mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating contributions to long-term development outcomes. These include the use of satellite imagery and geospatial data, of data-driven predictive analytics, and of modelling to measure de facto vs de jure governance indicators. Researchers and evaluation practitioners discussed these and other tools during a roundtable discussion hosted by the World Bank Group (WBG), on 25 March 2025.
Titled ‘Measuring Long-Term Outcomes’, the event was held in Rome. Representatives of government institutions, multilateral development agencies, NGOs and academia participated in the discussions. Mona Fetouh, Deputy Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) attended the event, which was the third in a series of roundtables focusing on how to measure long-term development outcomes. The previous two meetings were held in Abidjan and Brussels. Geneva, Washington, and Johannesburg will host the next roundtable meetings, leading up
to a global synthesis webinar later this year.
The impetus to launch this series came from the inquiries of the WBG President, Ajay Banga, visà-vis the long-term outcomes achieved by the Bank over the past decades, and the realization that there are no easy answers to provide. Moreover, many challenges exist in this regard. Roundtable participants discussed the short-term nature of projects and programmes that are often plagued by a lack of evidence following completion; the lack of or poor theories of change that fail to properly articulate causal links between outputs and outcomes; the pressures to disburse and implement quickly, which lead to lack of baseline and ex-ante data collection; and challenges in measuring contributions to policy reform work, which are longer-term by nature.
Insufficient investment in monitoring and evaluation and strong data systems, insuffi cient investment in building national evalua tion capacity – which would enable longerterm measurements at country level –, and lack of political will among key stakehold ers to prioritise evaluative work were also amply discussed during the roundtable.
In the face of these mounting challenges, the consensus reached emphasized the necessity of identifying streamlined, adaptable, and economical approaches to bolster accountability. These may include citizen-centric feedback and measurement, such as community-led monitoring and country-led evaluations; digital innovation and data science, such as the use of big data and natural language processing; and a move away from linear to more systems-thinking approaches.
The roundtable series ‘Measuring What Matters: Long-Term Outcomes in Development‘ is part of the World Bank Evolution Roadmap, and contributes directly to the results agenda, under the leadership of the Department for Outcomes.
ROADMAP AGREED UPON FOR CROSS-AGENCY FOR EVALUATION
Evaluation experts of bilateral and multilateral agencies, including from the Global South, have identified and agreed on a roadmap for cross-agency collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) for evaluation evidence synthesis, underpinned by effective knowledge management (KM). Consideration was given to identifying and developing guidance, frameworks, policies, expertise and tools that will support staff to leverage existing technology safely, responsibly and transparently. Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) was among those who addressed these issues during a three-day learning event which took place under the auspices of the Wilton Park Dialogue series, in the UK, from the 24th to the 26th of March 2024.
The event was convened by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Global Affairs Canada and IOD Parc, who brought together actors at the forefront of international efforts. The objective of the ‘by-invitation only’ event and was to exchange best practice for supporting production and uptake of evaluation evidence synthesis through AI, supported by the appropriate organisational culture. The secluded location of Wilton Park’s setting in the South Downs National Park allowed for focused discussions that led to practical commitments.
Over the course of the three days, evaluation experts shared ideas and experiences on how to apply innovative and cutting-edge methods to making synthesised global evaluation evidence accessible to decision-makers, policy makers
CROSS-AGENCY COLLABORATION ON AI
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
and a wider audience through the creation of appropriate systems, tools, processes and learning. In this regard, discussions centred on understanding current and potential opportunities for advancing the use of AI for global evaluation evidence synthesis and identifying good practice to support utilisation and the broader enabling culture.
In this context, the event was grounded around three key strands. The first was to understand the current use of AI in evaluation evidence synthesis across organisations, drilling down to what works and what doesn’t for whom, why and with what implications for achieving development outcomes. Issues addressed under this theme included what we can learn from cutting-edge practice on global evidence synthesis efforts,
where the technology is currently, and what are the current limitations/ The second strand was to understand good practice in KM to enable the production and utilisation of AI-generated evaluation synthesis to ensure the greatest development impact. Issues addressed under this theme included what we can learn from partners about how to improve availability, accessibility and use of evaluation evidence, including the appropriate processes, people, systems and tools, especially for non-analysts and decision-makers. The third strand was to identify and agree on the roadmap for cross-agency cooperation on AI-enabled evaluation synthesis to deliver impactful and sustainable development.
Access previous articles on IOE at Wilton Park [here]
Balancing environmental and socio-economic benefits in environmental conservation and climate change adaptation interventions
Raymond
Mubayiwa Senior Evaluation Officer
Environmental and socio-economic benefits must be balanced in environmental conservation and climate change adaptation projects. It is necessary to look beyond doing-no-harm towards doing good to the environment. Moreover, failure to ‘Do No Harm’ is likely to lead to low sustainability of
benefits of IFAD interventions. Raymond Mubayiwa, Senior Evaluation Officer at the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), stated these facts during a panel discussion titled ‘Balancing environmental and socio-economic benefits in environmental conservation and climate change adaptation interventions’. The discussion took place under the auspices of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) 2025 National Conference, on 14 May 2025.
The CES 2025 National Conference took take place from 12 to 16 May 2025, under the theme ‘Doing Good (In) Evaluation: The Basics and Beyond’. The event provided an accessible platform for exchanging best practices, exploring emerging trends, and gaining new insights into the continually evolving landscape of evaluation. In her panel discussion, Raymond was joined by fellow presenters Fabrizio Felloni, Deputy Director, Independent Evaluation Office, Global Environment Facility;
Genta Konci, Evaluation Specialist, Independent Evaluation Unit, Green Climate Fund; and Anna Sting, Evaluator Team Leader, German Institute for Development Evaluation.
In their discussions, the panellists drew from recent evaluations exploring varying levels of integration between environmental, climate goals and community concerns. Topics addressed included the application of theories of change, assessing local level trade-off and win-win opportunities, inclusion of Indigenous perspectives, and the influence of national policies on local incentives.
Debates focused on the urgent and coordinated action that is needed to address climate change and biodiversity loss, through both mitigation and adaptation, while simultaneously protecting and restoring natural resources that underpin ecosystem stability, human well-being, and sustainable development.
Profile
Drawing on the findings of the Thematic Evaluation of IFAD’s support for smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate change, Raymond explained that a strong subset of IFAD climate projects are performing at or beyond doing no harm. In the same context IOE’s Senior Evaluation Officer also discussed the findings of IFAD’s evaluation synthesis on community-driven development (CDD), which highlighted that the impact of CDD projects on NRM was positive at farm level and to a less extent at community level. As such there is need for community-development funds to be structured and designed to facilitate natural resource management investments at the more encompassing territorial or watershed level.
At the community level, mitigation, adaptation and environmental protection can yield significant co-benefits—such as improved livelihoods, health, gender equality, and social cohesion—but may also impose short-term costs, such as reduce access to natural resources such as forests, rangelands or fisheries. Therefore, fostering community incentives and support is crucial. A shift is underway from traditional conservationist models to approaches emphasizing co-benefits and community engagement, including with Indigenous Peoples communities.
Presentation delivered
by Raymond Mubayiwa [here]
Knowledge is key for IFAD to raise its relevance as development player
IFAD’s institutional set-up for knowledge management (KM) should further improve in order for the Fund to position itself as knowledge player on rural transformation within the larger landscape. Although there is evidence of positive cases where KM practices in countries have shown results, overall, they require more support. These findings emerged from the corporate level evaluation (CLE) on IFAD’s KM practices, which Dr Nick Bourguignon, Evaluation Officer a.i. in the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), presented during a session of the UN inter-agency working group on KM, on 24 February 2025.
Over 130 participants and KM practitioners from across different UN agencies attended event online. Arno Boersma, Advisor in IFAD’s Impact Assessment KM unit, opened he discussion by presenting IFAD’s work and perspective on KM, IFAD’s KM strategy, and the ongoing work on
IFAD has embarked on since the CLE was published.
Speaking on behalf of Mikal Khan, Evaluation Officer at IOE, Dr Bourguignon generated a considerable amount of interest on various elements of the CLE. These included aspects of the theory of change, whether it was feasible to measure the impact of KM in IFAD, what were the difficulties of measuring the effectiveness of KM, and how the evaluation overcame cultural challenges. The evaluation was commended for finding ways of incorporating local and indigenous knowledges within its framework and across the organization.
Dr Bourguignon also recalled some of the main recommendations of the CLE, including the need for a decisive shift away from IFAD’s overly centralized KM architecture, with a view to allocating sufficient human and financial resources across decentralised levels, as well as the importance of monitoring KM effectiveness and focusing on cost-effective KM practices and products at global and operational levels.
Welcome to IOE, Mona
On 24 March 2025, Mona Fetouh officially joined the Independent Office of IFAD as the new Deputy Director. With over 25 years of experience in development and humanitarian assistance, 17 of which in evaluation, the road that has led Mona to IOE has been long and winding. Vast field experience, including in war zones, coupled with headquarter-based expertise, have provided Mona with an invaluable understanding of the development challenges that confront us, as well as of the opportunities that may lie ahead.
To mark Mona’s arrival to IOE, Independent Magazine had the pleasure to sit down with the new Deputy Director, for a one-on-one chat that touched upon select highlights of what has been a truly remarkable professional journey thus far.
Good afternoon, Mona Good afternoon, Alexander
What has been the career path that has brought you to IOE?
Mona Fetouh IOE Deputy Director
It’s been a long and varied path. I started my career at the World Bank, right after graduate school. I was a Statistical Analyst working on country-level data. After that, I decided to dive into a country context and get some field experience. And so, in 2003, I went to Iraq to work on a USAID-funded project on governance. This was my first M&E role, which was followed by ten years of leading M&E functions in different countries, in both humanitarian and development contexts. After Iraq, I moved to an economic reform project in Egypt, and thereafter went to UNDP Somalia, where I worked out of Kenya. The last of the ten-year M&E stint was in Bangkok, with the International Rescue Committee, where I worked on a big project on health, education and protection focusing on displaced people from Myanmar, which also USAID-funded. These roles involved setting up M&E systems with results frameworks, indicators, data collection plans, establishing databases and ensuring that programming was adjusted in response. They also cemented my dedication to evidence belief in results-based management and ensuring that programming is data and evidence driven – and highlighted the risks of when these systems are not in place.
From there, I moved to the evaluation world in 2013, when I joined the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). Like in IOE, OIOS staff lead and conduct the evaluations rather than outsource them, so it was a great expe-
rience to get my hands dirty so to speak, on all aspects of evaluations including scoping and design, field missions, data collection and analysis, report drafting and follow-up. It also allowed for a birds-eye view of the work of the UN secretariat, from peacekeeping to humanitarian operations. From there I moved to UNICEF, first in their evaluation office where I managed evaluations on WASH and climate, and then to the Ukraine country office as their Chief of Evaluation.
Which professional accomplishment do you feel most proud of to date?
I would have to say my most recent role in Ukraine. It was the first time that UNICEF established a senior-level evaluation post in the country office. This had been brought about by the high-level nature of the response with unprecedented funding levels. It was altogether a different level of accountability. At this time all the eyes of the world were on Ukraine. UNICEF rapidly scaled up from a small office focused on upstream work to one of the organization’s largest humanitarian responses, which means that I had to setup the evaluation function from scratch. This included recruiting a great team, putting the systems in place and developing an evidence plan, among other things. It was a large multi-sectoral response, which encompassed health, education, WASH, protection, social policy, and both humanitarian and recovery work. It was a very complex and extremely challenging context, and a high-pressure environment, so prioritizing staff wellbeing always had to be at the forefront.
Donor and government partner expectations were very high, and the workload was very intense. Despite all this – and the regular missile and drone attacks, air raid sirens and power outages - we really built a strong evaluation function. We conducted several evaluations including on humanitarian cash transfer programming, on child-friendly spaces, and on UNICEF’s corporate-level humanitarian response. These were coupled with many other studies, such as rapid assessments and operational reviews, which were useful in terms of having real-time information for course-correction. This mix of evaluative evidence also helped develop the buy-in of the office in terms of understanding the value of evidence and evaluation. I was very proud of all this. I could see the evaluation and evidence culture of the office as a whole grow, as the value of this work became clear. The experience shows that evaluation cannot be sacrificed in crisis contexts as it sometimes is, particularly during early stages. Instead, the need for accountability and learning is stronger than ever, especially for the people we serve.
A second accomplishment that I also recall with pride dates back to my OIOS days, when I led an evaluation of the Executive Office of the Secretary General (SG). This was in the last year of Ban-ki Moon’s term, and the evaluation was strategically important to provide the transition team of the incoming SG with recommendations on how to best structure and prioritize the work of the office. It was only me and one bright junior analyst working on it, so the work was intense. We included some innovative business-review type approaches, including time audits and analysing correspondence logs as well as a very illuminating week embedded within the office for direct observation. The findings highlighted the limited time spent on strategic direction and inefficient use of senior management meetings for decision making, among other issues. SG Guterres and his transition team greatly appreciated the results and drew heavily on them to restructure the work of the office. This showed commitment to evaluation at the highest levels of the UN.
What are you most excited about in joining IOE?
The reputation of IOE among the evaluation community is very strong. Prior to my arrival, whenever I mentioned to evaluation colleagues that I was going to be joining the office, I heard nothing but praise for the high calibre work of the office. I’m excited to join a team of experienced professionals known for quality work, under the leadership of a director known for his unwavering commitment to independence. Having been in several other evaluation functions, I’m impressed by how seriously evaluation is taken in IFAD, and this is in no doubt due to the efforts of IOE staff over the years, and the clear value that evaluation has shown within the fund. I’ve come from roles where evaluation acceptance and culture were variable and
where the structures and processes were not always in place to properly safeguard the function. So, to come to an office and organization where this is well established is an exciting change. I’m looking forward to working with the team to support and strengthen this work.
What are the most significant lessons that you have learned or skill that you have acquired that you think will help you to make a difference at IOE?
I think that the first one is my varied geographic experience. I hope to contribute in terms of my experience across different regions, with long term assignments in the Middle East, East Africa, South-East Asia and Eastern Europe. Context is key. Having a solid understanding of the history and socio-political dynamics and being able to adapt our evaluation work, while of course maintaining standards and rigor, results in much higher utility, relevance and influence.
In Ukraine, for example, many in the international community found themselves for the first time in a humanitarian response in a middle-income country, and one with a functioning government. The usual practices that worked in lower income fragile states didn’t apply, and not all were quick to make this adjustment. The same applied to our evaluation work there, which impacted everything from government engagement to hiring of local researchers, as well as understanding which evaluation questions really got to the root causes of the challenges faced in the country. External consultants often needed a lot of time to be socialized to the context, which was critical to be considered credible by stakeholders. These experiences also
helped me to better understand opportunities and constraints on the ground, including for example having a front row view of the complexities of policy reforms, which in turn has helped me sharpen my evaluation practice. With IOE, working across so many varied contexts, I hope this experience can support our teams.
A second aspect is stakeholder engagement. As evaluators we need to have a unique combination of skills. From a technical perspective, these include qualitative and quantitative methods, report drafting, etc. However, equally important are the competencies and soft skills required for active listening, effective communication and work to build an evidence culture. To me, this enhances independence rather than compromises it. In my career, I’ve had to engage with a range of stakeholders, from UN senior management to minister-level officials, member state delegates to governing bodies, NGO partners and community members. Each have varying relationships, interests, views and roles in evaluative evidence. At times, these communications can be fraught or met with defensiveness or even fear (usually unfounded) of losing funding and support. Over the years, I’ve learned how to best engage and build buy-in for evaluation, especially by communicating that we are all working towards the same goal – better outcomes for the people and communities we serve. We know that donors and member states appreciate honest self-reflection, learning and accountability. Learning how to engage in an adaptive way with different groups and building skills in influencing is something I value from my experience. In essence, I always try to impart the message that we are all working towards the same goal.
Which do you feel will be the biggest challenges that IOE, as well as the international evaluation community, will have to face in the foreseeable future?
The world as we know it has fundamentally changed in recent years. COVID-19, rising political polarization, climate crises, wars and the current funding crisis in oversees development assistance are forcing us to think differently about how we work. There are some with a tendency to think that evaluation could be de-prioritized, and that resources could be allocated towards more life-saving efforts or other priorities. On the contrary, I think that evaluation is more relevant than ever. This is the time when people really need credible information on the results that we have been achieving. The development sector needs to make sure that investments are going in the right places, and that funds are being used effectively and efficiently, while also striving to build resilience and achieve the best possible results to support the poorest and most marginalized. As evaluators, we need to reiterate our critical role and support in achieving these. While other evaluation functions are having to advocate for space under current resource constraints, we are fortunate that IFAD has also continued its commitment to a strong evaluation function.
Looking at the current international landscape, which do you see as being the biggest opportunities for IOE to grow as a recognized centre of excellence in evaluation and, in doing so, add value to global development efforts?
This is a very strong office, which has excellent practices that can benefit the global evaluation community. I know that in IOE there is a strong emphasis on sharing work and best practices through participation in conferences and events, as well as through publications and on-line resources. This should definitely continue, and at a time when evaluation is under fire in some functions, the lessons of a strong, well-resourced and independent function are powerful. Overall, I believe that the staff are the main asset of the office. Therefore, it is important to continue to look at ways to help their career development, build their skills, and allow them to seize opportunities.
For example, there are also a lot of opportunities in our practice with generative AI which can save time and increase efficiencies, especially with desk review and qualitative analysis. However, there are also risks which are still being explored. It is exciting to see that IOE has invested into learning more about how this area can strengthen our work.
Career journey Select publications
2025, Deputy Director, Independent Office of Evaluation, IFAD, Rome, Italy
2022-2025, Chief of Evaluation, Ukraine Country Office, UNICEF, Kyiv, Ukraine
2020-2022, Evaluation Specialist, Evaluation Office, UNICEF, New York
2013-2020, Evaluation Officer, Inspection and Evaluation Division, United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, New York
2010-2013, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, International Rescue Committee, Bangkok, Thailand
2008-2009, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Somalia Country Office, UNDP, Nairobi, Kenya
2005-2007, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, USAID TAPR II, BearingPoint, Cairo Egypt
2003-2004, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, USAID Local Governance Project, RTI International, Erbil, Iraq
1997-2003, Statistical Analyst, Development Data Group, World Bank, Washington, DC
